Jackson Back In The Fold; Jordan Expected To Follow

Phil Jackson is back with the Chicago Bulls for one last year, a $6 million man ready for another NBA championship run.

That means Michael Jordan can’t be far behind.

“I know the city of Chicago is breathing easier tonight,” the coach’s agent, Todd Musburger, said Wednesday after Jackson agreed to a one-year deal.

Jordan pushed his coach’s return with threats of retirement, effectively strong-arming owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Several times down the stretch run to the Bulls’ fifth championship, Jordan said he had no interest in breaking in a new coach or being part of a rebuilding program.

“Michael’s support was not only a statement of tremendous loyalty from a superstar to his coach, but it’s something that had to weigh on their psyches,” Musburger said.

In a brief statement from his Montana home, Jackson avoided mention of the bitterness that surrounded his contract negotiations.

The Houston Rockets re-signed power forward Othella Harrington, who averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 57 games as a rookie last season.

The rumors of an Antonio McDyess-Shawn Kemp trade are rampant, but the Denver Nuggets denied that a deal was ever considered.

“We’re 100 percent committed to having Antonio McDyess sign a contract,” team spokesman Tommy Sheppard said.

Forward Carlos Rogers, who had exercised an option in his contract to become a free agent, re-signed with the Toronto Raptors.