When Michael Jordan's "savvy" made Former NBA coach Jerry Stackhouse aware of his potency - "Watch how much he will score"

Michael Jordan was preparing for his second comeback to the NBA in 1991 after announcing his retirement in 1999. This time, his comeback took place with the Washington Wizards and not the Chicago Bulls, whom he had led to six NBA championships during two stints.

After taking a two-year hiatus, it was unclear in what condition the legendary player would return.

Jordan's basketball IQ and work ethic were never in doubt, but his physical condition was, even though he had worked hard to get back in shape.

The Wizards were under the impression that landing Michael Jordan would make them a contender in the East. To further improve their chances, they sent Rip Hamilton to the Detroit Pistons in exchange of Jerry Stackhouse, an All-Star player and one of Pistons' leaders at the time.

Stackhouse had an impressive stint with the Pistons and the Wizards were expecting him to create a star duo with Jordan.

Jerry Stackhouse had zero doubt about Michael Jordan's elite scoring in his NBA return

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt

Jerry Stackhouse, a former NBA star and now the Vanderbilt Commodores coach, was adamant about Michael Jordan's leadership and was confident that the two-year hiatus would have no effect on Jordan's elite scoring.

"Watch how much he'll score off that head fake," Stackhouse said about the six-time NBA champion and Finals MVP. "When a guy has almost 30,000 points, how can you not go for it?"

Stackhouse thought Jordan's scoring skills and basketball knowledge would help him overcome any struggles in his physical condition, as Jordan was 39 when he returned to the league.

Despite his high praise for Michael Jordan and his leadership, Stackhouse later said that it would be better if he never joined the Wizards. The reason was how much the six-time champion influenced Washington on and off the court.

Washington's coach, at the time, was none other than Doug Collins, Michael Jordan's former coach from the Chicago Bulls. Collins was hired to make the team a playoff contender again, but instead, it was all about Michael Jordan and his influence on the franchise.

"Pretty much everything that Michael wanted to do, we did," Stackhouse said. "We got off to a pretty good start, and he didn't like the way the offense was running because it was running a little bit more through me.

"He wanted to get a little more isolations for him on the post, of course, so we had more isolations for him on the post. And it just kind of spiraled in a way that I didn't enjoy that season at all."

Despite his desire to control the team on and off the court, Jordan's return was a win-win situation for both the Wizards and the NBA, who were initially concerned about the impact his return would have on the league.

Jordan's elite scoring and on-court leadership made the Wizards a playoff team and benefited the league, too.

"Six months ago, we thought the possibility of Michael's coming back was a distraction, something that was keeping fans from realizing what a good group of young players we had," Russ Granik, the NBA's deputy commissioner told the media ahead of Jordan's return.

""Those young guys have proved a lot. Now we're on the kind of footing that means Michael doesn't have to be the whole show."

During his stint with the Wizards, all of Michael Jordan's home games were sold out and the Wizards were the second most-watched team in the NBA, averaging 20,172 fans a game at home and 19,311 on the road.

Jordan's final two seasons did not result in a playoff appearance for the Wizards, and he was often unsatisfied with the play of those around him. But with averages of 21.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in his two seasons in Washington, he proved he could be great even at the age of 40.