Friday, April 18, 2003
What's next for Jordan?
Key question: Will he remain as GM for Washington?
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Even though he won't play again, Michael Jordan managed to end the season with a cliffhanger.
Will he follow his original plan and return to the Washington Wizards' front office? Will he end up in Charlotte, N.C., to run Robert Johnson's expansion franchise?
Is there still a place for him in Chicago, now that John Paxson has been hired as general manager?
Or will Jordan find something else to do?
"Let's hope we get that squared away ASAP," Wizards coach Doug Collins said. "We need to get everything in place in terms of the hierarchy, and how it's going to be, so we can start moving in the right direction."
One thing is for certain: If Jordan stays in Washington, he has a lot of work to do.
The Wizards finished 37-45 for the second straight year despite two solid seasons from Jordan in his second comeback. There are plenty of disgruntled players in the locker room, and the talent is distributed unevenly. The team essentially will be starting from scratch once more.
Jordan knows much of the responsibility is his - he called all the front-office shots while playing.
Jordan's record in his 3 1/2 seasons as the top decision-maker (110-179) is actually worse than in the 3 1/2 seasons before he arrived (116-137).
"I think if I had to grade myself from 'A' to a failure, I would say that I'm still right at average," Jordan said. "I don't think I've done anything, other than take some of the financial constraints off, and put together some young talent that don't really know how to apply their talents as of right now."
He very well could spend the summer saying goodbye to some of his biggest acquisitions. Jerry Stackhouse, Kwame Brown, Bryon Russell and Larry Hughes have not lived up to the lofty Jordan-Collins standards.
Stackhouse can opt out of his contract, which would free up about $12 million in cap money. If he does not, he could be put on the trading block.
Brown has been the subject of trade talk in the past, but the Wizards did not want to give up too soon on the No. 1 overall draft pick of two seasons ago.
Russell and Hughes began the season as starters - and finished deep on the bench.
What is left is a hardworking group of players including Tyronn Lue, Juan Dixon, Jared Jeffries, Bobby Simmons, Etan Thomas and Christian Laettner. And Collins is expected to stay.
"I'll be here as long as Michael wants me," he said.
That is, of course, if Jordan stays in Washington.
