Battle of the Columnists

Comeback will invigorate the league
PRO: Consummate team player, ideal role model,
Jordan knows how to make the game exciting

  Diamond Leung Leung can’t wait until
Jordan exposes Kobe and shows him how it’s done. E-mail him at
[email protected].

Michael Jordan is back. Get over it.

Really, it’s OK, everybody. Don’t be scared. No need
to be shy. This is Jordan we’re talking about here, and
he’s back.

And it’s about time.

Granted, he won’t be quite the same. Jordan is 38 years
old now and will be suiting up for the Washington Wizards.

But I’m welcoming him back with open arms because the NBA
is just plain boring to watch right now.

If your idea of exciting basketball is walking up the court,
milking the shot clock and settling for an air ball, it obviously
doesn’t take very much to excite you.

You were also probably preparing a mock NBA draft on prom
night.

The game has become so individualistic that James Naismith must
be pick-and-rolling over in his grave as we speak.

The NBA desperately needs a shot in the arm right now, and if
anyone could ever make a clutch shot, it’s Jordan.

Jordan is arguably the most recognizable person in the world.
He’ll dunk on you or burn you with 20-footers.

He’s also the consummate team player. Anyone who passes to
Bill Wennington has to be.

There’s really no need to be cynical about the comeback.
It’s not like Jordan is doing this for the money. After all,
he’s donating his entire salary to support relief efforts for
the recent terrorist attacks on the East Coast.

Jordan, with his incomparable work ethic, is also a great role
model for the fans. And right about now, any NBA player who
doesn’t frequent the Gold Club strip joint can make a good
case to be one.

He’ll always be remembered as the greatest athlete of our
time. Jordan can’t tarnish his image of perfection.

He’s a competitor, and this is the ultimate challenge for
him. He wants you to believe he will fail. That’s what
motivates him.

Don’t worry about Jordan. He can take care of himself just
fine. He’s not stupid. He’s not coming back to
embarrass himself. If Jordan says he can play, he can play.
Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt here. He’s
earned it.

So he might not make the playoffs. So he might be a step slower.
So he might not look good in a Wizards uniform. So what?

Every time you thought he couldn’t make that impossible
game-winning shot, he did. Don’t bet against Jordan now.
Otherwise, you’ll end up missing out ““ just like the
Portland Trailblazers on Draft Day in 1984.

Just don’t tell me your eyes won’t be glued to the
television set when he makes his return to Chicago to play the
Bulls. When he wags his tongue at Phil Jackson and the Lakers,
you’ll be watching.

Basketball will be exciting again. It’ll be just like old
times ““ even if Tyronn Lue is starting in the same
backcourt.

MJ is back. Don’t worry. Be happy. Be like Mike.

Jordan should know when to give up
CON: Gwynn, Gretzky, Rice all serve as examples of
the effect of age on those who can’t quit

  Vytas Mazeika Mazeika wants to make sure
you know there’s also a Fantasy Sports online column. Find it at
dailybruin. ucla.edu. E-mail comments to [email protected].
Click Here for more articles by Vytas Mazeika

I know how it’s going to end. And it won’t be
pretty.

Take Tony Gwynn, for example. Once a Gold Glove outfielder and a
30-steal guy, he’s become no more than a singles
pinch-hitter, not to mention a defensive liability.

Remember Wayne Gretzky? There are two versions of him. The one
who could outskate anyone on the rink, then place the puck into the
top right corner with such ease. And there’s the one who had
as much of a chance to score as I do, capable only of passing the
puck because his legs were there no more.

It hurts me to watch Jerry Rice. A 49er fan forever, all I can
remember are the glory days. The games where you could double or
triple-team, and he’d still find a way to reach the endzone.
I still marvel at the way the Chargers let him get behind their
secondary in the third play of the Super Bowl. And although there
are glimpses of greatness still left, evidenced by his
two-touchdown performance on Sunday, it hurts to see Rice playing
at a level beneath his talent.

It’s hard for athletes to call it quits, and although
it’s ego (a.k.a. “love of the game” when an
athlete speaks), the need to stain a legendary career for another
shot at glory has claimed another soul: Michael Jordan.

At least we know that Jordan isn’t concerned with records,
like Emmitt Smith and Joe Paterno, both of whom should call it
quits.

Jordan wants to make peace with himself. Give the sport he loves
another shot before it’s too late. Uh huh. I’m sure it
has nothing to do with ego and his inability to be a successful
GM.

If I were NBA commissioner David Stern, Jordan would never have
been allowed back into the league. Fledgling TV ratings and a drop
in attendance forced Stern’s desperate hand, though.

Even if it comes at the cost of tarnishing Jordan’s
legacy.

Does anyone believe the Wizards will all of a sudden become a
playoff contender? Do you think Jordan can still ball with Allen
Iverson?

Age will get the best of his Airness. It already has. Training
for the comeback, Jordan injured his ribs not too long ago. This
wouldn’t have happened to the Jordan I remember. The one who
could dominate an NBA Finals game while stricken with the flu. The
one who by reputation alone was allowed to push off Bryon Russell
en route to sinking what should have been his last shot.

I’ve seen it once, and I’ll see it again. The story
of an aging legend who doesn’t know when to call it quits. I
know how it’s going to end, and it won’t be pretty.