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Here comes Mr. Jordan, again

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Sonics moving on to plan B? | Kings-Cavs swap bench warmers | Warriors' Fortson-Jamison feuding? | Writers Bloc: Chris Webber's tangled web | Peep Show

NBA position battles: Does Derek Fisher belong in the Laker triangle?

NBA Free Agent Watch

He's back. Again.

Nothing is official and nothing will be until we get much closer to training camp, but those close to Michael Jordan and those who have seen him play this summer all have the same opinion right now.

Jordan will be back next season. And he'll be quicker, stronger and faster than last year's model.

Jordan is running those now legendary pick-up games at Hoops gym in Chicago again. The caliber of players isn't the same A-list that played there last year, but they're pretty impressive.Ray Allen, Jerry Stackhouse and Ron Artesthave been there. Jordan has also spent plenty of time with current Bulls such as Jamal Crawford and Marcus Fizer, along with plenty of local products, including Antoine Walker, Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson and Juwan Howard.

Everyone from players, agents and other NBA personnel who have witnessed the workouts have come to a similar conclusion. Not only does Jordan look ready to play another season, he could be more successful.

"He overdid it last summer," one source close to Jordan told Insider. "After the broken ribs, he panicked a little bit. It isn't easy to get your body back in shape after a layoff like he had. This summer, it hasn't taken nearly as long. I think he'll be in better shape to last the entire season this time around."

Several players playing with Jordan also went on the record, claiming that Jordan looks great.

"He looks a lot better than he did last year," Fizer told the Chicago Sun Times. "He knew exactly what he had to work on this summer, and he's ready to roll. I have no doubt he'll play another season.''

Interestingly, Fizer and Crawford were both banned Tuesday from working out at Hoops after another teammate, Roger Mason Jr., hurt his shoulder. It was the second injury to a Bulls player in two years at Hoops. Last summer, Crawford tore his ACL and missed most of the season.

"We've had two injuries there, and that makes me unhappy," Bulls operations chief Jerry Krause said. "We've had two there and none here [at the Berto Center]. Everything is set for you here. You stretch, and there's a trainer. I don't know what they have there. I know it's very controlled and supervised here."

(Aside: That's a pretty bizarre statement considering Hoops has trainer Tim Grover, who's widely considered the best in the business. It's also strange because unlike any other pick-up game in the world, Hoops employs three full-time NBA refs: Danny Crawford, Jim Capers, Mark Davis to keep the peace. Most people around the NBA believe that Hoops is behind the resurgence of Jordan and career years by players like Walker and Artest. Krause is off his rocker on this one.)

The newest Wizard, Bryon Russell, also said Jordan looked ready when he saw him in a workout last week. Russell, who signed a two-year, $2.8 million deal with the Wizards Tuesday, is yet more evidence that Jordan plans to return. The Wizards wouldn't have bothered signing a seasoned veteran like Russell had Jordan been leaning toward retirement.

Still, there are obstacles. On Monday, Jordan was fitted for orthotic supports to help with discomfort in his surgically repaired right knee, coach Doug Collins told the Washington Post. Jordan is also trying to slim down in an effort to minimize the impact on the knee. He reportedly is down to 210 pounds and will spend most of his playing time at shooting guard, backing up Richard Hamilton, next season if he plays.

"He's trying them to see how it's going to feel," Collins said. "He got them put in [Monday]. I have not heard from him to see how he feels but hopefully we'll find out something soon."

The big question in Washington is whether the Wizards have enough talent surrounding Jordan to propel them into the playoffs this season.

"We're very excited because one of the things we had to do this summer was get bigger and more athletic on the perimeter," Collins told the Post. "We got Larry Hughes, Bryon, Jared Jeffries and Juan Dixon, so we've gotten bigger already. If M.J. plays, I'm going to play him as a guard and Bobby Simmons is really improved. We feel like we've done a real good job of shoring up some of our weaknesses. We've added flexibility to our team and Bryon Russell's got size, athleticism and defense."

Will that be enough?

Jordan helps. Last season, the Wizards were 30-30 with Jordan in the line-up and 7-15 without him. However, the team was actually a better offensive team with Jordan out of the lineup. The Wizards averaged 92.6 ppg on 43.7 percent shooting with Jordan and 93.2 ppg and 45.3 percent shooting without him. It was on the defensive end that the Wizards picked up big time with Jordan around. The team gave up an average of 3.7 ppg more with Jordan on the injured list.

Russell will provide another strong defender, but the key for the Wizards will be the development of three highly touted young players, Kwame Brown, Larry Hughes and Jared Jeffries.

Brown, last year's overall No. 1 pick, struggled last season. That was expected. But his apathy on both ends of the court wasn't. At times, the Wizards privately questioned whether Brown had the drive to succeed. His game did pick up in April, when he averaged 9.1 ppg and 6.4 rpg in the last nine games of the season. But everything took a setback again this summer when a groin injured limited Brown's action in the summer league.

The Wizards are pretty weak at power forward, especially with the imminent loss of Popeye Jones. Brown needs to, at a minimum, give the Wizards a solid 20 minutes a night behind Christian Laettner to put the Wizards in a position to compete in the East.

Jeffries has the skill level and maturity to exceed what Brown did last season. His obstacle will be learning how to play small forward. The Wizards drafted Jeffries because he has great versatility, experience and fundamentals for someone his size. But he's much more comfortable playing down low, especially on offense. The Wizards ultimately see Brown as their power forward, meaning Jeffries will have to work on his perimeter game if he expects to get minutes this season. He'll also have to bulk up. He put on a few pounds in workouts this summer, but he needs to get to around 240 to handle the rigors of the NBA game.

The develpment of Brown and Jeffries is key, but Hughes will mean the most to the Wizards this season. The Wizards need him to be their starting point guard if they have any chance of making some noise in April.

Hughes has all of the skills of a lottery pick, but the decision-making prowess of Shawn Kemp. The Sixers and the Warriors have both tried, and failed to make him a point guard. The Wizards gambled with a three-year, $15 million contract that they can do what his former teams couldn't — teach shot selection and court vision to a player who has shown little interest in either during his first four years in the league.

There were touches of hope last season. Hughes cut down his turnovers and shot attempts and upped his shooting percentage and defense. But it wasn't enough to garner even a qualifying offer from the lowly Warriors. Can the Wizards make this career 20 percent three-point shooter into their point guard of the future? With the shaky play of Tyronn Lue and Chris Whitney last season, the Wizards are praying that all the 23 year old needs is the touch of the masters hand.

Wizards Reel In Russell

Steve Wyche / Washington Post

Krause bans Hoops after another injury

Roman Modrowski / Chicago Sun-Times

Sonics moving on to plan B?

With Rashard Lewis missing in action and training camps creeping up on us, it looks like the Sonics are beginning to put Plan B into motion.

The Sonics had wooed Bryon Russell earlier this summer, but now that he's opted to play for MJ and the Wiz, team brass understands that it can't wait much longer on Lewis.

Insider told you last week that veteran Walt Williams was getting a serious look. Apparently, he isn't the only one. The Sonics also brought in Hornets restricted free agent Lee Nailon earlier this week, the Seattle Post Intelligencer reported.

Both Williams and Nailon play small forward and the Sonics aren't interested unless Lewis doesn't re-sign. But Lewis' lack of communication with the team clearly has the team worried.

The whole situation has become somewhat surreal. Insider talked to sources on three teams, the Sonics, Mavs and Rockets, and all three teams said that they haven't a clue which way Lewis is leaning. Sign-and-trades with either the Mavs or the Rockets appear to be out of the question unless the Sonics significantly lower their demands. The Sonics aren't likely to do that. There's no reason to replace Lewis with inferior players. They'd be better off with the cap room.

Sonics, Lewis: No word

Danny O'Neil / Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Kings-Cavs swap bench warmers

In most offseasons a Jumaine Jones-for-Mateen Cleaves trade would barely register on the radar. But given the molasses pace of this year's summer transaction wire — we'll take what we can get.

Once again, the Kings come out smelling like roses. Can you remember the last time Kings GM Geoff Petrie made a bad deal? It's been awhile. Some will say that they overpaid for Doug Christie. But given the circumstances at the time, Christie's re-signing was a signal to free-agent Chris Webber that this team would remain competitive for a while.

Jones isn't a savior, but he's another athletic, versatile player who has some quality playoff experience. Jones averaged career highs in points (8.3) and rebounds (6.0) in a reserve role for the Cavs last season. At 6-foot-8, Jones has the size to play power forward and the quickness and shooting touch to play small forward. Expect him to log minutes behind Peja Stojakovic this season.

The Cavs didn't do too bad either. They didn't need Jones with the addition of Darius Miles and the re-signing of Ricky Davis. They were, however, desperate for a point guard. Whether Cleaves can help remains to be season. He had a decent rookie season, averaging 5.4 ppg and 2.7 apg in just over 16 minutes a game. He didn't see anytime last season for Sacramento.

"We were looking to shore up our ball-handling positions," Cavs general manager Jim Paxson told the Morning Journal. "He's a tough, competitive kid. He had a decent rookie year. He's got something to prove. He'll have an opportunity to earn minutes. We're not looking at him to be the starter."

Instead, the Cavs are trying to nail down a deal for free agent Rod Strickland. "There have been discussions [with the Cavs]," said Leon Rose, Strickland's agent. "Nothing is imminent right now."

A league source told the Morning Journal that Strickland is also mulling over an offer from the Celtics. Both teams are reportedly offering the $1 million veteran minimum.

If Strickland chooses the Celtics, the Cavs have three other point guards — Earl Boykins, Damon Jones and Darrick Martin — who they're considering.

Cavaliers finally get the point

Bob Finnan / Lorain Morning Journal

Kings trade Cleaves for Jones

Martin McNeal / Sacramento Bee

Warriors' Fortson-Jamison feuding?

Danny Fortson and Antawn Jamison gave new head coach Eric Musselman a good idea of what he's in for Tuesday when Fortson skipped the first day of voluntary workouts.

Fortson, who railed on Jamison last week for trying to swipe Fortson's starting power forward job, had told the San Francisco Chronicle last week that he planned to attend because "I already have enough baggage on me. I don't need another suitcase in my belongings," but was no where to be found.

Jamison was there and had a few things to say about his role on the team.

"I look at it like this: He's getting mad at the wrong person," Jamison told the Chronicle. "I didn't draft a 3 and say, 'We're going to start him at the 3 and put Antawn at the 4.' I didn't say, 'Saint, I need to play the 4, I need to play the 4.' That's why I don't understand why this is all coming down on me."

Musselman down played Fortson's absence.

"I talked to him about things that are important to us as a staff," Musselman told the Contra Costa Times. "I'm not reading too much into that he wasn't here for a voluntary workout. A guy's obligation is to be here on Oct. 1 [the start of training camp]. ... As long as a guy plays hard, we won't have a problem."

Jamison disputes comments of no-show Fortson

Brad Weinstein / San Francisco Chronicle

Fortson misses workout

Matt Steinmetz / Contra Costa Times

Writers Bloc: Chris Webber's tangled web

Federal prosecutors say he's lying. Chris Webber says he'll be vindicated. Several columnists aren't sure who's telling the truth.

The stakes are high for Webber. If convicted, he realistically could be facing two years in prison, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Two years. That's keeping it real.

"I did not lie to the grand jury, I tried to help the prosecution in any way I could in the case against Ed Martin," Webber said in a statement as coach Rick Adelman and the team's president of basketball operations, Geoff Petrie, looked on. "I will fight this case to the end, and I feel that I will be vindicated."

Washington Times columnist Tom Knott says CWebb's gift for gab may not save him this time.

"You can understand how he might try to sweet-talk a grand jury. It is hard to break old habits. Webber is accustomed to smiling just right and winning support to his version of events, even if his version often failed the smell test."

Rob Parker of the Detroit Free Press thinks that Webber has used up all of his remaining good will with the people of Michigan.

"Admit it. As a Michigan fan, you would want nothing more than to see Chris Webber not collect his $200 and go directly to jail. Well, it would actually be millions of dollars he couldn't get, and the C in C. Webb — his nickname — would stand for Cell block. Sorry. It just isn't going to happen. So you can cancel your Chris Webber going-to-jail party. Don't forget to return the novelty handcuffs and prison garb to the store."

Bee columnist Ailene Voisin writes that this is exactly what the Kings don't need.

"The Kings are being forced to defend both their Pacific Division championship and their best player. Double their angst. That's what this does. The upcoming task thus becomes two-fold: withstanding the pressures of a lengthy season and intense playoff drive without succumbing to the distractions that, inevitably, will accompany this whole Webber ordeal. His troubles have become theirs. His future intimately involves them."

'I will be vindicated,' Kings' Webber says

Sam Stanton and Denny Walsh / Sacramento Bee

Gift of gab may not rescue Webber this time

Tom Knott / Washington Times

Innocent or not, Webber has used up his goodwill with U-M fans

Rob Parker / Detroit News

Just what the Kings don't need

Ailene Voisin / Sacramento Bee

Peep Show

Lakers: The big fella's having big surgery on his big toe today. "Obviously, we're anxious about [today's surgery]," GM Mitch Kupchak told the L.A. Times. "We're confident with the doctor and the procedure. It was unfortunate he got ill a month ago, but we're comfortable with the prognosis." The recovery could be anywhere from six to 10 weeks. As a precaution, the Lakers have invited veteran centers Ike Austin and Duane Causwell to a two-day camp. Former NBA guards Jeff Trepagnier and Mitchell Butler also will compete for the next two days for a chance to come to training camp.

Hornets: Jamal Mashburn has completely recovered from last season's bout of positional vertigo. After missing nearly two months because of the virus, he's been in the gym since late June. "I'm feeling great," Mashburn told the New Orleans Times Picayune."I work extremely hard, and I know what's expected and what I expect from myself. I'm excited about the season. We have good chemistry on our team. Everybody gets along."

Suns: The Suns experimented with Joe Johnson at point guard during the summer leagues, and it looks as if the project will carry into training camp. Stephon Marbury is the club's starting point guard, and Johnson finished last season -- his rookie year -- as the starter at shooting guard. But they may switch roles in some situations this season. "It's going to be great," Johnson told the Arizona Republic. "It's a position I've dreamed of playing. My idol when I was growing up was Magic Johnson."

Cavs: GM Jim Paxson met with agent Arn Tellem to discuss trade possibilities for Cavs forward Lamond Murray. "[Murray] hasn't talked to anybody since August," Paxson told the Morning Journal. "I called a few times. Let's let it cool off. I told his agent that Lamond should be ready to compete [in training camp, which starts in three weeks]. If he doesn't do that, it will hurt his [trade] value.

Nets: Kenyon Martin said the team lost confidence in Keith Van Horn, leading to his trade to the 76ers this summer. "Yeah, I think so, but if he would have come back and proved he could do it, we would have had to ride with him, but that's not the case," Martin told the N.Y. Post. "I wish him the best in Philly, but I don't know how that's going to go."

Jazz: The team added point guard Carlos Arroyo Tuesday, agreeing to a one-year deal with the guard. Arroyo, who was the starting point guard for the Puerton Rican national team, impressed several NBA teams with his strong play at the World Championships.

Celtics: In addition to Rod Strickland, the team is also taking a serious look at Argentina big man Ruben Wolkowysky. Wolkowysky worked out for the Celtics on Monday. Will it be Strickland or Ruben? ''Things change, but I would say there's an overwhelming likelihood that we will sign a big man with this final spot,'' GM Chris Wallace told the Boston Globe. ''He is very strong. I don't want to say he's as strong as Vitaly [Potapenko], but obviously he's in the same neighborhood as him, bulk and strengthwise."

Bulls: With Roger Mason likely out for the next four months with a shoulder injury, look for the Bulls to add another point guard to the roster. GM Jerry Krause is already is making contingency plans and has contacted agent Mark Bartelstein regarding John Crotty, who averaged 6.9 points and 3.4 assists last season for Utah, the Chicago Sun Times reported. Eldridge Recasner and Eddie Gill also are possibilities.

Raptors: The team has severed their relationship with high school phenom DeAngelo Collins. The Raptors had been working out Collins regularly in Florida earlier this summer. However, some of Collins' off-court activity led the Raptors to the conclusion that it was not worth taking a chance on the physically gifted but controversial forward. "It didn't work out," said Raptors GM Glen Grunwald, told the Toronto Star.

Shaq to Have Surgery Today

Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times

Mashburn is clear for takeoff into next season

John Reid / New Orleans Times-Picayune

Marion still cherishes experience

Bob Young / Arizona Republic

K-Mart: Nets lost faith in Van Horn

Fred Kerber / New York Post

Jazz add one, lose another

Tom McEachin / Ogden Standard-Examiner

Argentine takes shot with Celtics

Shira Springer / Boston Globe

Raptors cut high schooler

Bill Harris / Toronto Sun

[Traceman]

Looks like he's available after the Raptors cut him lose.

[BlackHawkDown]

We have room with DJ gone and Ira not returning let go for it.

[chillzatl]