With the start of the NBA season less than two weeks away, the Bulls learned on Monday that Michael Jordan will miss the final three exhibition games, including Friday’s game at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina. Jordan had ingrown toenails removed from both feet on Sunday when the Bulls returned from Paris.
Meanwhile, the Bulls aren’t sure when or if Dennis Rodman will show up for practice. Rodman, who has missed the entire preseason because of a contract dispute, kept his word by not signing Monday and skipping practice because he remains unhappy with several incentive clauses the team has proposed.
So the Bulls are without their three stars–Jordan, Rodman and Scottie Pippen, who will be out until perhaps January while recovering from foot surgery. And Toni Kukoc is struggling through an unproductive preseason, in part because of a nagging foot injury.
Kukoc, expected to pick up some of the slack in Pippen’s absence, is trying to play through his foot problems, thus avoiding surgery that could keep him out until the playoffs.
This isn’t exactly the way the two-time world champions want to enter the season.
“What, me worry?” Bulls coach Phil Jackson joked on Monday afternoon.
Maybe not about Jordan, who underwent a minor medical procedure and is expected to be ready for the season opener on Oct. 31 in Boston. And maybe not about Rodman–his agent, Dwight Manley, said he hopes to have Rodman signed by Tuesday or Wednesday.
Rodman showed up briefly at the Berto Center on Monday intent on having certain incentives related to the number of Bulls victories removed from the team’s proposal.
Rodman told the Tribune he is concerned that the rash of injuries will affect the Bulls’ record, thus affecting the team’s playoff positioning and home-court advantage, which has a bearing on Rodman’s bonus money.
“I just don’t like the options they gave me,” he said. “I think it’s unfair based on the injuries that weren’t reported to me. Even Phil said the team might be lucky to start out .500. That costs me money, and I just don’t think it’s fair. I don’t see Michael giving up millions of dollars in incentives.”
Jackson, however, said Rodman may have “misrepresented” some of the terms of the team’s proposal. He also said getting Rodman in camp as soon as possible remains a priority.
“Resolving the Dennis situation is our challenge right now,” Jackson said. “Some way or another, it’s going to be resolved. He’s either going to be here practicing or he’s not.”
Rodman’s teammates “would like to have him on the floor, but it doesn’t frustrate us,” Jackson said. “They understand that this is a situation where we have to be patient, and in time we’ll all get it together on the court.”
Rodman said that whenever he shows up, he will be ready to play.
“It’s not going to be hard for me to perform,” he said. “It just might be difficult for me to get into the swing of things. It takes a little time to really get into a flow.
“As far as management is concerned, I’ve been (mad) at management somewhere for the last six years. It won’t affect my job on the basketball court. If I have a job to do, I’ll do it.”
Jordan, who scored 55 points in the Bulls’ two victories in the McDonald’s tournament over the weekend, said he had his feet treated now to make sure he’ll be ready for the start of the season.
“I feel bad that I’ll be forced to miss our preseason game at Chapel Hill,” Jordan said. “I love the school and the people of North Carolina and hate to disappoint them.”
But there are more pressing issues for Jordan and his teammates to ponder: mainly, getting off to a quick start when indications point to a struggle early in the season.
“Obviously, we’re not going to come out of the blocks the way we have in the past,” Bill Wennington said. “That’s an expectation that if anyone has right now, they’re going to have to tone it down.”
