Jordan’s true meaning

After months of teasing and delaying, the worst-kept secret in sports is finally out: Michael Jordan is coming back. And not for the Chicago Bulls (thank God), but for the Washington Wizards. Fasten your seatbelts.

How big a challenge is Michael Jordan really facing? Let’s size him up against the one true standard that all players his size and skill are ranged against: Michael Jordan.

Throughout his career, Air Jordan averaged 38 minutes a game. It’s unlikely he’ll be able to do that over an 82-game stretch. (I’m not even entertaining the thought that the Wizards will miraculously make the playoffs.) The 6-6 guard suffered three physical setbacks during the summer. Two cracked ribs from a collision in a pick-up game took him off the court for a month, while back spasms and tendinitis in the knee limited his workouts. That raises the big question of whether he will return as Michael Jordan or Willis Reed. And the Wizards, who won only 19 games last year, certainly need big-time help, full-time.

When he came back to the NBA in 1995 after an 18-month layoff, Jordan primarily became a jumpshooter. Before then, he was one of the most fearsome penetrators to the basket. Since his first return, there was a noticeable drop in his ability and desire to get bludgeoned on the way to the hole. He’ll play it smart and stay on the perimeter.

One way he can get close to the hoop is by posting up smaller defenders, and there are still plenty of them. But this will, in all likelihood, be more of a ploy to invite the double-team and get someone else open. But who will he end up dishing off to? Washington unloaded the highly-paid, vulnerable and old Rod Strickland, Juwan Howard and Mitch Richmond. Top draft pick and high school sensation Kwame Brown and forward Christian Laettner, Jordan’s teammate on the original Dream Team, will be the next options. Will that be inviting enough for him to give the ball up? Will he have a choice? Jordan will probably have a rough first season, then load up on premium talent with his salary cap room.

The league’s greatest player won 10 scoring titles and is the NBA’s fourth all-time leading scorer with 29,277 points. He has averaged a league-record 31.5 points per regular season game throughout his career and 33.4 in the playoffs. It’s inconceivable that he will approach those numbers. Perhaps the most effective ploy will be for the North Carolina alumnus to get fouled and go to the line, from where he can literally score with his eyes closed. I doubt that he’ll get his 25 to 30 points a game, though.

On defense, Jordan will need more help than before. His 38-year old legs won’t be quick enough for the younger guards he’ll be facing, and he won’t really want to bang through monster picks set up by opposing forwards and centers, either. This side of the game may be the question mark, especially in the last two minutes against the likes of a Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter or Allen Iverson.

The one facet of Jordan’s game that may be consistent will be his rebounding. He has always relished crashing the boards, and his career average of 6.3 boards a game is very healthy for a guard. Besides, when his scoring has been off, he has always resorted to hitting the offensive boards, even sneaking in for additional points off missed free throws. Every little bit helps.

The fulcrum for his success has always been his mental approach to the game. His intensity has been unmatched, and this has either drawn players to him (like Scottie Pippen and Ron Harper) or repelled them, like many of his past teammates. How will his legendary high standards help or hurt his teammates, particularly the fragile rookie Brown, whose career may hinge on how well he gets along with his team’s former part-owner? That may be the biggest variable of all. Given the smugness of many players, they may just opt for a change of scenery if the aging Jordan gives them lip. Will Jordan himself be able to live up to his own superhuman past, or rely on his reputation to strike fear and respect into the hearts of his teammates?

Michael Jordan has always searched for challenges. Every year since his comeback from baseball, his Bulls coach Phil Jackson always said he would stay in the game if he saw new challenges in staying on. Apparently, sitting in the boardroom was not challenging enough. Instead, the old king got up off his throne, and picked up the gauntlet against his greatest opponent of all, the one he has turned back a few times before, but who may ultimately win this round.

Father Time.