Sideshow Mike comes to Gund Arena in need of a good carnival barker.

Michael Jordan's comeback has produced no sustained buzz, just isolated curiosity in the cities where the schedule takes him.

When he leaves here after Tuesday's game with the Cavaliers, he will be of as much interest to us as the weather in Philadelphia where he plays the next night.

A 30-point Jordan game is like hearing of a foot of snow in ski country. Oh yeah? So what? He's done it four times this season, but those occasions now prompt about as much water-cooler conversation as the barometric pressure.

Why? Jordan's comeback is plagued less by his mortality than by context.

After 11 games, he was tied for second in the league in scoring with Shaquille O'Neal. He led the league in shots per 48 minutes. Michael means Gunner, and that's not a German translation.