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He's Back!Well, not quite yet, but he will be. 24 hours ago many thought that Michael Jordan's season - and perhaps his career - might be over, father time finally catching up and getting the better of him. Today the Washington Wizards received the news they were hoping for. Michael Jordan's surgery Wednesday morning revealed torn cartilage in his knee, leaving the Washington Wizards hope that he will play again this season. Team physican, Dr. Stephen Haas, repaired the cartilage in an arthroscopic proceudre and said the injury was the result of normal wear and tear. ``Michael will rest over the next few days, then begin therapy,'' general manager Wes Unseld said. ``At that point, we will have an idea of the time frame for his return to action.'' The Washington Post reported that an absence of three to six weeks is likely for His Airness, according to a source close to the team. Team officials were told the 90 minute operation went "great", Jordan going home to rest afterwards. While athletes usually need several weeks to recover from torn cartilage surgery, the outcome is far from the worst case scenario -- a definitive career-ending injury -- feared by the Wizards. The best outcome would have been for the surgery to reveal loose cartilage or bone fragments that could be easily removed. "He was in good spirits," Wizards Coach Doug Collins said of Jordan. "When he was ready to go in [for the surgery], I know he was down but today boosted his spirits. He didn't want to have surgery but the fact that there was a problem and they were able to find it and they can move forward, I think it was comforting to him." Jordan was placed on the injured list Tuesday, which will cause him to miss ast least five games. MJ had previously missed only two games all season. Kwame Brown, the #1 pick in last June's NBA draft, was activated from the injured list to take Jordan's place. The Wizards are 0-2 this season without Jordan, who is averaging a team-high 24 points. They have lost five straight and seven of eight since the All-Star break to drop to 27-28. "There's a lot of miles on those legs now and Michael didn't play them at a low level," Collins said. "He played at the highest of levels. I didn't see inside his knee. If Michael were 23 he's going to heal faster than he is at 39. He knows if he has visions of playing next year it would do no good to rush back to try and do something. We've got to all be patient." Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Rose makes Bulls thornier problemTonight, a Rose might be a different kind of Rose. Jalen Rose will make his first hometown appearance as a member of the Chicago Bulls, and fans might find him more energized and flowerful than he sometimes showed with the Indiana Pacers. "I would expect Jalen is going to be a lot more aggressive," Pistons guard Jon Barry said Tuesday. "He knows he's the guy in Chicago now. And he is -- he's their best player. At Indiana, some nights he was, some nights he wasn't. Now he's the clear-cut go-to guy. This absolutely makes him harder to defend. He'll play with tremendous confidence and get as many looks as he wants. When you can do that, it makes the game a whole lot easier to play." Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Magic notebookOakley wants a change Chicago power forward Charles Oakley sat in the Orlando locker room after the game, explaining his unhappiness with the Bulls. Oakley, a 16-year NBA veteran, has been asking the Bulls to waive him so he could sign with a playoff-bound team like the Magic. He is close friends with Horace Grant, and he was once a teammate with both Coach Doc Rivers and center Patrick Ewing. Oakley, who has been feuding with Chicago management, remained in street clothes after being told he would not be playing much the rest of the season. The Magic have been hoping that Oakley is waived so they could sign him for the veteran's minimum. He would have to be signed before March 1 to be part of a playoff roster. It was virtually impossible to trade for him before the deadline because of his $7 million salary. “I don't know what's going to happen,'' Oakley said. “Sure, this would be a nice team [the Magic] to play for, but who knows? I don't know what's going on.'' Glad to be back Tracy McGrady wasn't the only one who returned to action Tuesday after missing Sunday's loss in Cleveland because of an injury. Pat Garrity returned to his starting spot at power forward, playing with a bruised right thigh that was tightly wrapped. "I guess that means they won't be throwing me any lob passes tonight," Garrity joked before the game. "They will probably just utilize me as a spot-up shooter." Grant feeling his age Horace Grant chuckled before the game about his matchup at center, shaking his head in amazement. Grant, who won three NBA titles in Chicago, is 37. Backup center Patrick Ewing is 39. Bulls starting center Eddy Curry is 19, as is teammate Tyson Chandler. "It's really kind of unbelieveable, when you think about it," he said. "I have a daughter who is 19. She's at the University of North Carolina. To be playing against someone the same age is pretty incredible. It really makes me feel old." Buechler has 3 rings, too It isn't just Horace Grant who has great memories of playing here. Magic reserve Jud Buechler played here, too, from 1994 to 1998, sharing in the second half of the Michael Jordan era. "As soon as the bus pulls into the parking lot, it opens the floodgate to a lot of good memories for me," Buechler said. "I had two beautiful daughters here, and won three [championship] rings. I don't have anything but good memories." Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Bulls Feb 2002 Archive
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