Another guest raised another question: If Reindorf and his business partners decided to sell the Bulls in five, six, or ten years, would Jordan be willing to take over? The office suddenly fell silent, and Jordan kept blinking, his eyes never leaving the window. The question clearly shocked him, but it was so reasonable. Jordan is still silent. He could have refused to answer the question. He could have chosen to retreat: I have never thought about this question; it is too stupid to make such an assumption now; I just want to work hard to make the Wizards better - but he didn't, "No, I don't want to rule out this possibility," he said softly. Jordan has never been a person who is afraid of challenges. "I really hope to always be connected with Chicago, just like I have never left there." Chicago made him so great, Chicago was so heartfelt to him. He paused for a moment and reiterated, "I don't rule out the possibility, it's a fact. If I were faced with this possibility now, then I would sit down. , discussing with the team owners and other partners, I would tell them: 'Look, someone is selling the Bulls, I think this is a good fit for me, that is my home; and everything with the Wizards is on the right track, you think. How about...'" Jordan became more relaxed as he spoke, shrugging and laughing, the pressure on his shoulders seemed to be relieved in some way.
The job was much more difficult than he imagined, and he was humiliated.
On most nights, Jordan is not at the MCI Center, preferring his home in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. The feeling of watching Wizards games live alone in the study always made him feel like a general hiding in a fortress and controlling the war remotely. He handled team matters by phone, and on a night or two he would show up at a Wizards game, watching the players practice jump shots and enjoying the adoration of the fans.
As soon as the game begins, fans begin to yawn, and they come to life when the entertainment begins during a timeout, an old trick called "Kiss Me" - a man and woman caught on camera must kiss each other; a Fans wearing blindfolds can get gifts worth $100 just by throwing a basketball into the hoop... For bad NBA teams, every night must be a carnival. But no one was interested in the Wizards' game. The fans watched in frustration as Richmond brought the ball upfield like an old goat; Howard kept making mistakes. From November to December 2000, the Wizards had a record of 6 wins and 25 losses. Jordan only appeared 4 times in the Wizards' 14 home games, including the Pacers game on November 10. In that game, Reggie Miller severely humiliated the Wizards' top star, 35-year-old guard Richmond, who has an annual salary of $10 million. Richmond was like an old goat hesitating on a cliff. Miller proudly shouted at him: "Tell Michael that he'd better make adjustments to the team. He has to do something. You can't guard me at all." , you are too old!”
Jordan accepted Miller’s ridicule expressionlessly. Next to him sat Jack Ramsey, the old coach who led the Trail Blazers to win the 1977 NBA championship. Win the championship. Ramsey smiled and faced Jordan: "This is a harder job than you think, right?" "Absolutely." Jordan replied expressionlessly.
"Michael is in a completely new realm. He suddenly finds that he has lost his unique talent and has become an ordinary person." Former Bulls teammate Steve Kerr said of Jordan's situation, "He has lost his previous ability to dominate, cannot enjoy victory, and cannot even see hope." For Jordan, this kind of life is unbearable. He is still living on his own track: he drives his three children to school, discusses various headaches with Wizards general manager Unseld, discusses the feasibility of trades with officials from other teams, and occasionally appears at NIKE in the company's business activities and charitable activities. He still loved competition, and he would win and lose at the gambling table—he even lost $1 million in one night—and he would go to the golf course or some familiar restaurant, lamenting the fact that he was back in Washington. MCI Center, continue to face those damn problems.
No one in the world cares, except the 38-year-old CEO.
Back to Jordan's office. His walkie-talkie beeped, but Jordan ignored it, his eyes fixed on the big-screen television. A kid is dunking a basketball, a childish yet crude move. Jordan knew this kid's name, and 100-plus other guys like him that Jordan could take or pass on in the draft.
As a player, Jordan's vision was marked with an asterisk: before the Bulls won their first championship, he kept asking the team to send away Scottie Pippen and Hollis. Grant, the reason is that these two guys can't handle the pressure of the playoffs. And when Krause sent his good friend and on-court bodyguard Charles Oakley to the Knicks for center Bill Cartwright, Jordan went crazy. Cartwright is not as fast as Oakley, but he is stronger and has no disadvantages against powerful centers like Ewing. Jordan ultimately had to admit that he played an important role in the Bulls' first three-peat, and so did Pippen. “Jordan found himself unable to identify his teammates’ abilities,” a Bulls official revealed, “and the thought frightened him more than once.
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On a winter night in November 2000, accompanied by bodyguards, Jordan held the hand of his wife Juanita and walked into the box of owner Ted Leonsis to watch. How did the Wizards fight against Iverson's 76ers? He is still the same Michael in the past - his trademark pigeon-toed steps and his proud and unruly eyes; his body is a bit burlier than before, his shoulders are wider, and his back is wider. His muscles are also thicker, and he is no longer a shooting guard, but a power forward. At 6 feet 6 inches and weighing 240 pounds, he looks fully qualified to challenge boxing champion Lewis. He still couldn't tolerate failure, "Look at that guy - do you have to force me to return to the court? "He groaned from time to time, frowning and patting the fat accumulated on his upper abdomen. The 76ers had established a lead. The audience yawned and waved to Jordan, and he returned the favor with a polite smile.
"Come back quickly, you can still play, Michael! Only you can save the Wizards! "A fan is shouting. "I won't play ball anymore, maybe you can try it yourself! "Jordan responded. Watching the team slowly die was the greatest torture for Jordan. He sighed and said to his friends: "Many times, I feel that only if I put on the jersey again can I play for Jordan. What the team does. I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't hide my disappointment; the thought of coming back sometimes drove me crazy, and I simply couldn't control myself. Maybe that's what some people want to see, waiting to see Michael Jordan fail. Jordan's face was filled with sadness, and friends felt his despair. "I had never seen Michael so depressed," recalled Farred Whitfield, Jordan's close friend and assistant legal counsel to the Wizards. “That night, sitting in the luxury box, he seemed to be waiting for death to come. "
In addition to the team's complete defeat, Jordan also faced criticism from the media and fans at the time. Everyone was complaining that he appeared on the court too few times - since he could not help the Wizards become winners, Jordan needed more He appeared in public and used his charisma to please fans, but Jordan's answer was NO. He did not want to be the media darling of the losing team. He gradually grew tired of his new role because "the Wizards are a team without progress." They don't care about victory or defeat, they will not give and will never gain anything."
Suddenly, he felt extremely scared, and he suspected that the whole world was pointing at his back. Said: “This is a loser! "
The Wizards continued to feel depressed. In a game in early December, they lost to the Clippers after leading by 19 points in the fourth quarter. Everything was terrible, just like Jordan's mood , “No one was prepared to fight back, no one cared about the disaster, only I felt like I was about to explode. This is a cursed team that can't see tomorrow at all..."
Jordan vented his anger in the locker room after the game. He roared at the players, saying that they had shamed the fans and were a bunch of A complete loser. The players looked around blankly, and Jordan couldn't see a spark of fire in their eyes. "I finally understood why the fans were always booing us," Jordan said later. "I was also very angry. A lot of players didn't make any effort at all and they didn't care where the team ended up. What made Jordan even more annoyed was that several unnamed players countered to the media that Jordan should not vent his anger in the locker room, thinking that he was arrogant and arrogant. "He is no longer the Michael he was back then." " said a guy harshly.
Jordan would occasionally attend Wizards practices. One morning, he calmly watched a substitute player shake his fist at the main players. It all started with insults during team training. , and then the war broke out. When assistant coach John Bache was about to rush to separate the two sides, Jordan blocked him, "Don't do anything, don't say anything, John. Jordan watched the two young players grapple with aplomb. "I can understand where Michael is coming from," Butch said. "He wants to see a challenge. He wants his players to have their manes bristled." ”
Since his playing days, Jordan has been accustomed to applying the most demanding standards to himself and others - almost no one can achieve his ideal state. He always keeps making demands, so demanding that he is almost cruel. . When playing for the Bulls, the team took a special flight back to Chicago after playing away games. When the waiter was about to serve Hollis Grant his dinner, he was blocked by Jordan, "He didn't play hard enough, and he didn't deserve to enjoy the food at all."
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