He's a little more grounded these days, but then aren't we all?

Michael Jordan was once the greatest show above earth, but now he flies at a little lower altitude. He is no longer the best player in the NBA, but he is still the biggest draw. He is the superstar whose light burns brightest, relegating the rest of the league to moths that orbit around him.

For the first time in three seasons, Jordan visited the Arena formerly known as Orlando, and there was not a mute vocal chord in the house. They packed the place to ooh and aah at the man whose body is a little thicker, but whose head is no less balder.

Michael Jordan is 38, which is the prime of life for average citizenry, but rocking chair age for the NBA. So when he returned to the league he once held on the end of a yoyo string, it was met with a chorus of question marks.

Could he still perform at an elite level? Could even "His Airness" make a difference with the woeful Washington Wizards? Would his body hold up?

The answers are yes, yes, and so far, yes.

Efficient minutes

Sure, Rip Van Michael missed one game with an achy knee, but that's it. For perspective, consider that in the last two months he has played in more games than Grant Hill has played in the last two years. Heck, by this time next week, Tracy McGrady will have missed more games than MJ.

Fact is, even a high-mileage, late-model Michael Jordan is better than a lot of these hot, new sports cars. What he has done this season is nothing short of MVP consideration.

It is important to note, yet it matters little, that Washington beat Orlando last night 93-75. Neither of these two teams truly threaten to rattle much in the way of swords in the Eastern Conference. But that doesn't matter, either. After all, whoever winds up crowned as conference champ has the reward of being sacrificed at the altar of the Los Angeles Lakers.

But what is important to note is that Magic and Wizardry have entered a sort of parallel universe this season.

The Magic -- once expected to contend for the Eastern Conference title, if not the NBA title -- are back to the old "heart and hustle" schtick, a collection of mostly wannabes struggling to play average basketball, talking about who they don't have (Hill, McGrady and Mike Miller last night) instead of who they do have.

Meanwhile, the Wizards, a team that won all of 19 games last season, are playing better than .500 ball. With last night's win they pushed their record to 13-12, riding a winning streak that has now stretched to eight games.

It is a team good enough to win on a night when Jordan scored only 12 points, shooting a very human 3 for 16 from the field.

It's an awe-inspiring turnaround. The Wizards struggled early this season, and when they stumbled to a 3-10 start, the brays of naysayers grew louder and lustier. That was back when Jordan attempted to carry the load rather than share it. But now the Wizards are learning their roles and finding a groove.

And the rest of the NBA is taking note.

Haven't they always, though?

Still attracts fans

When Jordan was winning six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, he was the rudder by which the NBA navigated its course. Three seasons ago, when he packed it in for what we thought was for good, the league wandered -- if not aimlessly, at least listlessly. Attendance has dropped steadily since, and is down again this year, except for games that feature Michael Jordan's name on the marquee.

Last night's TD Waterhouse attendance matched a season-high for the Magic, and it is no secret as to why. It is the Jordan factor, and it affects fans and foes alike.

"In the first quarter, our guys were looking at this game like it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals. We were so tight," Magic coach Doc Rivers said.

MJ coming to town will do that. He affects the opposition even before tipoff.

"Absolutely, he does," Rivers said. "All day long the guys were talking about who was going to hold Michael."

Nobody did, really. Jordan held himself to 12 points with an abysmal shooting night.

"But he was smart," Rivers noted. "He was drawing double teams and then kicking the ball out to his shooters."

Shooters that shot . . . and scored.

Yes, Jordan is smart. Perhaps even smarter than in his championship years. Rather than flying through the air, he is instead gathering his teammates beneath his wings. It is fun to watch. Different. But still fun.Peter Kerasotis' column appears Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. He can be reached at (321) 242-3694 or at pkerasot@flatoday.net.