Michael Jordan is gone now. He's been gone for two years and no one has heard much from him, except for a recent interview he did with 60 Minutes to discuss his problems with gambling. But it seems like yesterday when the nation's capital was welcoming Jordan with open arms when he took over as vice president of basketball operations for the Wizards in 2000.
Never mind that he made the Wizards worth watching again.
Never mind that his presence alone in the MCI Center was enough to sell the building out for three years. Not to mention every arena the
Wizards played in for the two years Jordan returned to the court.
Never mind how he turned one of the most embarrassing franchises in NBA history into a media hotbed.
Never mind the number of teal No. 23 jerseys he sold with his return to the court.
Never mind the fact that his presence on the team had fans believing the Wizards could win their second NBA title in franchise history.
Never mind that in his two seasons as a player with the Wizards, Jordan had the team on the cusp of the playoffs both times.
Never mind the 40- and 50-point games.
Never mind that Abe Pollen and the Wizards fans are backstabbing snakes.
Never mind it all. It was Jordan's fault. It was all his fault. It was his fault Kwame Brown was worthless. To Kwame's credit, try being a 19-year-old kid playing with the greatest basketball player ever during your rookie season. All the horror stories about how competitive Jordan is and how demands perfection. Washington wasn't the right place for Kwame. But of course that's Jordan's fault. He did it. He single-handedly was to blame for the Wizards' dreadful play prior to last season's breakthrough year.
It was all an elaborate scheme by Jordan and the evil citizens of Chicago for him to go to Washington and sabotage a struggling franchise. Yup, that's it. It was a calculated and well-planned scheme and the fans in D.C. bought every bit of.
Seriously, give it a rest, D.C. The Wizards are just a bad franchise. Although they are not quite in the same league as the Los Angeles Clippers, the team has always been associated with losing. But the best owner in sports changed all of that prior to last season. After leading Jordan to believe he would return to the team to resume his duties as president of basketball operations, the honest Pollen gave Jordan the boot. He replaced Jordan and then-coach Doug Collins with Ernie Grunfeld and new coach Eddie Jordan.
Genius idea, Abe, you proved your point. Not only did the Wizards improve the year after Michael Jordan's departure, they did the one thing he failed to do during his time there — make the playoffs. The new-look Wizards are talented group with players who know how to win.
But this whole idea that Jordan ruined the franchise is ridiculous. Of course he wasn't the old Michael Jordan once he stepped back onto the basketball court. But what did they expect from a 40-year-old man, who returned to the game after a three-year layoff? They expected greatness. And although there were certainly flashes of greatness with 50-point games and game-winning shots, Jordan didn't live up to the fans expectations. He couldn't jump from the free throw line or switch the ball from one hand to the other while in the air. He was a shell of his former shelf and the D.C. couldn't accept that.
But Jordan is gone and has moved on with his life. And most of D.C. seems to be moving on very slowly. Having a good team will do that. The Wiz kids are ready to embark on a new season. Poised and ready to build upon last year's successes. And to players, Jordan is a distant memory, but we can't turn back the hands of time. Jordan will always be linked to the Wizards. Not because of how many banners he put up in the rafters or games he won. Sadly, it will be for what he didn't do on and off of the court. The players he drafted and the games he didn't win.
October 31, 2005
Elva Joyner:
Great article, so true. Thank you for getting it right, I’m so sick of all the Michael Jordan bashing.