I am ready to take a step forward. We all should try, slowly if need be.

So let's talk some basketball.

	WE'VE GOT MJ COVERED
	If or when Michael Jordan has something to say -- um, fax -- we're prepared. Here is some other MJ-related content: Return-o-meter Hughes: Let us enjoy him Stein: Situation bores me Bucher: Not thrilled Friend: Welcome back

I know all summer, everyone was asking me about this one guy.

I heard it in the supermarket.

And the dry cleaners.

And the 14th hole.

And on the examining table.

And at 31,000 feet.

And in line at the bank.

And at the fly press machine.

And at "Planet of the Apes."

Oh, and before we begin, one more thing; Rick Reilly was right, everyone else beginning with me was wrong.

He's going to be back. But he's just a man, not a god, and not, alone, a hero or role model. I've driven past hyperbole when describing his actions on the court over the years, and I'm going to stop doing that, because we all know now that heroes not only play basketball, but walk among us every day, wearing helmets and badges, going to far away lands to wage war for an idea. They hold fundraisers in towns with no money, and prepare meals in kitchens with no food.

He's just a man. But I need to see him be great.

I need to move past the wounds of Sept. 11 for a couple of hours. I need to see him glide and fade and lead. Winning isn't important. On this side of the street, where I work, I need it. I suspect a lot of you need it too.

And that's a big burden to put on anybody.

But this is all on Jordan. He's the one that's putting aside a budding career as a pretty savvy executive. One agent who's a pro talked last week about how impressed he's been with Jordan in recent months, how engaged he seemed, how on top of the numbers he was. "I know he goes about it in a different way," the agent said. "But he was really impressive."

And Jordan's turning his back on that to go back, and not to a team that will benefit from what he has most of at this stage: smarts. Imagine Jordan riffing with Stockton and Malone, for example. Or figuring things out on the fly with David Robinson and Tim Duncan. (I can't picture him with Shaq and Kobe, which would not only be unfair, but unwatchable.) Compare this to the kids with whom he'll be playing in Washington.

You're not going to see 23-year-old MJ. You're going to see a smart, hypercompetitive sort who can't get off the floor much anymore. Ask yourself this; without an inside game, is there any perimeter player in the league that gets his shot off without difficulty? I know Mike can still post up, but do you think any coach in his right mind is going to allow that?

Remember, this is the guy who regularly trashed his offices when he watched the same guys lose with regularity the last two years. How's he going to handle a five-game losing streak when he's the best player on the squad? How does Doug Collins motivate or discipline his boss? How does Jordan the executive evaluate Jordan the Player? And who in the organization can he trust to give him an honest evaluation, when he's responsible for hiring most of them?

	The Last Time Around
	If history is any indicator, Michael Jordan may not need long to shake off the rust. Jordan began his first comeback in 1995 with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists in a 103-96 overtime loss to Indiana and failed to score 30 points in his first three games. He then scored 32 points and hit the game-winner at the buzzer against Atlanta in the fourth game of the comeback, and followed that with a Madison Square Garden-record 55 points in a 113-111 win over New York in his next game. The Atlanta game marked the beginning of a stretch in which Jordan led the Bulls in scoring in eight of nine games and he led the team in scoring a total of 12 times during his comeback. Jordan was also Chicago's leading rebounder seven times during his first comeback. Here's a look at Jordan's overall numbers from that abbreviated regular season.
	GP	17
	MPG	39.3
	PPG	26.9
	FG pct.	.411
	RPG	6.9*
	APG	5.3
	Bulls W-L	13-4
	*Tied career high set in 82 GP in '89-90

And he's not even playing the right position. He needs to play point guard, not small forward. It's the most glaring need that he can fill. Right now, Washington's points are Chris Whitney, Tyronn Lue and David Vanterpool. All are perfectly good backups. Since Jordan's going to get the ball eventually anyway, why not put it in his hands from jump street? Plus, he's done it before; when he played 25 or so games at the point in 1989 -- for a coach named Collins -- he damn near averaged a triple double.

Second, it will keep Jordan less exposed defensively. Who would you rather have him guard if you're Washington: Alvin Williams or Vince Carter? Darrell Armstrong or Tracy McGrady? Sam Cassell or Glenn Robinson? David Wesley or Jamal Mashburn? Mark Jackson or Latrell Sprewell? Travis Best or Jalen Rose? The cold, hard truth is that Jordan hasn't been the best defensive player on his team since, oh, 1988 or so. It was Scottie Pippen that picked up Magic Johnson fullcourt in '91 and it was Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman who guarded the tough guys inside during the Bulls' title runs. Not that Jordan wasn't an outstanding defender in his own right. Of course he was. And can be again. But he always had help. That won't be the case in D.C.

Besides, having MJ at the point creates huge mismatches for Washington at the other end, and if defenses switch bigger guys on him, that should create opportunities for Richard Hamilton or Courtney Alexander. And MJ at the point means the Wizards can get significant minutes for Hamilton and Alexander at the two and three spots. Frankly, Jordan isn't Washington's future. Hamilton, Alexander and Kwame Brown are. The Wizards have to find out if these guys can play or not. And every shot Jordan takes from the two or three is one that the kids don't.

Sound like I'm skeptical? Nothing gets by you, Sherlock.

But like I said, this is Jordan's deal. His insatiable need to compete, or whatever it is. I'm sure there will be nights when he looks like his old self. But I suspect there will be nights where he looks like someone we've never seen in that body. I don't want to see that. But I didn't want to see Ali get beat up by Holmes, either. Still, when you think of Ali, do you think of the battered 40-year-old or the 22-year-old that shook up the world? When you think of Willie Mays, do you think of the Met version or the Giant version? Does anyone remember Johnny Unitas' last year -- with the Chargers?

I think by the standard Jordan set for himself in Chicago, he will fail in Washington. I think he will be injured more than he ever was and he'll lose more than he ever has and he'll be frustrated by season's end. But it's his life.

And this is mine. And you know what? Just thinking about basketball makes me feel better. And I realize I don't just need Jordan. I need to see Shaq dunk, too. Hard. I need to see Kobe's sneer when someone checks him on the wing, and I need to see him rise about it all with two hands. I need to see AI's double crossover and I need to see him playing every game like it's his last, and I need to see Walter Ray Allen stroke it smooth as sippin' whiskey and I need to see the Admiral and Duncan run the high-low to perfection, and I need to see Reggie popping off a double screen in Indy. I need to see Vinsanity running wild and I need to see Vlade throw a no-look to CWebb, and I need to see 'Zo possessed in the lane, and I need to see GP go coast to coast, picking up speed, and I need to see J Kidd pick apart these new confounded zones.

I need to see KG representing the OBF, and I need to see the Kid Clippers playing like they just picked up a ball for the first time a week ago. I need to see Stevie Franchise and Cuttino breaking down defenses, and I need to see McGrady lock somebody up like they stole something. I need to see Nowitzki and Finley breaking teams' spirit with fire and ice, and I need StocktontoMalone. I need to see Spree's 'rows as he spins like a dervish in the lane, and I need to see Sheed stay in a game long enough to dominate it like he can. I need to see Mark Jackson and 'Toine shake, and I need to see Deke wag a finger. I need to see Bavetta and Nunn. I need to see Joey Crawford T somebody up, and I need to see Javie throw somebody out. I need to hear Calabro and Harlan. I need to see Marv. I need the guy that gets on his knees in the front row in Minneapolis, who "coaches" the Wolves from the other side of their bench, and I need my guys General Lee and Aundrae in LaLa to crank up the DMX at Staples, and I need the guy in Salt Lake City to "Bring 'em back; how 'bout this Jazz?". I need to hear the noise in Sacramento and see the noise in Philly and feel the noise in NewYork.

I need somebody to tell me where to hang out in Memphis. And where to get some good barbeque.

I need to be in the Garden Oct. 30th. Wizards. Knicks. MJ. Gotham.

I need them. More than ever.

Cheer all year. Never forget.