The curse of the Wizard

Can someone please explain to me how you FIRE the greatest basketball player of all time. Michael Jordan, successful businessman, indescribable player, and avid golfer was let go by the Wizards owner Abe Pollin earlier this week. Sadly it may have been his golfing ability that got him fired. Pollin and company questioned Jordan's work ethic, saying Jordan was in the Wizards front office for about two years and didn't really do much at all except golf.

You cannot be a 40 year old man, play all 82 games in an entire NBA season on bad knees, and be second on your team in scoring with bad work ethic. You just can't do it. Jordan has managed to stay atop the advertising business for a decade so there's no way his business skills can be questioned. The man knows what he is doing. So what is the problem Mr. Pollin? Jordan brought the Wizards two years of sold out home games and they fire him and offer to give him 10 million dollars over five years for his services. That's a cop out if I've ever seen one.

MJ had plenty of opportunities to pursue before his firing from the Wizards including a high profile job as the head coach of his alma mater, UNC, or the Bulls General Manager position, or any other position he may have wanted. Instead he stuck around with the Wizards only to be cut like an undrafted rookie from Booga Booga State University.

Now like everybody who leaves the Wizards, Jordan is going to excel wherever he goes because the curse of Washington will be lifted. If he winds up with the new expansion franchise in Charlotte as expected, he will assume any position he wants. Most likely he will want all the power and become the President of Basketball operations like he was here in Washington, except there he will be the man with know one looking over his shoulder, checking on him.

It seems like there actually is a curse in the Washington area because it is impossible to succeed here, in any sport. All star, future hall of fame hockey player, Jaromir Jagr comes to the nations capital and the Caps don't make the playoffs in his first season and are eliminated in the first round in his second year. Also recently, the Wizards trade up-and-coming guard Richard Hamilton to the Detroit Pistons and magically Rip is a hit. He averaged 19.7 points per game during the regular season and led his team to the playoffs where he is now averaging 22.3 ppg. Coincidence, I think not.

Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace are just a few other big names that left the DC area to become hits. Webber and Sheed are locks to be among the best power forwards in the league year after year, and each player regularly gets his team to the playoffs. In football, bum quarterback Brad Johnson leaves the Skins and wins a Superbowl title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It's a cycle, players are in Washington for the downside of there career then go elsewhere and succeed. If the Wiz trade Kwame Brown, he's going to bust lose and become the KG like player he was drafted to be.

History tells us that no matter where Jordan goes he'll do better than he did here. This area has a curse, its called bad managing. A few years back the skins were Superbowl champions on paper, and they didn't even make the playoffs. This season the Wizards had a similar ordeal, bringing in Larry Hughes, Brian Russell, Jerry Stackhouse, and Charles Oakley, and they didn't even improve on last year's horrible record.

MJ will forever be remembered as a Bull and we wish him the best of luck in his future dealings. No matter what happens to Jordan right now as long as teenagers spend 300 dollars a month on every new shoe he puts in stores he'll have a happy life. The Wizards organization ought to be ashamed of themselves for letting go such a valuable resource and now they're stuck in rut and have to figure out there new front office bigwig situation.