Amid his team's turmoil, Jordan makes final start

WASHINGTON -- Michael Jordan surely expected a different ending, not a finale amid the turmoil of his self-assembled, crumbling team.

Jordan finishes his NBA playing career -- part three -- in Philadelphia tonight. His Washington Wizards teammates will probably try to send him out a winner, but there's no telling what to expect after the tongue-lashing some players got from coach Doug Collins at Jordan's last home game.

After Monday night's 93-79 loss to the New York Knicks, Collins criticized some players for showing "insidious" disrespect to the coach. He implied it could lead to a roster purge in the offseason.

"It doesn't matter how much money you make or what you do, you still respect the people who are trying to bring the best out in you," Collins said. "Somewhere along the line, that's been lost. And I sure hope we can get it back, not just here, but in all cities in the NBA."

Caught off guard by Collins' remarks, Jordan supported the coach but said the timing or the method might not have been the best.

"These are things you have to deal with," said Jordan, who plans to return to the Wizards' front office. "I'd rather for them not to be out for everyone's opinion. Those are things I'd like to field internally, but I think Doug felt very disrespected."

At least this is helping the 40-year-old Jordan with one wish: He didn't want a big, somber fuss over his retirement. Instead, he's got a big mess.

His next job probably will be to fix it and continue his quest to turn around a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game in 15 years. Even with Jordan on the court, the Wizards have had back-to-back losing seasons marred by bad chemistry.

He'll sit down with team owner Abe Pollin after the season.

"My ending is going to be when this team is successful," Jordan said.

As for whether Jordan will retire for good -- he's come back twice already -- he pointed out that this was the first time he announced it in advance. He wasn't really ready to quit last time, but he didn't want to play for another coach other than Phil Jackson in Chicago, where they won six championships together.

"With the Bulls, it wasn't my option," Jordan said. "If Phil would have stayed, I would have still played. That wasn't the end, it was because I didn't want to play for a rebuilding project. This is my choice. I'm looking to walk into this because I know there won't be another chance of me being in the league."

Despite his team's losing ways -- they dropped their last five in a row at home -- Jordan has tried to savor his last few days in uniform. He will do so again today, and he wouldn't mind if the tributes were toned down.

"Play the game and walk away. Look back on the game with my own memories and my own reminisces," Jordan said. "I think you guys have seen what I have meant to the game. I don't need someone to recap it for me. I would quietly love to walk away and still have my own little piece. I'm not dead. I'm still alive."