Mike and Phil, again
Michael Jordan clarified something Sunday.
Something pretty darn important, too, if you ask me, and it wasn’t whether he could still score 55 points against Washington.
No, this was about his stance on playing next season.
“If Phil’s not here,” Jordan said of coach Phil Jackson, “I don’t want to play.”
Just to further clarify: Not a good thing.
This sounds like the Jordan-Jackson tag-team negotiations that played out last spring and summer. Thing is, Jordan seemed to soften his stance a bit early in the season when he indicated he wanted to return next season no matter who else does what, providing he likes the direction the organization is going.
And so, for most of the season, one presumption has been that Jackson will be gone as coach of the Bulls next season. In fact, he’s already listening to offers, the stories say, because he wants more say than Bulls hoops chief Jerry Krause and board chairman Jerry Reinsdorf will give.
But another presumption has been that Jordan will be back either way.
Now, uh-oh.
“I want to play (next season),” Jordan said. “But I want to play for a guy who understands how I play and how to take care of a team.”
So Iowa State coach Tim Floyd, the man seemingly tapped as Jackson’s successor by Krause, doesn’t do it for you?
“I don’t think he knows me, I don’t think he knows the team, I don’t think he knows Scottie, I don’t think he knows the players and things we need at this stage of the game,” Jordan said.
So what we have here is Jordan’s love of the game vs. his love of the coach. Which one wins?
“The coach makes the love of the game that much better,” Jordan said.
Clearly, this is different from Jordan’s stance before, when he said he wanted to play, and simply hoped Jackson was here.
“I hope Phil’s here so I would play,” Jordan said. “That’s the way I’ve always meant it. If Phil goes somewhere else, I won’t play.”
So it’s Jerry Reinsdorf and Jerry Krause vs. Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson in what might be the “Bummer of a Summer.”
Just asking
What do you think of Jordan’s stance?
“OK,” Reinsdorf said.
OK? Does this mean Jackson stays? Does this mean they both stay? What’s your reaction?
“I don’t have a reaction,” Reinsdorf said.
Sight seen
NBC’s Ahmad Rashad getting out of Jordan’s car after it pulled into the United Center.
Just asking
Who ticked off Jordan to make him go off for 55 points?
“I would tell you, but I can’t tell you,” Jordan said. “No, no one (ticked) me off.”
Yeah, right.
Big owwie
Steve Kerr got a bloody nose late in the game when Jordan hit him with an elbow. That could be a problem. I mean, is Jordan’s elbow OK?
“Yeah, I checked on him,” Kerr said.
OK. Fine. Now go get a tissue.
Nice confidence
Not sure you can accuse the Bulls of looking too far ahead, but they’ve had a scout at Seattle and Utah games so far, co-conspirators say, and they’re the only Eastern Conference team doing it.
Light it up
When Tracy Murray has 22 points off the bench, it’s pretty clear that there’s no mercy rule for guys Toni Kukoc guards.
Quotable
Michael Jordan, on Magic Johnson’s statement that he wants to play in the 2000 Olympics only if Jordan will: “Then I guess he ain’t playing.”
