Nba Does Number On Bulls For Jersey Flop, Fining Team $100,000

The NBA fined the Chicago Bulls $100,000 Wednesday for allowing Michael Jordan to wear No. 23 during the playoffs instead of No. 45.

The fined was assessed by Rod Thorn, the league’s vice president of basketball operations.

For Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Orlando Magic, Jordan switched back to the No. 23 jersey he wore during nine seasons with the Bulls. When Jordan returned to the NBA after a brief retirement, he chose No. 45, which he wore for 17 regularseason games and the first round of the playoffs.

After Jordan’s surprise switch, the league fined the Bulls $25,000 for failing to notify the league of the number change. At the time, the league said more fines would be levied if Chicago continued to allow Jordan to play as No. 23.

Saying he felt more comfortable in his old number, Jordan stuck with No. 23 through the rest of the playoffs. The Bulls were eliminated by Orlando in six games.

The $100,000 fine includes $25,000 for each additional game in which Jordan wore No. 23.

Chuck Daly, Don Nelson and Chris Ford are successful NBA coaches without NBA coaching jobs. Now it appears the New York Knicks are trying to make one of the three their new coach.

Since Pat Riley resigned June 15 after four seasons with the team, Knicks general manager Ernie Grunfeld has already visited with Nelson. And Ford, fired by the Boston Celtics on May 17, said the team has made contact regarding the position.

But Daly, the logical favorite of the Knicks, has not committed to even negotiating with the team.

“I was offered three or four league jobs in the past year, and obviously I didn’t take them,” Daly told the New York Daily News. “But coaching the New York Knicks is a whole different ball of wax.”