Last month I went to Las Vegas and coached for four days at the Michael Jordan Flight School, a camp for players ages 35 and over. While I was there, I asked him about returning to the NBA this season.

But he was non-committal. Michael just smiled and said, "Well, if I do, you're going to have a lot to talk about."

Now that his return has become a reality, the talking has only begun. Physically, when I saw him work out and shoot the basketball, Michael looked terrific. He may not be as bone-thin as he is when he is in top shape, but he appears sleek and ready to play. That's not indicative, though, of how well he will play upon his return.

However, I believe what Jordan has said all along: He would not make a comeback if he didn't think he could perform at a high level. He would not accept a situation where he was floundering around on the court.

I expect Jordan to be very much like himself when we last saw him play in 1998. He will be the same Jordan in terms of concentration, intensity, team play, defensive effort, and his ability to score from just about anywhere on the floor.

At age 38, he can't be expected to dominate in the same way, but I don't think he's looking to be dominant. The question is, after three years, can he jump back into the physical flow of the demanding NBA schedule? The biggest potential obstacle will be playing back-to-back games and four games in five nights. Jordan may be forced to sit out a few games, like Mario Lemieux in hockey. He may have aches and pains that won't allow him to play 82 games.

Watching his minutes will help him in the long run. Jordan will pick and choose his spots and average perhaps 28 minutes a game rather than 35-38 minutes. His main objective will not be to lead the league in scoring. He wants to turn the Wizards into a competitive team and a playoff participant.

He may not have the same explosiveness. And three years is a long time away from the game. A good barometer is what John Stockton did last year. Although he is a year older than Jordan, I thought Stockton had one of the best years of his career last season. Jordan has always relied quite a bit on his incredible athleticism, but he's also smart. He knows how to get open, how to use screens, and how to get shots without exerting himself as much as he did when he was a rookie.

Jordan will play a different role with the Wizards. I expect him to be a point forward, kind of a playmaker who gets his teammates involved, and a leader on defense. If he plays small forward, he won't have the same defensive demands as before, when he was trying to defend Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson. Fewer small forwards have the skill to blow by Jordan. Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter would give him the most trouble, but they give everyone trouble.

Washington's greatest challenge is to improve defensively. Last season the Wizards allowed teams to shoot 47 percent against them from the field, the third-worst mark in the league. Only Chicago and Golden State (.472) had worse field-goal percentage allowed records, and they were the only two teams to have worse win-loss records than the Wizards. Defense will be the highest priority, and Jordan will spur their improvement.

His ability to make other players better is well-documented. When he left Chicago and all the players were dispersed, nobody had as good a season with their new teams as they had with Jordan. Nobody. Because he's demanding, competitive and highly skilled, his teammates respond to him. His impact on the Wizards players will be similar to his impact on his Bulls players, but not enough to elevate Washington to a championship level.

The Wizards have three very driven people leading their transformation. Doug Collins is a highly competitive, driven person, as is assistant John Bach, who will handle the team defense. Jordan will dictate play on the floor, like he did for Phil Jackson in Chicago. At the same time, Jordan will listen to Collins. In order for the team to achieve positive results, I think Jordan realizes that he can't dominate Collins.

One must wonder how Jordan will accept mediocrity. Once a player tastes the riches of success in sports, it's hard to return to another level. His last six full NBA seasons in the NBA resulted in championships, and he won the league scoring title in his last 10 full seasons. It will be different, but I'm sure he has gone over everything in his mind.

I remember his last season, when Utah got the home-court advantage in the regular season by having a better record than the Bulls. I had picked the Jazz to win the NBA Finals because I had seen the Jazz beat the Bulls in Chicago during the regular season. I thought the home-court advantage would give them an edge.

Jordan knew all this, but he's not the type to say, "Hey, you picked Utah to win, didn't you?" But when it was all over and the Bulls had won their sixth championship, he said, "Doc, never give up on us."

I said, "Michael, I'll never give up on you again." So I don't underestimate the capacity of what he can do. And I'm not going to give up on him now -- at least until he retires again.

Hall of Fame coach Dr. Jack Ramsay is an NBA analyst for ESPN.