Circumstances Cut Way Down on Jordan's Pomp

By MARK HEISLER

Sept. 20, 2001 12 AM PT

Once, Michael Jordan seemed to transcend everything, with presidents and crown princes lining up to pay homage, but things are different this time around. Now, if, or when, he announces he’ll return to the NBA as a Washington Wizard at age 38, as he is expected to next week, it will be only a basketball story.

The change occurred even as Jordan was making final preparations for his latest comeback.

On Monday, Sept. 10, several Chicago reporters found him outside his restaurant in the Loop. The Associated Press quoted him as saying he would return. Jordan later denied saying that, but, just in case, both NBC’s “Today Show” and CBS’ “The Early Show” invited the Chicago Tribune’s Sam Smith, author of a famous book about Jordan, to appear the next morning.

The next morning was Sept. 11, 2001, when sports stars became mere sports stars again.

Jordan scrapped plans to hold a news conference this week, before the NBA’s league meetings in Orlando. (The league subsequently canceled the meetings too). Instead, he’s expected to issue a statement next week, but may not actually comment, or make an appearance until his Wizards open camp with a media day in Washington on Oct. 1.

Behind the scenes, Jordan is assuring confidantes in Chicago and Washington that he’s returning, even asking some for advice about the right way to announce it.

Nevertheless, everyone is getting ready:

NBC and TNT have prepared revised schedules to show the Wizards, a hapless 19-63 team that worked far from prime time last season, as many as 25 times.

The Wizards anticipate selling out their premium-level season tickets for the first time in the four-year history of the MCI Center.

The Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics have included the Wizards in five-, 10-and 15-game packages.

Companies with ties to Jordan, notably Nike and Gatorade, are reportedly producing new commercials to capitalize on a comeback.

So, in a way, it’s just like it used to be, but it won’t stay like that for long.

It makes you wonder if he is lonely or what. I love him as a ballplayer and a friend. I would hate to see him become like [Muhammad] Ali, who I think went one round too many.”

--George Gervin

As in days of yore, the hype built all summer.

Jordan’s intentions were first disclosed by Sports Illustrated’s Rick Reilly and later confirmed, in a de facto way, by Jordan, who began working out in earnest.

The final proving ground was to be a summer of workouts against NBA players to see if he could still cut it.

The workouts took place in Hoops Gym in Chicago. The local papers covered it on a daily basis, until Jordan swore the players to silence. After that, the papers quoted them on an anonymous basis.

Jordan broke his rib in an early session, in a collision with the Bulls’ rough, young Ron Artest, setting him back weeks.

Wrote the San Francisco Chronicle’s Scott Ostler: “It’s time to dust off the Johnny Bench nugget: ‘I was thinking of coming out of retirement. Then I pulled a muscle vacuuming.”’

No, these aren’t the days of yore any more.

When Jordan returned in 1995 after leaving for a season and most of a second to try baseball, he was 31, near his prime, and rejoining a team, the Chicago Bulls, with which he had won three titles.

Now, after two seasons away as Wizard president, he’s rejoining a bunch of young players, most of whom have never been in contention for the playoffs, much less an actual playoff game.

Only three, Richard Hamilton, Jahidi White and Chris Whitney, remain from the team Jordan took over midway through the 1999-2000 season.

In less than two seasons as president, Jordan has fired two coaches, Gar Heard, whom he inherited, and Leonard Hamilton, whom he selected after several others, like St. John’s Mike Jarvis, turned the job down.

The projected lineup has Jordan at small forward (so he doesn’t have to keep up with guards like Allen Iverson) with Hamilton, White, Courtney Alexander and Christian Laettner. Jordan will have 14 years experience, Laettner nine and the other three will have a total of six among them.

Even if Jordan approaches his old level, it’s unlikely he can jump the 14th-place Wizards into the playoffs. Even his closest friends fear this is a no-win situation for him.

Charles Barkley, who worked out with him for weeks, hoping to make his own comeback at 38, packed it in and wishes Jordan would too.

“It’s an awkward situation for me because he’s my friend and brother, but I don’t want him to do it,” Barkley said later. “I don’t want the press to have the right to criticize him. I don’t want them to have that luxury. They’ll expect him to play like Michael Jordan and he can’t do that.

“He’s the greatest player who ever lived and he can’t compete against that. There’s nothing positive for him to gain by coming back.”

Or to put it in less delicately ...

Last season, when Jordan was visiting his old coach, Phil Jackson, at a Laker game, he offered Kobe Bryant a tip on technique.

To which Bryant, who reveres Jordan, reportedly replied, laughing: “Stay right where you are, old man. You don’t want to come down there anymore.”

Oh yes, he does.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Jordan’s Best Roster Move?

Washington Wizard roster when Michael Jordan took over as team president Jan. 19, 2000:

Starting Lineup

F--Juwan Howard

F--Michael Smith

C--Jahidi White