If the players did not take issue with Jordan in their final interviews, they did show unanimity in another way: every player laced into Collins. ''He was always looking at the bench at Michael.'' ''He was scared to death of what would happen to him in his career if he didn't,'' the player said of Lue. Point guard Tyronn Lue, the official said, obliged and began finding Jordan every time he played. When Hughes began passing it to Stackhouse as much as to Jordan, he was soon benched. But players resisted.Īccording to one official, Hughes was explicitly told by Jordan to get him the ball if he wanted to play. The two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said Jordan thought he could use his executive position on the court to bring about change in his teammates. Somewhere between the fanfare Jordan created in a woebegone franchise and two more losing seasons, players began to resent the icon who was supposed to lead the way to the postseason. The unrest and unpleasantness grew as the season wore on. ''If Mike goes upstairs again, he's got control of my career.'' ''I didn't feel like I could be honest,'' said one player, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Seated nearby were Rod Higgins, the assistant general manager, and Fred Whitfield, the director of player personnel, both close friends of Jordan, who hired both men. When asked to pinpoint the demise of the team in exit interviews with Unseld, they bit their tongues. In the season's final days, when many of Jordan's teammates were asked if they wanted to contribute to a retirement gift, the Wizards arrived quickly at a collective decision: no. That ill will, the officials said, may lead to Jordan's departure.
Players who originally bought into Jordan's mystique soon became disenchanted with his constant criticism. ''I look forward to that challenge and I know other guys in this locker room, even though they may not say it, are looking forward to that challenge, too.'' ''Without Michael, we could be just as good of a team,'' Stackhouse recently told The Washington Post. The Wizards' season ended in disarray, with Collins complaining about players' disrespect for his authority and with the thinly veiled criticism of Jordan by some of his teammates. The off-season acquisitions of Jerry Stackhouse and Larry Hughes failed to produce the desired results. The Wizards, who finished with a record of 37-45 for the second consecutive season, did not make the playoffs for the sixth straight time. draft on June 26, although Unseld's departure had more to do with health concerns. The first wave of change came Friday when Wes Unseld, the team's general manager for the past seven years, announced that he was taking a leave of absence after the N.B.A. In an e-mail reply, Leonsis, the AOL vice chairman who is the majority owner of the N.H.L.'s Washington Capitals and a minority owner of the Wizards, also declined to comment until after the meeting. ''All issues pertaining to the future direction of the franchise will be discussed later this week,'' Pollin, 79, said through a spokesman.Ī spokeswoman said the recently retired Jordan would not comment, and a Wizards representative said Collins was on vacation and was not expected to return messages.
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