Jordan Is Back on His Terms

The competition was fierce every game. The conditioning drills were fierce. The weightlifting was fierce. And that was how Michael Jordan wanted it.

Washington Wizards second-year guard Courtney Alexander was among the group of NBA players who worked out with Jordan at private training sessions this summer in Chicago. Each was sworn to silence about the workouts and Jordan’s progress as he worked his way into playing shape for a return to the NBA.

Now that Jordan has committed to playing for the Wizards, Alexander, one of the team’s rising talents, offered his insight on what went on behind closed doors.

“People don’t realize that he left the game still being able to play,” Alexander said Thursday after working out with several players at MCI Center. “He’s 38, but I consider him a young 38. He’s abnormal in the fact that his body is so well-conditioned. I will say that every time I played on the court with him he was the best player on the floor.”

“Obviously Father Time takes its toll on everybody, but Michael is rare in a lot of different ways. People’s skepticism only enhances his anticipation to come back. It’s a competitive edge he’ll have on everybody.”

Jordan played for weeks against tough competition from NBA players Michael Finley, Antoine Walker, Penny Hardaway, Tim Hardaway, Juwan Howard, Alexander and others. That’s why when training camp starts and Jordan walks onto the court, the level of intensity will be at a high pitch that will continue to grow.

“He has an unbelievable work ethic,” Alexander said. “You can’t imagine someone of that stature going that hard. If anyone has the right to take a day off or not go as hard on a possession it would be him. To be around his competitiveness, that will raise everyone else’s concentration, their intensity.”

Alexander, acquired last season from Dallas in an eight-player trade, said the Wizards will be better because of the effect Jordan has had on so many of his former teammates.

Said Alexander: “Look at Scottie Pippen. Look at Horace Grant, John Paxson. I’m not saying those players would not have been good players if Michael hadn’t played with them, but he raised the level of everyone’s play.”

Players around the league already have felt Jordan’s impact on the Wizards. Though they have yet to play against him, his presence alone has added credibility to the long-suffering franchise.

“Last year I had a cakewalk when I came home. I lit the Wizards up,” said Houston Rockets guard Steve Francis, a rising star from Takoma Park and the University of Maryland. “This year, it’s going to be tough to play in Washington and to play them. They’re going to come out with a lot of intensity. Guys are going to want to play. It’s not going to be just the run up-and-down Washington Bullets/Wizards style of basketball.”

Developing chemistry will take time, several Wizards said. Not only are there several new players and players with little NBA experience, but there’s Jordan, one of the greatest basketball players and one of the most famous people in the world.

Initially, some players may be in awe. They will defer to him when it comes to shots, poise and leadership, said point guard Tyronn Lue, who came into the league in 1999 after Jordan retired for the second time in his 13 years with the Chicago Bulls.

“At first, who wouldn’t be (in awe)?” said Lue, the former Laker and only Wizards player besides Jordan who has multiple championship rings (two). “You’re playing with the best player that ever played. We have to have time and get a chance to feel each other out.”

Jordan’s new teammates are expecting him to be in their faces-and to have their backs. Seeing one of the best players of all-time sweat with them will make them more prone to push themselves harder, they said.

“When Mike came and worked out at practice, practice was like three times greater from the competitive side,” said third-year center Jahidi White. “It will be more than that every day in practice and in games.”

Jordan may get some latitude from the coaching staff, especially when it comes to participation in practice. However, Coach Doug Collins said when it comes to doing the things that the team needs to do in order to get better, Jordan will be treated like everyone else.

“I’m going to coach him just like I coach the rest of our guys,” said Collins, who coached Jordan with the Chicago Bulls from 1986 to 1989. “I don’t think he would expect me to do anything but coach him and treat him as a professional like I’m going to treat everybody on this team.”

Jordan will dress in the same locker room, take the same planes and stay in the same hotels as his teammates. He may have personal security at times but otherwise doesn’t want superstar treatment, a team official said.

Jordan is probably the only player on the team who won’t be in serious competition for a starting job. He will be listed as a small forward but will play both guard spots as well, Collins said.

Jordan’s comeback will force a fierce training camp battle between shooting guards Richard Hamilton and Alexander, the team’s best offensive players besides Jordan. Had Jordan stayed retired, one likely would have started at small forward. Now one may come in as a reserve.

Still, Alexander agreed with Collins that Jordan being on the team would not hamper his or Hamilton’s development. Hamilton, who led the Wizards with an 18.1-point scoring average last season, was unavailable to comment.

“I deal with the cards that are given to me,” Alexander said. “I’m a competitor. I’m young in this league. I aspire to be great in this league and I cherish the opportunity to play with Michael. I don’t see this as a negative in any way, shape or form.”