Only with the insanely competitive Michael Jordan would a celebration of his 50th birthday turn into a running dialogue on whether the Chicago Bulls legend could play again in the NBA.
Current players have said Jordan would still be competitive, and a recent profile revealed that Jordan himself is dead set on returning to his playing weight of 218 pounds.
But perhaps the most brash words regarding Jordan's return came form his longtime trainer, Tim Grover. In an interview with WFNZ in Charlotte, Grover said that if Jordan was to return, not only would he be the best player on the Charlotte Bobcats, he could average 20 points-per-game.
"Yeah, he'd average 20," Grover said. "Listen, would he be able to go out and get through an 82-game season? One thing people also [forget], he had no major injuries. … But yes, Father Time is undefeated. But again, there's so much advancement out there … in anti-aging and so forth, so it is possible. I don't think that he would come back unless he was 100 percent ready."
Grover clarified that he did not think Jordan is planning a comeback, but it's interesting to hear these thoughts from a man who has worked so closely with His Airness.
Of course, the largest impediment to Jordan's return is health. Perhaps he could average 20 points-per-game if he stayed healthy all season, but there's a reason that no player in the modern era has lasted past the age of 45. The game takes a serious toll on the body, and even though he is Michael Jordan, he's not invincible.
