Don't come back, Michael Jordan
You can feel the excitement. Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player ever, is on the verge of a comeback. But along with the hype will, almost certainly, come the hurt.
Jordan has proved all he could ever prove in his career. It can only go downhill from here.
The Chicago Bulls legend is a five-time league MVP. He is the most prolific scorer in the history of the game - the NBA all-time leader in scoring average 31.5 points-per-game. He has won six championships. And he has more accolades than any of us could ever remember.
But he's getting old. He's 38 now and the game is now dominated by younger, quicker and more versatile players like Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant, who will have Jordan running back into retirement faster than we could say "His Airness".
Even Jordan himself has his doubts. "I'm not convinced as of right now I can find those skills," he claims.
But if the prospect of those younger players running rings round him isn't convincing enough, maybe the failure of former legends to recapture their past glories will be.
Remember ice hockey's Gordie Howe, who continually tried playing professional hockey way past his prime only to scar his legend among younger fans? Remember a bloated Muhammad Ali squaring off with Trevor Berbick and making a fool of himself? Could the same thing happen to Jordan?
And wouldn't it be better also if the league was allowed to develop without Jordan casting a never-ending shadow over what the new generation of stars has to offer?
Of course, the potential revenue from a possible MJ comeback would be astronomical for all those involved. There are fans young and old waiting for the number 23 jersey of the Washington Wizards going on sale; and Nike, for one, must be laughing at the prospects of a billion dollar plus boost to their bank balance.
But Jordan should resist the urge to go back; instead, he should leave us with all those great memories.
The last he stepped on court, he hit the final shot to give the Bulls a title-clinching victory over the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. It was the storybook ending of all storybook endings.
But the game has moved on over the past three seasons - and so should Mike.