Jordan, Still Showing Change of Direction, Will Play

He’s back.

We think.

Performing a one-day version of his retirement rumba, Michael Jordan wavered Wednesday on his decision to make his debut tonight in the Washington Wizards’ exhibition opener at Detroit. First, he said he would, then he wouldn’t, then he would.

The “final” verdict: He will start and play limited minutes.

That should delight thousands of fans who purchased $20 tickets to a game they might otherwise ignore. And it greatly relieves folks in the Detroit Pistons’ marketing department. Not far from the team’s home court, the Palace at Auburn Hills, a billboard trumpets: “Pistons vs. Jordan.”

“This is big,” said Kevin Grigg, Piston director of media relations, who has issued 300 press passes for the game. “There’s something happening here.”

Grigg was at practice Wednesday morning when his cell phone buzzed. It was a Wizard official telling him Jordan decided to sit out the first two exhibitions, road games at Detroit and Miami, to rest his body.

“My first thought was, ‘What about all those fans who bought tickets?”’ Grigg said.

About 19,000 tickets had been purchased, roughly 3,000 short of a sellout and 7,000 more than the biggest crowd for a Piston exhibition last season. It’s hard to imagine these teams generating much interest for a meaningless game; the Pistons were 32-50 last season, and the Wizards were 19-63.

“Everyone knows the Pistons can beat the Wizards,” fan Jerry Howard said. “People just want to see what Mike can do.”

Another fan, Willie Betts, walked out of the Palace on Wednesday afternoon with two tickets in hand. He stopped abruptly when a reporter informed him Jordan would not be playing.

“And this joker’s going to be sold out tomorrow?” he asked. “People are going to be very disappointed. I guess it’s one way they can make a little loot for an exhibition game.”

Minutes later, Jordan pulled off a familiar spin move, sending news he had a change of heart.

“After making my first announcement earlier [Wednesday], I realized that many fans purchased tickets to see me in my return,” he said in a written statement. “I don’t want the fans to be disappointed. Therefore, I will alter my original plans and play in Detroit and Miami.”

Fewer than 1,000 tickets remain for Saturday’s Heat-Wizard game at Miami’s American Airlines Arena, which seats 19,600. Before a team scrimmage Tuesday night, Jordan spoke with Coach Doug Collins and decided to sit out against the Pistons and Heat.

“I opted not to play the first two games because physically I’m still working on trying to get my wind back, my legs underneath me and I think I can gain more from that than playing in exhibition games,” Jordan said as the Wizards broke training camp. “I have to be very patient because this is a very important time for me not to try to overdo it and try to go out and prove too much.”

Jordan said then he would have played in the first two games had they been in non-NBA cities.

Meanwhile, in Washington, Jordan’s every move makes headlines. Everyone is paying close attention to the Middle East, of course, but it seems the Wizard star is running a close second. The upcoming “Monday Night Football” game between 0-4 Washington and 0-4 Dallas is running a distant third.

“They used to play, ‘Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys’ all the time,” Redskin color analyst Sam Huff said. “Now, it’s ‘America the Beautiful,’ the national anthem, and ‘All Hail Michael Jordan.”’