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Michael to Play One More Season- by Troy Wingate
Knee surgery and age had nearly made Michael Jordan retire for a third time after leading the Wizards in scoring and assists and very nearly lead the Wizards to the playoffs until injury had struck and forced him to the bench. But after a summer of working out and weighing his options, Jordan announced yesterday that he is going to continue his amazing career.
"I am excited to return the basketball court this year," Jordan said in a statement. "My love for the game of basketball continues to drive my decision. Physically, I am feeling very strong, and the steps I took in the off-season have allowed me to return to the game in great condition."
Jordan had planned to play the second year of his 2-year contract with the Wizards, but his health has been a concern. Michael was only able to play in 60 games this season, he missed the other 22 games with a right knee injury. Jordan had said to Wizards officials earlier in the summer that he would rather come of the bench and limit his minutes rather than be the starter. But in the statement Jordan made, it appears as though he backing off that idea, and he feels he can give 30-35 minutes per game.
Wizards coach Doug Collins has said that he wants to use Michael as the sixth man at shooting guard, and he does not want to use Michael at small forward because of the physical demands, something that wore down Jordan last season when he was the teams starting small forward.
But limiting Michael to certain minutes is never a certainty. During last season, when Doug Collins, the Wizards trainers or even Michael himself tried limting his minutes, Michael's competitiveness got the better of him and he exceeded his limited minutes almost every night.
Limiting Michael's minutes this season may not be as difficult, with the additions of Jerry Stackhouse, Bryon Russell and Larry Hughes, the Wizards have more depth at the small forward, shooting guard and point guard positions than ever. The question is, will Michael be able to resist his competitiveness and limit his minutes, lately it's looking unlikely. Jordan is as hungry as ever.
During the summer, players who had worked out with Jordan said he looked great, and the he may be preparing to play another season. Last month, Michael had an insert placed in his shoes tao relieve new pain he felt on the outside of his right knee. There have been no complaints of pain since.
Jordan led the Wizards in scoring (22.9), assists (5.2) and steals (1.4) last season, but he also led the team in turnovers (2.7) and his field goal percentage (41.6) was nearly 9 percent lower than his career average.
The Jordan that we all knew in Chicago had come back several times during the season, like when he scored 51 and 45 points in consecutive games, but he also failed to score in double figures 5 times last season, some that only happened once in 13 seasons with the Bulls.
Michael's worst game last season came at home (MCI Center) against the LA Lakers, when Jordan scored a career low 2 points in 12 minutes. Jordan missed every game after that when his right knee swelled up over night.
With Jordan feeling a lot stronger than he did last season, we may see some more magical moemts next season from the game's greatest ever player.
Hey Michael, if everything goes to plan next season, and you stay healthy, how about coming back for a third season with the Wizards?
Troy Wingate
Matthew Anthes
Ryan Sylvester