CHICAGO -- Michael Jordan's possible return to the NBA this
fall has been put in serious doubt by the rib injury he suffered in
June, according to his personal trainer.
Tim Grover, who has worked with Jordan for the last 12 years,
was quoted Thursday as saying he thinks missing a month of
conditioning due to two cracked ribs makes it unlikely his
38-year-old client will be fit enough to launch a comeback.
"Taking those four weeks off for the ribs to heal, that was
very crucial," Grover told the Chicago Sun-Times. "That's why I
say no."
Grover did not immediately return a telephone call seeking
comment Thursday. Jordan reportedly was at a fantasy camp in Las
Vegas and could not be reached.
The former Chicago Bulls superstar, now president of basketball
operations for the Washington Wizards, has been working out this
summer to see if he could return at a high level. He said last
month he would announce his decision by mid-September.
The rib injury, sustained during a scrimmage in a Chicago gym,
was expected to sideline Jordan from six to eight weeks. He resumed
playing a month later with the help of a protective flak jacket,
but Grover said his workout efforts also have been complicated by
his commitments to annual basketball camps and other travel.
Jordan is due to compete in scrimmages in Chicago next week with
select NBA players as he monitors his condition.
"The workouts will be extremely intense, at least twice a day
and at least three to four hours a day," Grover said. "I just
don't think that will be enough time for us to give him the
training and conditioning he'll need to be ready to announce in two
or three weeks whether he's coming back.
"But while I'll be very surprised if he comes back under these
unfortunate circumstances, I won't put anything past Michael. He is
the greatest player and one of the most committed, competitive
athletes I've ever met. ... It's just that there's an awful lot of
work to do and so little time to do it."
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