Michael Jordan is still good, but so what?

Retire in the dictionary is to "conclude one's working or professional career."

So, Michael Jordan didn't retire twice as he said he did. Jordan should have just told us that he was going to take a break from the action until his hunger for the spotlight was too much to handle. Of course, Jordan is still one of the best players in the NBA, but who cares?

The NBA is not anything like it used to be.

When the Boston Celtics were winning championships, the team concept was the reason for the success. Larry Bird was not playing by himself. Robert Parrish, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, and the rest were there to make the Celtics the championship team that it was.

Same with the Los Angeles Lakers. Magic Johnson had James Worthy and Kareem and all the rest of the cast to make the Lakers who they were. Now, the NBA is all about the individual player.

The Lakers somehow had to have Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant get along so they could win a championship. Why? Because the players of today are so selfish and rich that they want to be in the spotlight by themselves. Michael is no different.

The media is ridiculous with the Michael Jordan comeback. In my hometown papers, the headlines just tell me how many points Michael scored or how long he played. Jordan played here in Grand Rapids, MI and was cheered louder than the home state team, the Detroit Pistons. Nobody seemed to care who won or lost as long as they saw Michael play. I can honestly say that I have never rooted for Michael or the Bulls and will never root for him with the Wizards.

I support my home team, the Detroit Pistons, through thick and thin. When the Pistons won with Isiah Thomas at the helm, I liked the team. We had Bill Laimbeer, Vinnie Johnson, Rich Mahorn, Joe Dumars, and others who all helped win the NBA Championship. Now, it seems, the fans just like to watch the individuals of the NBA.

The NBA of today is almost unwatchable to me. If you have more than one superstar on the team, there always seems to be problems. If there is only one superstar, the team probably can't win the championship. Jordan and the Wizards are proof of this.

Jordan admits he creates so much excitement that his team just stands and watches him. They will have to get over this, he says, so that the Wizards can become a better team. At least, Michael is not arrogant.

The other major team sports are all about the team. The New York Yankees are a great example of how the team concept works in baseball. Roger Clemens or Derek Jeter without the rest of the team will not win anything.

Obviously, the NHL is all about the team with three or four different lines playing in a game. The goalie needs defense and the offense needs more than just one guy to score.

In football, Barry Sanders proves that one superstar will not win you a Super Bowl. The Baltimore Ravens defense was fantastic last year, but still needed an offense to win the NFL championship.

So, Jordan is back in basketball. Get ready to read about how great he was in the game scoring so many points. Finally, in the third paragraph or so of the article, you might read how the Wizards lost by 15 or more points. With Michael and the NBA, it is not about the wins and losses. It is just about watching a legend play a great game, score 30 or more points, blaming the losses on his teammates, and getting big crowds to watch one individual play.

The NBA is not fantastic. Jordan will bring back many fans to the seats of NBA arenas, but he will not make the NBA a better league.