Well, not quite yet, but he will be.  24 hours ago many thought that Michael Jordan's season - and perhaps his career - might be over, father time finally catching up and getting the better of him.  Today the Washington Wizards received the news they were hoping for.

Michael Jordan's surgery Wednesday morning revealed torn cartilage in his knee, leaving the Washington Wizards hope that he will play again this season.  Team physican, Dr. Stephen Haas, repaired the cartilage in an arthroscopic proceudre and said the injury was the result of normal wear and tear.  

``Michael will rest over the next few days, then begin therapy,'' general manager Wes Unseld said. ``At that point, we will have an idea of the time frame for his return to action.''

The Washington Post reported that an absence of three to six weeks is likely for His Airness, according to a source close to the team.  Team officials were told the 90 minute operation went "great", Jordan going home to rest afterwards.

While athletes usually need several weeks to recover from torn cartilage surgery, the outcome is far from the worst case scenario -- a definitive career-ending injury -- feared by the Wizards. The best outcome would have been for the surgery to reveal loose cartilage or bone fragments that could be easily removed.

"He was in good spirits," Wizards Coach Doug Collins said of Jordan. "When he was ready to go in [for the surgery], I know he was down but today boosted his spirits. He didn't want to have surgery but the fact that there was a problem and they were able to find it and they can move forward, I think it was comforting to him."

Jordan was placed on the injured list Tuesday, which will cause him to miss ast least five games.  MJ had previously missed only two games all season.  Kwame Brown, the #1 pick in last June's NBA draft, was activated from the injured list to take Jordan's place.  

The Wizards are 0-2 this season without Jordan, who is averaging a team-high 24 points. They have lost five straight and seven of eight since the All-Star break to drop to 27-28.

"There's a lot of miles on those legs now and Michael didn't play them at a low level," Collins said. "He played at the highest of levels. I didn't see inside his knee. If Michael were 23 he's going to heal faster than he is at 39. He knows if he has visions of playing next year it would do no good to rush back to try and do something. We've got to all be patient."

Tonight, a Rose might be a different kind of Rose. Jalen Rose will make his first hometown appearance as a member of the Chicago Bulls, and fans might find him more energized and flowerful than he sometimes showed with the Indiana Pacers.

"I would expect Jalen is going to be a lot more aggressive," Pistons guard Jon Barry said Tuesday. "He knows he's the guy in Chicago now. And he is -- he's their best player. At Indiana, some nights he was, some nights he wasn't. Now he's the clear-cut go-to guy. This absolutely makes him harder to defend. He'll play with tremendous confidence and get as many looks as he wants. When you can do that, it makes the game a whole lot easier to play."

Oakley wants a change

Chicago power forward Charles Oakley sat in the Orlando locker room after the game, explaining his unhappiness with the Bulls. Oakley, a 16-year NBA veteran, has been asking the Bulls to waive him so he could sign with a playoff-bound team like the Magic.

He is close friends with Horace Grant, and he was once a teammate with both Coach Doc Rivers and center Patrick Ewing.

Oakley, who has been feuding with Chicago management, remained in street clothes after being told he would not be playing much the rest of the season. The Magic have been hoping that Oakley is waived so they could sign him for the veteran's minimum. He would have to be signed before March 1 to be part of a playoff roster. It was virtually impossible to trade for him before the deadline because of his $7 million salary.

?I don't know what's going to happen,'' Oakley said. ?Sure, this would be a nice team [the Magic] to play for, but who knows? I don't know what's going on.''

Glad to be back

Tracy McGrady wasn't the only one who returned to action Tuesday after missing Sunday's loss in Cleveland because of an injury. Pat Garrity returned to his starting spot at power forward, playing with a bruised right thigh that was tightly wrapped.

"I guess that means they won't be throwing me any lob passes tonight," Garrity joked before the game. "They will probably just utilize me as a spot-up shooter."

Grant feeling his age

Horace Grant chuckled before the game about his matchup at center, shaking his head in amazement. Grant, who won three NBA titles in Chicago, is 37. Backup center Patrick Ewing is 39. Bulls starting center Eddy Curry is 19, as is teammate Tyson Chandler.

"It's really kind of unbelieveable, when you think about it," he said. "I have a daughter who is 19. She's at the University of North Carolina. To be playing against someone the same age is pretty incredible. It really makes me feel old."

Buechler has 3 rings, too

It isn't just Horace Grant who has great memories of playing here. Magic reserve Jud Buechler played here, too, from 1994 to 1998, sharing in the second half of the Michael Jordan era.

"As soon as the bus pulls into the parking lot, it opens the floodgate to a lot of good memories for me," Buechler said. "I had two beautiful daughters here, and won three [championship] rings. I don't have anything but good memories."

This wasn't a win. It was a spanking.

The Orlando Magic resumed their chase of a top-four playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference Tuesday night, paddling Chicago's Baby Bulls 112-97 at the United Center.

Riding the return of Tracy McGrady and Pat Garrity ? who both missed Sunday's loss in Cleveland ? the Magic took the Bulls to school, making them dizzy with excellent ball movement that produced wide-open shots.

?It's amazing how good a coach I am when Tracy and Pat are shooting like they did tonight,'' Magic Coach Doc Rivers said. ?One thing we really do well as a team is shoot the ball. If we get the open shots, we're going to make them.''

The Bulls, who started three rookies and one second-year player, never seriously challenged after the second quarter began. Center Eddy Curry and power forward Tyson Chandler ? their pair of 19-year-old bookends ? at times looked like they had gotten stuck on the playground merry-go-round.

McGrady, still relieved after learning Monday that there was no evidence of any stress fracture developing, showed no signs of a problem with his sprained right foot. He wore a special pad in his shoe, and he required some extra treatment after the game.

McGrady led the Magic with 25 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 41 minutes, hitting nine of his 19 shots.

Garrity, who missed Sunday's  game with a right thigh bruise, had 18 points (16 in the first half) and eight rebounds.

The Magic (30-26) closed to within one game of the Boston Celtics (31-25) and the No. 4 playoff seed, which would mean home-court advantage in the first round. They play tonight in Toronto.

Although the final score sounded reasonably close, it never was. After dominating for three periods, the Magic just got sloppy and too casual in the fourth quarter, letting the Bulls keep the game close enough to hold fans in their seats. But they never felt threatened.

The only downside was the inability to put the Bulls away early, which would have allowed McGrady to play fewer minutes, which would have helped for tonight's game against the Raptors.

?Don't worry, I'll be lacing them up in Toronto, and the game after that, and the game after that,'' McGrady said. ?I'm good to go now.''

Magic center Horace Grant, who didn't even play in the fourth quarter, outplayed the much younger but more athletic Curry. Grant had 16 points, hitting eight of his 10 shots.

Darrell Armstrong had just nine points, but he dished 11 assists, making sure the ball kept moving to the open shooter.

The Magic led 90-68 going into the final period, but they started their coast a little too soon. The Orlando victory snapped Chicago's three-game winning streak ? longest in two seasons. It was the first time that Jalen Rose lost in a Bulls uniform after he was traded from the Indiana Pacers last week.

?I don't think we were ever in trouble,'' Armstrong said. ?But we just need to learn how to put teams away. We stopped executing our plays, and that let them hang around.''

Rose led the Bulls (15-41) with 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds, but the frustration with his young teammates was obvious. Bulls reserve Marcus Fizer had 18 points and five rebounds.

The Magic had another good shooting night, making 49.4 percent. They hit 10-of-24 from 3-point range. They also had 11 more assists than the Bulls.

The Magic led 64-51 at intermission, riding some hot shooting and the return of McGrady and Garrity. The two combined for 34 points in the first two periods. Grant, who loves returning to visit Chicago, had eight points in the first eight minutes, still hearing the boos with each basket.

The Magic shot 64 percent and scored 38 points in the first quarter. Rose had 11 points in the first 12 minutes, but he was topped by Garrity, who had 12 points and four rebounds.

Patrick Ewing played just six minutes in the first half, but he managed four points and six rebounds, scoring one basket when he grabbed an offensive rebound in front of Chandler.

?You can't give up 38 points in the first quarter to a good basketball team like that and expect to get back in,'' said Bulls Coach Bill Cartwright. ?We were never the aggressors. We were never able to get back and make it a real game.''

So it pays to be a Washington Wizards fan this season, does it?  You have a new team, a new attitude, and the greatest player ever in Michael Jordan.  You have already blown past last seasons' win total and look to be in a solid position to make a strong run at the Playoffs, the place where you have only been once since 1987.  Sounds like a fairytale, right?  Pinch me, I must be dreaming...

Ouch!  There is an old clich? which could fit this Wizards organization perfectly; 'When it rains, it pours'.  Before All-Star break the team had won 7 out of their last 8 games, including one at home over the Western Conference leading Sacramento Kings, to go into the break with a 26-21 record.  More importantly this run solidified their position in the top 8, which meant playoffs if the second half went well.  Michael Jordan was an All-Star, while teammate Brendan Haywood was in the rookie game.  If you were a Wizards fan everything was right in the world.

How quickly the tide changes, as the Wizards have lost 7 of their last 8 and things are not looking any better with Michael Jordan now out of action.  Things have gone from bad to worse for Jordan, his tendanitis in his right knee being upgraded to arthritis, which experts describe as being bad news.  

Jordan went onto the injured list today, being replaced by 2001 first overall pick Kwame Brown, meaning he'll have to miss the next five games minimum.  Much worse news though is that Jordan will have exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his right knee today or Thursday.  Depending on the results doctors state Jordan could be sidelined from 10 days to the rest of the season, the latter of which would make things very difficult for the Wizards to remain in the playoff hunt.

"He's got to go in there and find out what's causing the irritation and why his knee is continuing to swell," Wizards Coach Doug Collins said yesterday. "Depending on how much work he has to do, that will be the deciding factor in how long Michael will be out."

For all the speculation that could be wrong the Jordan, all the speculation that his season - and perhaps his career - has drawn to a close, the fact of the matter is no one really knows.  Everyone will find out when the arthroscope is performed, otherwise they wouldn't bother cutting his knee open for a look.

"I think he knows that if he didn't have this done, he wouldn't be able to continue to play," Collins said. "More and more, the swelling is coming back. There's something in there that's irritating his knee."

The surgery will be performed by Washington's team doctor, Stephen Haas, who met with Jordan yesterday.

'So the last playing memory of the man many regard as the greatest ever to play basketball is now of a player sitting helplessly on the bench, his face a mask of pain and frustration, just nine points next to his name on the scoreboard and his team losing,' writes Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune.  While the world thought his dream ending finished with the ball falling through the bottom of the net against the Utah Jazz to win his sixth NBA Championship with the Chicago Bulls, now fate may dictate Jordan closing out his career on the sidelines - a feat not fit for the greatest ever.

"Michael's down," Coach Doug Collins said. "Michael's a competitor. What he's going to hear is, 'Yeah, we knew he couldn't make it through a whole season,' and, 'Why did he come back?' All the whispers are going to start. That's the way it always works. Michael wanted to play every game this year."

"Everybody's going to wait for us to collapse.  Everybody's going to wait for us to fold up the tent."

Magic at Bulls

Who: Orlando Magic (29-26) vs. Chicago Bulls (15-40).
When: 8:30 p.m. today.
Where: Chicago's United Center.
TV, radio: UPN-65; WMEL-AM 920, WDBO-AM 580.
Starters: Orlando -- guards Darrell Armstrong, Tracy McGrady; forwards Mike Miller, Pat Garrity; center Horace Grant. Chicago -- guards A.J. Guyton, Trenton Hassell; forwards Jalen Rose, Tyson Chandler; center Eddy Curry.
Magic notes: Orlando began its 11-day, seven-game roadtrip in dreadful fashion Sunday night. Not only did the Magic lose 111-96 in Cleveland, but they also lost Tracy McGrady and Pat Garrity to injuries. McGrady missed the game because of a sore right foot he originally injured late in Saturday's game when he landed on Dikembe Mutombo's foot. X-rays before Sunday's game were negative, but McGrady was held out for precautionary reasons. Garrity likely is to return tonight after missing Sunday's game with a deep thigh bruise. He suffered the injury late in the first quarter of Saturday's home win against Philadelphia, but returned to the game. . . . With McGrady and Garrity out, the Magic were without 35.2 points a game. But scoring was not a problem against Cleveland. Instead it was rebounding as the Cavs pounded the Magic in the glass, 55-28. . . . Troy Hudson continued his remarkable improvement from last season, scoring a team-high 24 points. He has boosted his scoring average to 9.9 points a game. He also ranks fifth in the NBA in free-throw shooting (89.3 percent). . . . The Magic defeated Chicago 102-74 in December in Orlando. Mike Miller helped offset an off night from McGrady (14 points) with a game-high 21 points. Orlando has won 11 of the past 12 games against Chicago. The lone loss came last November in Chicago. . . . This is the longest roadtrip in franchise history. Orlando plays in Toronto (Wednesday), Detroit (Friday), Washington (March 3), Indiana (March 5) and Boston (March 6). Then, 14 of their final 21 games will be played at home.
Bulls notes: Chicago enters this game having won three games in a row for the first time since Jan. 8, 2000. Also, it has won three in a row at the United Center for the first time since April 11, 1998. The Bulls' 15 wins match last season's total and have pulled them even with Golden State and Memphis. . . . Chicago dramatically altered its team last week, trading Brad Miller, Ron Artest and Ron Mercer to Indiana for Jalen Rose and Travis Best. In his three games with the Bulls, Rose has averaged 24.3 points. However, he has made just 27 of 60 shots. Best, still coming off the bench, has played well. He has made 57.7 percent of his shots and is averaging 11.3 points and six assists in three games. . . . Power forward Marcus Fizer was the star of Saturday's 105-91 victory against Golden State. He came off the bench and made 13 of 24 shots for a game-high 30 points. . . . Rookies Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry have shown some progress of late and both now are starters. Chandler had 14 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's win. The 7-foot, 300-pound Curry had nine points and eight rebounds in the victory.
Next for the Magic: Wednesday, at Toronto Raptors, 8 p.m. (UPN-65, TNT).

The Orlando Magic head into Game 2 of the longest road trip in franchise history not knowing if Tracy McGrady will be able to play tonight.

While the Magic received good news about McGrady's right foot -- it's a minor sprain -- McGrady's status for tonight's game against the suddenly hot Chicago Bulls won't be determined until right before tip-off.

"If I had to play [Monday], I probably couldn't, but I hope things will go well in the next 24 hours," said McGrady, who missed Sunday's 111-96 loss to Cleveland. "Now I can concentrate on playing again -- as long as I can take the pain."

The Magic feared a stress fracture would put McGrady on the injured list for anywhere from two weeks to the rest of the season, effectively killing the team's playoff hopes.

There was some more good news Monday: The Magic announced that forward Pat Garrity is expected to play when the seven-game, 11-day trip resumes tonight. He also missed Sunday's game because of a bruised right thigh.

"I'll be ready to play," Garrity said. "But things really change when Tracy is out."

The effect of McGrady's absence was obvious against the lowly Cavaliers. Although the Magic still scored 96 points, their defense was poor and their rebounding worse. McGrady is leading the Magic this season in scoring (24.8 points per game) and rebounding (7.6 per game).

"When I'm gone, it changes everything," McGrady said. "It just puts people in roles they aren't real comfortable with. You're taking 25 points out of the lineup. That's going to have a huge effect. But we don't have to worry about that now."

Despite losing to Cleveland, the Magic (29-26) remain in the No. 5 playoff position in the East. They are 1 1/2 games behind Boston for the No. 4 spot and home-court advantage in the first round.

The Bulls (15-40), although anchored at the bottom of the Central Division, have won three straight since a trade with Indiana that brought Jalen Rose and Travis Best to Chicago.

When San Antonio's Terry Porter dived for a loose ball and rolled onto the back of Timberwolves guard Chauncey Billups' right ankle Saturday night, one uneasy, incongruous thought passed through the minds of some Wolves watchers:

Why doesn't the team's newest player spell his first name with a "k" instead of a "c"?

Huh? Bear with us: Marc Jackson is the big guy acquired Thursday at the trading deadline. Mark Jackson is the aging, well-traveled point guard again playing for the New York Knicks. The former is a beefy addition to the Wolves front line who showed his value immediately in the 112-88 victory over the Spurs on Saturday. But the latter is the sort of insurance policy the Wolves seem to need at that most vital position, trigger man of their potent offense.

Face it, with starter Terrell Brandon (knee surgery) out for the season, with Billups historically vulnerable to injuries and slumps and with the postseason rapidly approaching, how comforting is it to know that the two current backups have, between them, only one NBA start at point guard?

Travis Best is picking a belated bone with his former coach, Isiah Thomas.  After being traded to the Chicago Bulls, Best claims he wasn't given a fair shot since training camp in today's Indianapolis Star.

"Isiah himself said Jamaal outplayed me in training camp, which was totally untrue.  The job was handed to him, period. No questions asked. Those things are hard to swallow after being (in Indiana) six years."

Best, an unrestricted free agent after the season, said he got no satisfaction when he spoke to Thomas about his backup role.

"I talked to him, and it's never really done any good. I don't know if whatever I said went in one ear and out the other or if he had his mind set."

It used to be said, until the winning campaign of Tracy McGrady last spring, that you didn't want to be named Most Improved Player in the NBA. More curse than blessing is the award's reputation.

Jalen Rose is reminding us why.Just two seasons back, Rose pipped the Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki for MIP honors. Nowitzki has gone on to become one of the 10 best players in the league, or top 15 at worst. Rose?

Exiled to Chicago on Tuesday by Indiana, where Isiah Thomas couldn't get Rose ? who so loved Zeke as a kid ? to adopt a Bad Boys mentality.

Worse yet, Rose is stuck in basketball Siberia now, under contract until 2007.