All season, the Washington Wizards have been struggling to find an identity; they scramble to remedy problem after problem, but have yet to address the core issue.  They?re great at diagnosing the symptoms ? lack of energy, inconsistent play, mental breakdowns, odd coaching decisions ? but no one has acknowledged what?s really wrong.

While it?s nearly blasphemy to say it, the Wizards? problem is Michael Jordan.  He can still play, there?s no question on that subject.  Jordan puts up numbers that rival almost anyone?s.  Approaching 40 years old, he remains one of the Wizards' top two players, and one of the league?s 25-30 best.  But the team is just 16-15 so far with him as a starter.

Because of Jordan?s status as one of the game?s all-time greats, as well as the unquestioned franchise leader, there?s little that anyone else can do to fix the team?s dilemma. Jordan wants to be one of the stars, and wants others to assume support roles. But because Jordan cannot bring the same production each night anymore, his role is constantly shifting.  Those changes force role changes for his teammates, and few of them are good enough or experienced enough to make the necessary adjustments.

Jordan remains a good player in his dotage, but not more than that. He?s an effective open shooter within the offensive flow, but his percentage plummets when he tries to create his own shot. He resorts to his patented fadeaway because he doesn?t have the leaping ability to shoot over people anymore. Too often, the fadeaway has faded.

In his prime, no one could guard Jordan without fouling him, but that?s not the case anymore. Age has dissipated his first step, speed and supernatural hops, which means he can?t effectively attack the basket. An athletic defender with size can shut Jordan down with fundamental defensive positioning and a hand in his face. Without the first step, without the vertical, and with sometimes sloppy ball handling, Jordan doesn?t have a counter on many nights.

That causes significant problems for the Wizards. The team plays its best when they pass the ball briskly, set screens and make hard cuts. That stagnates, however, because of Jordan?s penchant for holding the ball to either hoist a shot or record the assist.

Look at the last two games.  On January 27 against Phoenix, Jordan took shots within the offensive rhythm and flow.  For most of his 14 field goal attempts, his feet were set, he was square to the basket and he had open looks at the hoop.  He made nine of those attempts while Stackhouse carried the offensive load (33 points, nine assists), and the Wizards beat a good Suns team playing at full strength.

On January 29 against New Jersey, Jordan was back to his bad habits.  He held the ball, stood on the perimeter dribbling down the shot clock, tried to back defenders into the post, and forced shots ? including his not-so-deadly fadeaway.  He hit just 4-of-16 from the floor, and the Wizards lost to a Nets team missing Kerry Kittles for the entire game, and Jason Kidd for the fourth quarter.

Jordan?s physical limitations hinder the Wizards.  Instead of playing an up-tempo offense and a pressing defense like many guard-led teams, Washington is a half-court team that lives on the mid-range jumper.  Relying on Jordan, they can?t press, can?t shoot the three, and have a hard time attacking the basket.  The current system caters to Jordan, instead of to a roster that?s built to run.

The problem is further complicated by Jordan?s need to rest while on the court. Because he isn?t able to play hard for 40 minutes every night, he takes possessions off on both ends of the court, and tries to pick his spots. The result: the Wizards don?t know what they?re getting from him ? or anyone else ? not only from game to game, but from quarter to quarter and even possession to possession.

The team needs defined roles and a willingness from each player to fulfill the role that gives the unit the best chance to succeed. Jordan?s desire to fill a role he can?t perform reliably anymore sets the team up for failure.

All of this stems from the team?s impatience earlier in the season. Back in November, they experienced growing pains ? the logical result of a newly formed roster learning how to play together, and young players figuring out how to be successful in the NBA. Struggles should have been expected, but the team?s leaders acted like the season was being sucked into a black hole, and they set about resolving issues that would have taken care of themselves given time, teaching, and work.

By reducing minutes for youngsters, and publicly blaming them for the team?s ailments, the Wizards undermined their confidence, hindered their development, and terminated any serious chance for the team to improve significantly this season. Christian Laettner, Charles Oakley, Jordan, and Stackhouse aren?t getting any better. With playing time, Kwame Brown, Brendan Haywood, Etan Thomas, Larry Hughes, Jared Jefferies, and Juan Dixon would.

The team?s self-created problems can be remedied, but not if Jordan insists on trying to fill a leading role. It doesn?t matter whether he starts or not, but he shouldn?t play minutes in which he?s permitted to coast. The team would be better served if Jordan played hard for 28-to-30 minutes, instead of coasting for 12 minutes while playing 42.

What?s more, Jordan is no longer an every night offensive threat, and the team should stop acting like he is. Instead of relying on him to create offense, they should use him as a 30-minute jack-of-all-trades, who scores within the offensive flow, defends, rebounds, helps with ball-handling, and teaches. Reducing his role would increase his efficiency and effectiveness because defenses would be forced to focus their attention elsewhere.

Even though the team isn?t perfectly constructed, it ought to be better than it is. Last season, the Wizards started winning when Jordan took a lesser role and permitted Richard Hamilton to become the team?s primary scorer. The season disintegrated when Hamilton, got hurt, but until that injury the team?s play was excellent, and players fell naturally into their roles.

The Wizards won?t find that natural fit, they won?t go on a sustained winning streak, and they?ll struggle to make the playoffs unless Jordan accepts what he did last season. He?s not the greatest anymore. What he offers is valuable, and more than enough to help the Wizards win, but not if he?s going to be The Man.

It?s time for him to show his basketball smarts, sublimate that ego, and accept a lesser role. He has long said that he?s willing to do whatever his team needs to win. The Wizards need Jordan to step back and let others carry the load.

Kevin Broom is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. He can be reached at KevinBroom@RealGM.com