The last hurrah?

According to Steve Wyche of the Washington Post this will be Michael Jordan's last year in the NBA, and there will be no encore.  Michael Jordan announced yesterday that this season will be his last.

"Right now I'm fulfilling my contract," said Jordan, in the last of his two year deal with the struggling Wizards. "At the end of this season I'm not looking to enter another contract. Right now I want to finish this year out and hopefully fulfill my obligations and let this team take its own course."

Jordan said he plans to resume his role as the Wizards' president of basketball operations after the season. However, he did not say whether he would rejoin the Lincoln Holdings minority ownership group, led by America Online executive and Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis. Sources close to Jordan have said that when Jordan stops playing, he plans to repurchase a stake in the team.

Jordan, almost 40, came out of his second retirement before last season after working as the Wizards' top basketball official since Jan. 19, 2000. He signed a two-year, $2.1 million contract upon his return to the court. Months before his comeback, Jordan said he was "99.9 percent" certain he would not play again, only to restart a career that had been spent exclusively with the Bulls.

"It won't be no points, zero," Jordan said. "It would be 100 percent, I'm sure."

Sure Michael.  Until your ego once again irritates that infamous itch you seem to get when you have a point to prove.

The Detroit Pistons are hoping to have guard Chaucey Billups back in uniform in time for the team's battle with ex-Piston Jerry Stackhouse and the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.  Perry Farrell of the Detroit Free Press reports that Billups has a severely sprained right ankle and has missed four starts because of the injury and one because of a suspension for an incident with a referee after the 114-75 loss at Dallas on Nov. 9.

"We've been a long time without Chauncey," said Carlisle. "I think he's getting to the point where he'll get back soon, although I don't expect him back this weekend. Perhaps Wednesday, but I don't look past two or three days. I know he's feeling a lot better. He's out shooting and doing some things."

It should be a big night for both teams with bragging rights on who got the better end of the Richard Hamilton-Jerry Stackhouse trade up for grabs.  Hamilton has been better than expected for the surging Pistons this season, while Stackhouse has been streaky while providing the veteran guard the team needs to win along side Michael Jordan.

Steve Wyche of the Washington Post reports: After this season, Michael Jordan will end his storied 14-year career and call it quits once and for all.

Michael Jordan said yesterday that this season will be his last.

"Right now I'm fulfilling my contract," said Jordan, who is in the final season of a two-year, $2.1 million deal. "At the end of this season I'm not looking to enter another contract. Right now I want to finish this year out and hopefully fulfill my obligations and let this team take its own course."

Jordan said he plans to resume his role as the Wizards' president of basketball operations after the season. However, he did not say whether he would rejoin the Lincoln Holdings minority ownership group, led by America Online executive and Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis. Sources close to Jordan have said that when Jordan stops playing, he plans to repurchase a stake in the team.

Jordan, 39, came out of his second retirement before last season after working as the Wizards' top basketball official since Jan. 19, 2000. He signed a two-year, $2.1 million contract upon his return to the court. Months before his comeback, Jordan said he was "99.9 percent" certain he would not play again, only to restart a career that had been spent exclusively with the Bulls.

"It won't be no points, zero," Jordan said. "It would be 100 percent, I'm sure."

Frustrated at the lack of support by his team's younger players, NBA legend Michael Jordan is now asking for more playing time regardless of the consequences.

With the Washington Wizards on a three game losing streak Jordan is ready to risk a career-ending injury for the sake of the team, Steve Wyche of the Washington Post is reporting.  Jordan's comeback season last year was cut short after Jordan's knees could not hold up to the rigors of an 82 game season, some blaming the heavy minutes Jordan was forced to play in order to make the team competitive.

"I'm not concerned about [injury]," said Jordan. "I know they are. Doctors are supposed to be conservative, especially with a guy who's about to turn 40. I might not make it to 41 -- who knows?

"I'd rather live in the moment. I'm a guy who'd rather live for now."

Jordan cited his reasons for desiring more playing time as frustration towards the inconsistency of the team's youth, referring to Brendan Haywood, Kwame Brown and Etan Thomas.  "If they step forward and play, I may not get the increase in minutes and you won't hear me gripe," Jordan said.

The Wizards have focused on using Jordan sparingly to keep him healthy for the post-season.  While Jordan claims he does not want to pressure Wizards coach Doug Collins into playing him more, but even Jordan suggests that neither may have any real choice.

"You can save all you want, but if you don't get to where you want to go, by the end of that time I may be healthy, but I may be playing golf in April or May. So if I feel good, which I do feel good, I'd rather get on the court and play."

"I'm not the coach," Jordan concluded. "Doug's going to have to read the situation, read how the guys are playing, how I'm playing, how the rhythm is going over the course of the game and make the judgment accordingly."

The associated Press reports that Michael Jordan is not happy with his team?s play and he?s willing to risk his knees to turn things around. Frustrated by a three-game losing streak, Jordan isn?t necessarily calling for a stating position. He is however refusing to let concern over his knees keep his team from the playoffs.

``I'm not concerned about that right now,'' Jordan said when asked about the current plan to limit his minutes to save his knees. ``I know they are. Doctors are supposed to be very conservative, especially with a guy who's about to turn 40.

``But I may not make 41. Who knows? I'd rather live in the moment. I'm a guy who lives for now. You can save all you want, but if you don't get to where you want to go ... By the time you get there I may be healthy, but I may be playing golf in April or May, and that's not fun for me. If I feel good _ which I do feel _ I'd rather get on the court and play.''

Jordan commented after losing to the winless Memphis Grizzlies that if his teammates don?t start playing better, he might start playing more.

``If they don't play well, and we're not winning, then obviously we've got to go to an area where you can count on,'' Jordan said. ``I'd like to think hopefully you can count on me.''

Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports: After losing their first 13 games to start this NBA season, the Grizzlies finally won - defeating the Washington Wizards, 85-74, Saturday night before a sellout crowd in The Pyramid.

THe Grizz held Michael Jordan and the Wiz scoreless in the final 2:57 to get the victory.

EArl Watson lead the Grizz in scoring with 17 points.

Steve Wyche of the Washington Post reports: With the 2004 men's basketball squad starting to size up, Wizards swingman Jerry Stackhouse wants in.

"I'd love to go, no question about it," said Stackhouse, sixth in the NBA in scoring with an average of 23.9 points per game. "I don't know what the criteria is for that. I never really put a lot of stock into whether I was selected or not, but if I had an opportunity to do it I would."

Stackhouse has never been invited to participate in any of the major international competitions and he could be on the outside looking in for the Olympics. Several swing players -- Tracy McGrady, Ray Allen and possibly Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant -- have committed or are expected to commit to joining the team.

"I don't know what it is," Stackhouse said as to why he has never been asked to compete. "I have my opinions about it. I don't waste a lot of time dealing with that. What I do on the basketball court speaks for itself. If that's not something that would bode well with the Olympic committee, then I can't do anything about it."

The USA Basketball committee -- a 10-member group composed of eight NBA officials, one current player and one NCAA representative -- hopes to have six "core" players intact by the end of the month and nine on board by Jan. 1. The final three positions will be filled before the Tournament of the Americas, which will be held next summer. The U.S. squad must win a medal at the tournament to qualify for the Olympics.

USA Basketball is expected to name its head coach -- Philadelphia's Larry Brown is the likely choice -- by the end of the month.

Utah Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan took the high road when asked how he felt about comments made by his former player, Bryon Russell, in yesterday's Washington Post. Russell, who joined the Wizards this season, took shots at Sloan and the Jazz organization, for whom he played for nine seasons.

"I don't have a problem with what Bryon says," Sloan said before last night's game at MCI Center. "I'm just happy that Bryon's happy now. That's the most important thing. Whether he was happy or not last year doesn't matter now because the most important thing for him in his career is to be happy."

Russell, who spent some time with Utah players before the game, said yesterday, "I was happy with that article."

This was a game boasting some of pro basketball's greatest players -- Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and John Stockton -- and what a show they put on in an old-fashioned, knock-down, drag-out rumble last night before a frenzied sellout crowd at MCI Center.

However it was another grizzled veteran, Washington Wizards forward Charles Oakley, who came in midway through the fourth period and his team down six, who turned the tables in Washington's favor and allowed the Wizards to outlast Utah, 105-102.

"I'm a warrior," said Oakley, 38, who had played a team-low nine minutes all season and had not broken a sweat since the Oct. 30 season opener at Toronto. "My history over the years, knowing I'm a tough guy, as far as I'm going to play no matter what happens. I just try to show the guys I'm never too old. As long as you have some heart you can still play the game."

Considering all the storylines swirling Thursday night, what with Bryon Russell having taken some shots at the Jazz on Wednesday and Michael Jordan having hit just a few big ones over the years against them, it's little wonder, really, that at some point during the Washington Wizards' 105-102 win over the Jazz, things sure did seem to become personal.
     
Several of the principals involved, including Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and point guard John Stockton, essentially denied that it would, or did.
     
But Karl Malone, for one, did not.
     
"Everything's personal when you're playing against somebody," said Malone, whose 26 points on 9-of-10 shooting were a game-high at the sold-out MCI Center.
     
And there were plenty of notable "somebodies" on the floor Thursday, not the least of whom was Russell.