MJ Contemplating a Return to the NBA at 50....

BULLZ1LLA · Post #101 » by **BULLZ1LLA** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:42 pm

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... turn-again

NBA hearts skipped a beat yesterday at word that Michael Jordan has been suiting up and practicing with the Bobcats. After running with him, Gerald Wallace reports the man is still "Mike." (Even though that's just repeating the man's name, it's that name.) And don't forget what Jordan said upon entering the Hall of Fame:

One day you might look up and see me playing the game at 50. Don't laugh. Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.

He's turning 48 next week. Paul Silas says Jordan could average 20 right now. Is he ... could he ... is this ridiculous to think about? He can't play in the NBA until he sells the Bobcats, but is it worth entertaining that he could? A while ago, I looked into the possibility of another Jordan return:

I called Attack Athletics, the multi-faceted gym owned by the man who trained Jordan, Tim Grover. Mike Procopio is the director of basketball operations there. I asked him if it was conceivable that a 50-year-old could play in the NBA.

"The person would have to be an exceptional athlete," he says. "You'd have to be someone with a lot of size, real skills and toughness. I think it would probably have to be somebody who had stayed in good shape after their playing days -- it would be really hard after doing nothing. If you had the right person, they might need three or four months of boot camp, and then I think it wouldn't be too hard to get them into good enough shape."

The player you'd be left with, he says, would likely be able to look really good for a few games. One worry, he says, would be on defense, where the need to stick to quicker player might often seem like the teams were playing "six on four."

The flaw in the plan, Procopio says, would come not from a trip or two up and down the court, or even a game. "We could get you in shape," he says. It would come from the long schedule, the banging, and the inevitable wear and tear. "You can get fit, and I bet that for 10 or 15 games you could do it. But any player that age would have a lot of miles on those joints, knees, tendons, soft tissue ... and with all the banging and changing direction, those little injuries could be hard to recover from. If a 25-year-old pulls a hamstring, it could be a few weeks of recovery. For a 50-year-old, it could be a lot longer than that."

He's skeptical that anyone as old as 50 could keep their body healthy and functioning through an 82-game season. A shorter season -- for instance returning for a month or two before the playoffs may reduce the likelihood of trouble.

In general, Procopio didn't sound at all sure such an achievement was possible. But that was talking about athletes generally. Would Jordan -- a man of unquestioned will -- be subjected to the same limitations?

"Oh no no no no," Procopio says. "I'm talking about everybody else."

Spanish_Laker · Post #102 » by **Spanish_Laker** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:53 pm

He would be a vast upgrade over Keith Bogans, for example.

No Offense · Post #103 » by **No Offense** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:36 pm

If there's a place for Sasha Pavlovic in the NBA, I see no reason that MJ doesn't belong.

ndnow · Post #104 » by **ndnow** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:07 pm

lol how did you get this title from that article?

LAKESHOW · Post #105 » by **LAKESHOW** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:13 pm

he is a great great player no doubt. but history have proven that the body gets old, but old fighters never quit.

kobe808lak · Post #106 » by **kobe808lak** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:24 pm

At 50 he would be twice the player the Luke Walton ever was.... He'd start at SG in the All star game too!!

StartingBench · Post #107 » by **StartingBench** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 5:15 pm

Reminds me of Sylvester Stallone. He's probably watched Rocky 1 too many times. I'd love to see it, and I think it does good for his legacy if he can still get 15/5/5 at Age 50.

JordansBulls · Post #108 » by **JordansBulls** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 5:19 pm

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbGDlX9oX5I&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/youtube]

MJ says he would never play in an NBA game again, but would still play basketball 5:58 mark

panthermark · Post #109 » by **panthermark** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 5:29 pm

Slow news day...

Jelly_do_nots · Post #110 » by **Jelly_do_nots** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 5:32 pm

I heard he will draft his kid, do some sort of transfer of ownership and play with this kid for the bobcats.

ropjhk · Post #111 » by **ropjhk** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 5:56 pm

He has to keep Kobe from surpassing him on the all time points scored list.

LCMJ · Post #112 » by **LCMJ** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 5:58 pm

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXOM6pQxk68[/youtube]

BULLZ1LLA · Post #113 » by **BULLZ1LLA** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 6:12 pm

JordansBulls wrote:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbGDlX9oX5I&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/youtube]

MJ says he would never play in an NBA game again, but would still play basketball 5:58 mark

LOL but look how long ago that was. We all know words mean nothing over time. People change their minds. The key words will be in about 2 years.

RHBullsFan · Post #114 » by **RHBullsFan** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 6:20 pm

does anyone else find it hilarious that the NBA even has the rule that disallows majority owners from playing on their teams? What are they expecting, that a bunch of elderly rich guys would buy a team just to get the chance to play in the NBA??? Maybe if this rule didn't exist, we could see Mark Cuban playing in the starting line-up for the Mavs.
I think if I was rich enough to own a team, I would hate this rule. That would be the ultimate pick-up game, running with NBA pros in a real game.

actrived · Post #115 » by **actrived** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 6:59 pm

sisibilio wrote:Not happening. I'd bet we will see some day a player 45+ years old playing in the league but it will likely be a big man who doesn't need much mobility or explosiveness.

Shaqtus.

If only

Laimbeer · Post #116 » by **Laimbeer** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:34 pm

ESPN's credibility is zero and just went lower with this "story".

The only thing the author has is an unnamed teammate who thinks Jordan wants to come back. That's it. The rest is filler about him praccticing with the team and what it would take to clear the way.

They are down there with the Enquirer these days.

cody1889 · Post #117 » by **cody1889** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:35 pm

I think he could average between 10-18 ppg. Didn't MJ hint at making a comeback during his hall of fame speech?

Jump to about 2:50 and he talks about seeing him play ball at age 50. http://shrt.fm/gHAZpQ

GoBobs · Post #118 » by **GoBobs** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:53 pm

There are several reasons this could happen:

1 Science - There is more available today then ever before. We have seen baseball players play longer then ever before. HGH can do a lot in terms of restoring youthful qualities to the body. Jordan could do about whatever he wanted training for a comeback and it would be very hard to test for later.

2 League Rules - With the hand checking rule gone nobody can guard anybody in the NBA. This makes Jordan a lot less of a liability on defense. The Bobcats are the perfect team because they have multiple guys who are good help defenders when the first man gets beat (G Wallace, T Thomas, G Henderson). He will get all the calls not only because he is Jordan, but because the refs will respect and protect him due to his age.

3. Jordan is not afraid to fail.

Post #119 » by **HomoSapien** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:36 pm

LCMJ wrote:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXOM6pQxk68[/youtube]

Just wanted to make sure this video gets the props it deserves. It's straight up sick.

Jahensle · Post #120 » by **Jahensle** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:18 pm

HomoSapien wrote:
LCMJ wrote:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXOM6pQxk68[/youtube]

Just wanted to make sure this video gets the props it deserves. It's straight up sick.

that video is NASTYYYY. watch it in HD