On second thought, maybe the Washington Wizards' Michael Jordan should have remained in retirement.
Despite a couple games where he scored more than 30 points, seven games (not including last night) into Jordan's second comeback, it appears that he may be better suited to shoot hoops with his three young children on their Fisher Price hoop than play in the NBA with the big boys. At least on the Fisher Price hoop, Jordan might be able to dunk.
In Sunday's dismal 5-26 showing, Jordan missed his first 14 shots before making a lay-up and drawing a standing ovation in the third quarter. "His Floorness" also missed a perfect alley-oop pass from Christian Laettner when he tried to lay it up instead of dunking it, and he still missed. Though he is averaging 24.1 points per game, Jordan is shooting a horrific 37.8 from the floor, and the Wizards are doing even worse as they are off to a 2-5 start.
While Michael Jordan is struggling, another embattled shooting guard, the Phoenix Suns' Penny Hardaway seems to be making a successful rebound from year's of injury. Hardaway, who hasn't played more than 60 games since the 1995-1996 season and who has not averaged 20 points since 1996-1997, is reviving memories of the youngster who was supposed to become one of the league's great players when he debuted in the NBA in the fall of 1993.
It's hard to do, but just think back to the 1995-1996 season when Penny and Shaq guided the Orlando Magic to the first of what experts expected to be many NBA Finals appearances. Sadly, for the Magic and Penny, Shaq fled to LA, where he picked up two championship rings with the LA Lakers. Hardaway become a walking injury and was eventually traded to the Suns. In seven games thus far this season, Hardaway has averaged 21.9 points per game and 4.1 assists and has been one of the few bright spots in the Sun's slow 3-4 start.
Another team off to a disappointing start is the LA Clippers, who were expected to make some noise in the West this season after the acquisition of Elton Brand from the Chicago Bulls. While father time is preventing Jordan from leading his team to success, another demon is holding back Clippers' "leader" Lamar Odom, as the forward was recently suspended for five games for the second time in two years after testing positive for marijuana use. Although he has the talent to carry the franchise, it seems very iffy whether Odom has the mental makeup necessary to succeed in the NBA.
There is no denying that with Odom, Brand, Darius Miles, and Corey Maggette among others, the once downtrodden Clips finally have some talent but if their centerpiece can't stop puffing on the peace pipe the Clippers season could be wasted.
This might sound ridiculous but perhaps Odom should follow the example of the Philadelphia 76ers Derrick Coleman, who seems to be finally getting the picture after years of wasting his enormous talent. A big appetite, a bad attitude, and terrible work habits have plagued Coleman throughout his career, but at age 34 the center/forward is in good shape and appears focused on basketball. After practically being given to the Sixers in the off season by the Charlotte Hornets, Coleman currently leads the injury depleted, 1-5, Sixers in scoring and is second in rebounding, averaging 18.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, respectively.
A trio of rookie point guards have also begun making names for themselves through the early portion of the NBA season. The Indiana Pacers' Jamal Tinsley usurped Travis Best and Jalen Rose in Indiana's point guard rotation as a result of a strong preseason. Tinsley's performance forced Best to the bench and Rose back to the small forward spot, a position where he is probably more suited to play. Through eight games Tinsley has not disappointed, averaging 7.6 assists and 7.5 points per contest and has become an early favorite for the rookie of the year award.
Similarly, Tony Parker and Speedy Claxton have forced their way into the starting lineups of the San Antonio Spurs and the 76ers respectively. The 19-year-old Parker pushed Antonio Daniels into a backup role after the Spurs' 2-2 start and in three games as a starter, Parker has guided his team to a 3-0 mark.
Likewise, Claxton, who was technically a rookie last season but missed the entire year after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery, is excelling in the absence of Eric Snow and Allen Iverson and has averaged 17.2 points and 4.6 assists as the starting point guard. Even with Iverson's return, Claxton will take on the ball handling role, as Iverson will play in the two slot.
These are just a few of the players who are either stinking it up or stepping it up in the early goings of the NBA season. Among others who are making successful returns from injury include the Magic's Grant Hill, the Golden State Warriors' Danny Fortson, while the Miami Heat's Alonzo Mourning and the Memphis Grizzles' Shane Battier are two more prominent examples of players who are struggling.
