Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf has no plans to let Derrick Rose back on a basketball court anytime soon, a point he reiterated on Saturday when comparing Rose's injury to the broken foot Michael Jordan suffered during the third game of the 1985-86 season.
At the time, MJ was none too happy about getting sidelined for 64 games, and he responded upon his return by dropping a playoff record 63 points in a double-overtime loss to the Boston Celtics. Now as an owner, Jordan has a mildly different idea about how to manage a franchise player's injury, as he told ESPNChicago.com's Melissa Isaacson Tuesday:
"(Reinsdorf) obviously had a different perspective of things," Jordan said. "Being where I am now (as owner of the Bobcats), I understand it a little bit differently, but if a player wants to play and is doing all the necessary things ... It wasn't just me saying I was good enough to play....
"Granted, I know the business and you have to be somewhat conservative for the long-term, but you still have to take into consideration the player, how he responds to pain, what kind of guy he is," Jordan said. "That's the difference between Jerry and myself. I've been there, done that, experienced that. And if I know a player well enough, I'm going to understand where he's coming from."
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