The invisible man
Marty Burns, SI.com
As the Bulls and Wizards get set for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Wednesday night in Chicago, several questions come to mind:
Can Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison bounce back from dismal shooting performances in Game 1?
Will Kwame Brown's bruised right knee allow him to play -- and perhaps help the Wizards' big men take advantage of Chicago's thin frontcourt?
Is Andres Nocioni the second coming of Ron Artest? And with his new haircut and No. 5 jersey, doesn't he bear an eerie resemblance to former Bulls star (and current GM) John Paxson?
But there is one other question that has nothing to do with Xs and Os in this entertaining first-round playoff series, but which many NBA fans might be asking themselves.
Where's Michael Jordan?
His Airness was nowhere to be seen at Sunday's Game 1, the first playoff game for the Bulls since The Shot in the '98 Finals. He apparently won't be at Wednesday night's Game 2, either. According to Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon, Jordan told him recently he didn't plan to attend any of the games in this series.
Do the Wizards expect to see their former GM in person before the series is done? "Not over on this side," guard Larry Hughes said with a smile before Game 1. "Maybe over on their side."
"If he is coming, we don't know anything about it," a Bulls spokesman said Tuesday.
Perhaps Jordan is just teasing everybody, and he'll make a surprise appearance Wednesday night. The Bulls spokesman did admit a suite for Game 2 has been reserved for his family. Also, the NBA has invited several former legends with Bulls ties to be recognized during the game, including Scottie Pippen, Artis Gilmore and Robert Parish.
But so far Jordan has been conspicuously absent, even from the Bulls' side. Before the series Chicago coach Scott Skiles was asked if Jordan might be invited to speak to the team before the playoffs. "I suppose that's a good question," Skiles said. "I don't know. Would there be a conflict of interest there because he was in Washington? I really haven't given that a whole lot of thought."
Isn't it strange? How can Jordan, whose statue outside the United Center still draws flocks of fans before games, not at least make a token appearance during this Windy City hoops moment? It's not like he's working for another team or living halfway across the country. He still can be seen around Chicago, riding his motorcycle or slipping into high school gyms to watch his son Jeff, a sophomore star at Loyola Academy.
Jordan, in fact, has been a part of the Bulls scene the past two years. He has even attended a few games in Chicago this season, sitting in a skybox and drawing huge ovations when shown on the overhead screen. He remains close to Paxson, his former backcourt mate during the early title years, and he watched a practice during training camp.
But Jordan apparently has decided this isn't the right time yet to be poking around his old haunts. Perhaps he doesn't want to be a distraction or take the spotlight away from the current Bulls. Perhaps he knew that 81-year-old Wizards owner Abe Pollin, the man who fired him after the '03 season was going to be in attendance at the United Center and didn't want to have to make small talk.
Jordan, in his own way, has contributed to the success of both teams. He befriended Bulls rookie Ben Gordon last summer, inviting him to a Cubs game and to his home for dinner. He has also worked out with several young Chicago players over the past few summers.
Meanwhile, Jordan acquired six of the core players on the Wizards' playoff roster-- including starters Hughes, Brendan Haywood and Jared Jeffries. While his failures as GM in Washington have been well-documented, he did manage to get rid of several bad contracts (including Juwan Howard's "untradeable" deal). The cap room created by those moves ultimately helped current GM Ernie Grunfeld go out last summer and snag Arenas on the free-agent market. Even Jordan's trade of Richard Hamilton to the Pistons wasn't a total loss, since Grunfeld was able to redirect Jerry Stackhouse to the Mavs last summer for Jamison.
Hughes, who has blossomed into an All-Star talent in D.C., says Jordan's influence was felt in the Wizards locker room as well. While Brown didn't respond well to Jordan's brand of tough love, several Washington players say they benefited from being his teammate. "I learned a lot from him, just by watching him every day," Hughes said. "Just how to prepare. How to be ready to play each and every night."
Maybe there's nothing to Jordan's absence so far from this Wizards-Bulls series. Maybe he's just been busy golfing or promoting his professional motocross racing team. Maybe he's been working on his quest to buy his own NBA team, being a "value shopper" in the words of David Stern, and doing some due diligence. (Think MJ might find Las Vegas an intriguing expansion site?)
But don't be surprised if His Airness chooses not to be part of the fanfare and remains invisible for this series at least. It might seem strange, but given how long it's taken for the Bulls to get out from under his shadow, it also seems reasonable. Of course, with his No. 23 in the rafters -- alongside those six NBA championship banners -- Bulls fans never have to look far to be reminded of his presence.
