So now that the ol’ bald guy in D.C. could be done -- and bless him for giving us what he could for as long as he did -- it’s not too early to look at what the Wizards might have gained from the experience. The word from The Magazine is that Tyronn Lue is dressing right, Jahidi White is eating light and Courtney Alexander is staying quiet, all courtesy of MJ’s example.

The returns start to get a little thin after that.

A playoff spot? Uh, no. Not with Charlotte getting healthier, the Pacers and Celtics reloading and the Pistons recovering. It’s still not clear how long he’ll be out, but it’s not likely to be less than a couple of weeks. Then the question is how long will it take him to get his legs back -- you know, the ones he never quite got back over the first 50-some games.

Do you see a Jordan-less Wizards team beating out the Allen Iversoned 76ers or Tracy McGradyed Magic or Vince Cartered Raptors? Neither do I. Add those three to the Bucks, Nets, Pistons, Celtics and Hornets and you’ve got your post-season limit -- and that’s keeping the Pacers and surging Heat out of the mix.

Improved play? Hmmm. Not based on how they’ve played since the All-Star break, particularly down the stretch against the Heat in last weekend’s home-and-home losses. With their season hanging in the balance -- based on MJ’s pre-weekend comments about the series’ importance -- the Wizards reverted to their old selves. Boxing out, denying deep post-ups, protecting the ball and executing the offense with poise and persistence all went away.

Granted, maybe the shock of Jordan sitting on the bench as the game slipped away distracted them. But now that they know he could be gone for a while, someone needs to step up and wrench the flag from their fallen leader’s grasp. Popeye Jones, injured that particular game, has the experience and temperament, but designated rebounders and fourth offensive options simply don’t command a locker room.

Rip Hamilton, from afar, makes the most sense, but his soft-spoken personality doesn’t fit the bill, either. Neither did his demeanor while getting bottled up by Eddie Jones. His gripe that he didn’t get enough calls but "oh, well," after the second Heat loss didn’t convince me he understands the urgency of the situation, either.

Mental toughness? C’mon, now. Anyone who thought the Wizards would somehow acquire his keen competitiveness or uncanny accuracy in the clutch by sharing the court with him were sniffing glue. Did that work for Scott Williams or Steve Kerr or Jud Buechler or Luc Longley? Whatever they were before their stint with the Bulls in Jordan’s shadow, they were when they left -- except maybe a little richer with a bit more jewelry. Players learn by doing, not by watching.

That’s why, if there’s a good part to Jordan undergoing surgery, it’s that he’ll be out a definitive period of time. His game had been deteriorating the last several weeks, a fact disguised by the hype of his game-winners against the Suns and Cavs (the latter courtesy of Bryant Stith thinking he was going to get screened), but he still provided emotional ballast for the Wizards’ young, fragile psyches.

Now they will have to face the fact that being like Mike on the floor doesn’t come quite as easy as adopting his wardrobe or diet.

AND ONES: The Warriors’ decision to cut their losses and deem the Marc Jackson re-signing experiment a failure came straight from owner Chris Cohan, according to one source. That can’t bode well for GM Garry St. Jean, who lost immeasurable face with the move. The Warriors have another major problem brewing -- two of their brightest young stars, rookie Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy are unhappy and, short of wholesale changes, would rather be elsewhere ... Maybe the Nuggets could have got more for Raef LaFrentz in terms of talent, but don’t underestimate how extraordinary it is that GM Kiki Vandeweghe unloaded three cap-crushing contracts (those of Avery Johnson, Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Nick the Quick Van Exel) in one fell swoop ... Only the first year of Tim Hardaway’s three-year $6 million contract with the Mavs was guaranteed. Look for the Nuggets to exercise a $1 million buy-out to get out of the final two years of his contract ... The Nuggets had a deal on the table that would have sent the same players that went to Dallas to Milwaukee, but GM Ernie Grunfeld turned it down. No word on which Bucks would have been involved.

Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ric.bucher@espnmag.com.