MJ's cold words as a cold reminder

If one good thing came out of Michael Jordan's recent Hall of Fame induction speech, it was that it reminded the world who he really was.

Jordan's speech was criticized for the brutalizing, damaging way he spoke about his former teammates, coaches and opponents.

The speech washed away any praise or accommodations that he received over the years. It jogged everyone's memory that the real Jordan was an abusive, egocentric dirt bag who was either hated or feared by nearly everyone he played with or against.

"The Jordan Rules," by journalist Sam Smith, was published in 1993 after Jordan's third straight title and in the midst of his shocking retirement from the sport.

Because it was believed that Jordan was forever done with the game, Smith took advantage of the opportunity by providing readers with every inside story and jab at Jordan in his retelling of his first title in 1991.

The reporting begins at the conclusion of the Bulls '90 season when the team lost in the playoffs against the rival Detroit Pistons. Early MJ was a cultural marketing icon, and although he was winning MVP awards and scoring titles, it was believed around the league that he would never win a championship.

His selfish play and inability to trust his teammates turned the focus onto him; a good team could shut down the Bulls squad by putting several defenders on Jordan and then watch him struggle as he tried to score on his own.

This all changed when Phil Jackson became head coach in 1989. Jackson needed to make a change. He decided to transform the Bulls offense from just relying on the skill of Jordan into a more team-oriented game.

He also started to play Jordan fewer minutes, with the reasoning that he would be healthier and better rested for the playoffs.

Like we know now, the Bulls won its first title in the 1991 season. The team was in first place throughout the entire season, finished with a then franchise best 61 wins and Jordan won his second MVP. Behind the scenes though, things were far from perfect.

Although the Bulls were beating most teams, there were few who believed that the team could win in the playoffs, especially against a powerhouse like Detroit.

Jackson was a young coach in the league with little respect for the inexperienced. His odd, flower child, political activist lifestyle made him an unfamiliar personality to the modern NBA athlete.

Not only did he feud with a young Jordan who wanted the ball in his hands at all times, but he also had to deal with complaints from other members of the team about playing time and their own shot selection.

NBA players learn early that although championships might come from team-ball, All-Star selections and max-contracts come from good personal statistics.

If you were part of the Bulls, and were neither Jordan nor Scottie Pippen, then any sort of pay raise was a foreign concept.

Jordan didn't help the cause much. He treated his teammates like co-workers; he thought they were all worthless players and openly demanded that the Bulls do more work in trying to bring in a championship-caliber supporting cast.

He began to wear out, began to think about an early retirement; basketball became a profession instead of a game.

As the season wore on, the Bulls began fielding offers for him, even seriously contemplating a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for players and draft picks.

Jordan himself went to his agent to try to finagle a way to opt out of the final year in his contract.

Smith's reporting is informative, even if it's a bit random in its order. There is no withholding of information, but one has to sift through the uninteresting game-by-game statistics in order to grab the most interesting tidbits. Information is sometimes repeated, and Smith often goes on tangents about different players and situations that feel oddly placed together.

It's sometimes difficult to move from some significant detail about Jordan to a different story about Scottie Pippen to Bill Cartwright to John Paxson and back in only a couple pages.

However, for those interested in Michael Jordan and his true persona, this would be a fascinating read.

As someone who has turned into a large-than-life figure, a commercialized brand, it's hard to believe that Jordan went through so many struggles at an early age; that he was so disliked by teammates and others around the league.

Although his Hall of Fame speech might've been a shock to many people, it really shouldn't be when considering his life and career in pro basketball.