Jordan and the Wizards have stuck to the business before them, hung in there, actually, and resolved some of their internal dynamics, according to the Washington Times.

Coach Doug Collins has found a nine-player rotation, and Courtney Alexander, an unhappy camper, has been told he has a bad left ankle and a spot on the injured list. The hope is that his head improves along with his ankle. After all, the injured list restored Tyronn Lue's mental health.

Brendan Haywood is another survivor of the injured list, although the ligaments in his left thumb really were torn. All kinds of good feelings have emerged since Haywood was activated off the injured list nine games ago. The Wizards have a 6-3 record with Haywood, a four-game winning streak and the nerve to be thinking of their playoff position.

Collins has taken to calling Richard Hamilton the best medium-range jump shooter in the NBA, and he gushes at the mention of Haywood, a young Robert Parish, as he puts it. Collins has decided that Christian Laettner and Jahidi White complement each other best, and the same with Haywood and Popeye Jones.

Collins and Lue now have a comfort level between them. Lue uses his quickness to create shots after coming off the bench in place of Chris Whitney. This function becomes especially important if Jordan and Hamilton are out of the game at the same time, as is sometimes the case, and Hubert Davis is stuck on the 3-point line with a defender in his vicinity.

Jordan and Hamilton are the team's principal scorers, Jordan also a fairly adept setup man who has averaged nearly seven assists a game during the winning streak.