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| Posted By | Discussion Topic: Jordan's Returning- No one's posted this yet? | ||||
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| IkeaBoy P.L.F. Portugese Liberation Front- Liberating Status' everywhere from the Tyranny of Portugal I will die a traitor's death | posted on 09-25-2001 @ 6:17 PM |    | |||
| O&A Board Veteran Registered: Sep. 00  | Michael Jordan Returning to the NBA By JOSEPH WHITE, AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Michael Jordan made his comeback official Tuesday, announcing he will return to play in the NBA and sign a two-year contract with the Washington Wizards. ``I am returning as a player to the game I love,'' Jordan said in a news release issued through his management agency that confirmed the worst-kept secret in basketball. Jordan will donate his entire salary for the upcoming season to relief agencies working with the victims of the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York, said Estee Portnoy, a spokeswoman for SFX, Jordan's management agency. ``I am especially excited about the Washington Wizards, and I'm convinced we have the foundation on which to build a playoff-contention team,'' Jordan said. ``The opportunity to teach our young players and help them elevate their game to a higher level, and to thank the fans in Washington for their loyalty and support, strongly influenced my decision.'' The five-time league MVP, who retired for a second time in 1999 after leading the Chicago Bulls to their sixth title, announced his comeback after clearing up a licensing issue with one of his sponsors - a disagreement that caused the official announcement to come a day later than expected. Jordan never completely ruled out a comeback when he retired in January 1999, hedging his bets with the statement that he was ``99.9 percent'' certain he would never play again. Leaving the door open, even by one-tenth of 1 percent, meant Jordan could always kick it back open without going back on his word. Now, he has. ``This is certainly an extremely important moment in the history of our franchise, however our excitement is muted by the world events that surround us,'' Wizards owner Abe Pollin said. ``The greatest player in the history of the game is joining my team, and for that I am extremely honored and pleased.'' Jordan, 38, said he would not comment further on his return until Oct. 1. Jordan has been training for a possible comeback for about six months, at first saying that he was simply trying to lose the extra weight he had gained in retirement. He rigorously worked himself into playing shape over the summer by holding several invitation-only camps of pickup games with other NBA players at a gym in Chicago. Jordan's first official practice with the Wizards will be Oct. 2, the first day of training camp at Wilmington, N.C. He occasionally worked out with the team last season when he was president of basketball operations, a job in which he almost completely overhauled Washington's roster and put the team into a rebuilding mode. His supporting cast will include the likes of Jahidi White, Richard Hamilton and Courtney Alexander - none of whom were in the NBA when Jordan was playing for the Bulls. Turning a team that won only 19 games last season into a winner might be an insurmountable challenge even for Jordan. ``I know there are a lot of naysayers out there,'' Jordan said earlier this month to reporters in Chicago when he all but made his return official. ``Winning isn't always championships. What's wrong with helping kids find their way, teaching them the game?'' To comply with NBA rules, Jordan had to sell his ownership stake in the Wizards, which he obtained along with a share of the NHL's Washington Capitals on Jan. 19, 2000. That paperwork was completed Friday, and Jordan's attorneys ironed out the last few glitches to clear the way for his comeback announcement. ``I am happy to welcome Michael Jordan, the player, back to the NBA, although, as commissioner, I am sorry to lose him in the board room,'' NBA commissioner David Stern said. ``Michael has always brought joy to basketball fans around the world, and, in these difficult times, we can all use a little more joy in our lives.'' Jordan will be in the unusual position of playing for the coach he hired, Doug Collins, who joined the Wizards in April and also coached Jordan for three seasons with the Bulls in the 1980s. Jordan will share the court with players he signed, drafted and traded for, including high school graduate Kwame Brown, selected No. 1 overall by the Wizards in June, and veteran forward Christian Laettner - a graduate of Duke, the archrival of Jordan's alma mater, North Carolina. Jordan suffered three physical setbacks over the summer, raising doubts about whether his body could endure the rigors of an 82-game schedule. Back spasms and knee tendinitis curtailed his workouts, and two cracked ribs from a collision in a pickup game took him off the court for four weeks. Jordan will return without the all-star cast that he hoped would accompany him. Charles Barkley, who spoke of playing with Jordan, abandoned his comeback bid during the summer, and the Wizards were unable to sign any marquee players. But by ridding the Wizards of the high-salaried, long-term contracts of Rod Strickland, Juwan Howard and Mitch Richmond, Jordan has given the Wizards enough salary cap flexibility to restock the roster next summer. Jordan 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. Jordan's first retirement came in October 1993, after he led the Bulls to three titles. He played baseball in the Chicago White Sox organization for one season, but he couldn't make it out of the minor leagues and returned to the Bulls in March 1995. Jordan led the Bulls to three more titles and retired again in January 1999, shortly before the start of the lockout-shortened season. Jordan is scheduled to make his return appearance in Chicago on Jan. 19. His regular-season debut will be Oct. 30 at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks, and his first home game for the Wizards will be Nov. 3 against Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers. ``While nothing can take away from the past, I am firmly focused on the future and the competitive challenge ahead of me,'' Jordan said.  "I didn't realize how tragic it [the WTC attack] was until the celebrities told me"- Ron Bennington | ||||
| Lent Black Rock Coalition Do you have a basketball in your car? | posted on 09-25-2001 @ 6:24 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: May. 00 | I wonder how the knicks can handle an almost 40 year old Jordan....I think they can. Why the f he did this. Why screw up your legacy. This is worse than the day he decided to "play" baseball. And of course his butt buddies david stern and ahmad rashad are beating off with excitement now!  LET'S GO RED STORM! St.Johns U. '04 | ||||
| Rone | posted on 09-25-2001 @ 7:33 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Jan. 01 | MJ's first game back will be Oct. 30 at MSG. that will be an exciting way for the Knicks to open their season. hopefully they'll kick some ass and frustrate jordan all night, but he always dominates at the garden. i think jordan's return will generate a ton of excitement, but i'm interested to see what kind of numbers he'll be able to put up over an 82 game season.  | ||||
| slackjaw The Cunt-Twat is my WORLD! The Great Pumpkin | posted on 09-25-2001 @ 8:01 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | I hate to break it to you guys, but I don't think you are going to see some decrepid, washed up version of MJ. While he will likely not be the best player in the game this year, he will certainly be top ten. The man has done things in the sport of basketball that kids were never able to envision in their wildest dreams. He is an amazing athlete. Keep im mind that not every player turns to pot when they turn 35 or even 40. Nolan Ryan was still hurling the ball 90 M.P.H. when he hung it up. I think the return of Jordan will shake things up in the East this year. I don't think the Wizards are going to be any great team, but they will now pull some victories that they would not have without MJ, and that will keep the playoff race very tight.  Currently newbieless...unbelieveable! | ||||
| Ants in My Pants Billy Prettiest Butterfly in the garden All Blow job poems ©Fez 2002-2003. I'm obsessed with Alkey's penis. | posted on 09-25-2001 @ 11:41 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Apr. 01 | quote:You're right. Some turn to cocaine.  | ||||
| GonzoStyle | posted on 09-26-2001 @ 12:25 AM | | |||
| Hanger-On Registered: Jan. 70 | Nothing is more sad than watching an aged athlete especially one of former majesty and greatness prostitute himself almost to just clinge to a past no longer fathomable to them. Best example of leaving while on top would be 3 men that i can think of. 1- rocky marciano retired as heavyweight champ and the only undefeated heavyweight champ in history (49-0 with 43 ko's) 2- Jim Brown - played only 9 years with the browns in is probably one of the greatest players in NFL history who holds records unbroken by men who play 15 and 20 years. 3- Michael Jordan - our generations super athelete who won 6 championships, (woulda been 8 in a row if he didnt reire the 1st time). To have the final moment of your career be making the final shot to clinch your 6th championship win in the closing seconds of the game. To retire as someone who in his career never scored anything but double digits in every game and only scored less than 20 points in a game once scoring 18. Plus being the seanson, all-star, and play off MVP in a aingle season. A man whose career acomplishments read like a record book. all-star team every season he played, all defensive team 10 times, finals mvp 6 times, all-star mvp 3 times, season mvp 2 times, rookie of the year, 2 time slam dunk champ, scoring champ 13 times, 6 rings, 3rd all-time scoring and on and on. But those are outweighed by watching people like Muhamed Ali, Kareem Abdul jabbar, Joe Louis, Evander Holyfield, Wayne Greztky, and on and on. Don't mess with perfection. Plus to see Jordan in anything but a Bulls uniform would tarnish his legacy forever alone. Jordan will also not have the 'supporting cast' that elevated him and the Bulls legacy of the 90's. Jordan will not have a veteran team with pippen, rodman, kukoc, cartwright, paxon, etc etc nor a coach anywhere near the level of the guy who lead LA to 2 straight championships yeah i know his name but i hate the guy. The wizards are a very young team barring jordan no one on the team that is a starter ha smore than 4 years in the league. Jordan will definetly be a top 10 player but he used to be the player not number 1 but untouchable. But it will definetly be exciting to see him no matter what we always want to see greatness whether tired and old or still great one more time, anytime.  "For all we have and are, for all our children's fate, stand up and take the war, the Hun is at the gate!" --- Rudyard Kipling She-Mail Me Here This message was edited by GonzoStyle on 9-26-01 @ 5:11 AM | ||||
| Cluster F | posted on 09-27-2001 @ 5:32 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | I think that him coming back has a major chance of ruining his legacy. But, who has the right to tell him to not do something that he loves to do? The NBA was just getting back to a normal level of excitement since Jordan left. Now that he is coming back, this gives the casual fan more of a reason to watch basketball now. I for one will be in high anticipation every time he takes the court. Also, sales of MJ merchandise will go through the roof, and also help sales of people on his team (Kwame Brown, Richard Hamilton) because they will be better because of MJ. Also, guys like Iverson and Kobe will now know what it feels like to go up against an all time great, and that can only help. Imagine a Wizards Bulls game now. The whole scene of MJ's return will be unbelievable. | ||||
| slackjaw The Cunt-Twat is my WORLD! The Great Pumpkin | posted on 09-27-2001 @ 10:48 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | Let's not forget guys like Steve Carlton, who refused to listen when the Phils told him it was time to go, and go out on top, his last few years were pathetic, and a black eye on a staller career. However, I don't think you will see that kind of fall from glory with Michael. He is playing because of a need to play, and a love of the game. That is becoming a rare thing these days, and if he can play and still be a top ten player than I don't see a problem with it. Will he be the best? probably not, but would you want him on your team? Of course, and if you say no, you are a sports buffoon. Currently newbieless...unbelieveable! | ||||
| GonzoStyle | posted on 09-28-2001 @ 1:55 AM | | |||
| Hanger-On Registered: Jan. 70 | Ofocurse I am excited that MJ is back hell i'd watch him if he played for the clippers. But as an avid boxing fan, slackjaw knows my love of boxing and it's history. It is so sad to see how people who were once viewed as indestructable forces and more than just mere mortals but almost GODS, fall and become less than human. To watch old greats like Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Marciano, Holyfield is very sad. I am glad Ripken is retiring but unfortunatly Tony Gywnn waited way too long. "For all we have and are, for all our children's fate, stand up and take the war, the Hun is at the gate!" --- Rudyard Kipling She-Mail Me Here | ||||
| GonzoStyle | posted on 10-02-2001 @ 5:49 AM | | |||
| Hanger-On Registered: Jan. 70 | Jordan Not Concerned About Tarnishing Legacy By Steven Ginsburg WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NBA legend Michael Jordan said on Monday he was not concerned about tarnishing his legacy by returning to the court with the Washington Wizards, a team that has not won a playoff game in 13 years. ``I'm not afraid to take on a challenge,'' said Jordan, addressing the media for the first time since announcing his comeback last week. ``People are bound to look at it as hurting the things that I have accomplished thus far. I'm not afraid to take on that challenge. ``If I fall, I fall, I'll pick myself up and move on. No matter what happens here, you can't take away my six championships.'' The 38-year-old Jordan, returning to the court after a three-year retirement, acknowledges things will be far different from his glory days with the Chicago Bulls. The last time NBA fans saw No. 23 on the court, his last-second jump shot against the Utah Jazz shot gave the Bulls their sixth championship in the Jordan era. Now, he joins a Wizards club that won just 19 games a year ago. ``I come from where we were expected to dominate,'' he said. ''You are the target and everybody is shooting at you. Here, no one is expecting anything. ``So, I come from the underdog aspect of things. We're not expected to win 50 games,'' he added. ``From what I hear, we're not expected to win 30 games. And that's a challenge.'' ``I'm not coming in with preconceived ideas that we're going to be 50-32. I'll be totally surprised if we're 50-32. But I think we can be far better than 19-63.'' Jordan, a 10-time NBA scoring champion, said he was returning because ``it's an itch that still needs to be scratched here, and I want to make sure the scratch doesn't bother me for the rest of my life.'' ``I'm not walking into this scenario thinking I'm going to fail,'' he added. ``I'm thinking I'm going to make it work. I'm going to have total confidence I can do all the things I need to do. Physically, I know I'm not 25 years old, but I feel I can play the game of basketball on the highest level.'' Photos Reuters Photo YOUNG STARS Critics have wondered how Jordan will fare against the young stars of the league, like Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Tracy McGrady of the Orlando Magic. Jordan said he wasn't worried. ``I stopped reading and listening (to the critics) because everyone was so negative about what I was trying to do,'' he said. ``You say the young dogs are going to chase me around, well I won't be barking too far away from them either. I'm not running away from nobody. ``You're the guys saying Kobe and Tracy will take me,'' Jordan added with a smile. ``Well guess what, I'm sitting back ready to take on the challenge too.'' Jordan agreed to a two-year contract and resigned his post as the team's president of basketball operations, a position he had held since January 2000. Due to the Wizards' dire salary cap situation, Jordan's $1 million salary is about $33 million less than he earned during his final season with the Bulls. ``I'm not in it for the money,'' said Jordan, who will donate his entire salary during his first season back to victims of the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington. Jordan, who had broken ribs, back spasms and tendinitis of the knee during his summer of workouts in preparation for his return, said that physically ``right now I'm 100 percent'' and he had fully ``prepared myself for the grueling season.'' Wizards coach Doug Collins said he expected Jordan to be ''one of the best low-post players in the game.'' ``Michael gives the impression that he's very low-key but I think there's this fire burning underneath that he can't wait to get back on the court once again,'' said Collins, who coached Jordan and the Bulls for three non-title seasons in the late 1980s. The Wizards begin training camp on October 2 in Jordan's hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina. Due in large part to Jordan's return, the Wizards have sold a franchise record 14,500 season tickets. The team, however, opens the season on the road, against the New York Knicks on October 30.  "These dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people for the people, shall not perish from the earth." -- Abraham Lincoln She-Mail Me Here | ||||
| Cementbag | posted on 10-02-2001 @ 9:06 AM | | |||
| Hanger-On Registered: Sep. 01 | This the best thing to happen to Washington area sports next to the Capitals signing Jamir Jager. I only hope it is not a lame attempt to boost ticket sales. The Bullets, opps Wizards, have ruined every good player that has come to play here. Hopefully he will contribute to the teams points and morale. Go Caps Go wizards Go to hell Redskins( I will always cheer for them though) Go Orioles Go #18(NASCAR)  Just add water Ill either get hard or my lunch will get wet This message was edited by Cementbag on 10-2-01 @ 9:12 AM | ||||
| Francine Banger | posted on 10-02-2001 @ 12:09 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | quote: Who the hell is Jamir Jager?  | ||||
| Cementbag | posted on 10-02-2001 @ 12:26 PM | | |||
| Hanger-On Registered: Sep. 01 | Did I spell it wrong? He is the guy from Pittsburg Penguins NHL leading goal scorer Just add water Ill either get hard or my lunch will get wet | ||||
| Francine Banger | posted on 10-02-2001 @ 10:26 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | oh thats the guy. Oh sorry I thought you were talking about Jeff Jaeger, former Place Kicker for the Los Angeles Raiders. Oh thats a good find for you guys in Washington. I've heard alot of good things about this Jagr guy. | ||||
| Lent Black Rock Coalition Do you have a basketball in your car? | posted on 10-02-2001 @ 10:40 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: May. 00 | It's Jaromir Jagr I do have a cousin named Jamir though. It's pretty cool for DC's MCI Center to have hockey's leading scorer and basketball's living legend play under the same roof. (In the voice of the rock) IT DOESNT MATTER: NEITHER WILL WIN A TITLE LET'S GO RED STORM! St.Johns U. '04 | ||||
| Joe Soprano | posted on 10-02-2001 @ 11:25 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Sep. 00 | Tickets for the Knicks' home opener on October 30 against the Wizards go on sale THIS SATURDAY beginning at 9 AM thru Ticketmaster... Quoth the beloved Don West: "BE DIALING, PEOPLE!"   <---- Kiss me helmet. | ||||
| Cementbag | posted on 10-03-2001 @ 1:39 PM | | |||
| Hanger-On Registered: Sep. 01 | Huge article in the Washington Post today about tickets disappaering fast. Just add water I'll either get hard or my lunch will get wet I have been adopted by hornygoatweed. Please foward complaints to him. Thank You | ||||
| Canweseeyourstuff | posted on 10-03-2001 @ 2:31 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | Noone posted it because there are alot more imporant things going on then a 39 yr old who isn't happy unless he is in the spotlight making a comeback. | ||||
Displaying 1-18 of 18 messages in this thread. |