McKie can only imagine what Iverson is feeling

The toughest decision an athlete has to make is to stop playing a game that, in most cases, has brought fame and fortune.

"For me [retiring] was different," McKie said. "For him, I would imagine that most superstars probably want to end their careers the way they want to end it. And really, his destiny is not in his hands. Most superstars at the end of their careers will try to get on a team that's competing for a championship.

"His situation is a little bit different. He's there with a bunch of young guys; things aren't working out. He feels that he should be playing, and I'm quite sure the way that they [Memphis management] see it, they feel like they should be developing these young guys to get them ready for the future. Maybe it's a lack of communication there, but I don't want to speculate. I haven't talked to him. I don't know what's going on."

If Iverson, a 10-time All-Star, is contemplating retirement, McKie knows it is not an easy decision.

"He's a competitor," McKie said of his old backcourt mate. "We had a hard time when he was here sitting him on the bench for 2 minutes. He probably feels that he can get out there and play more and help his team win."

Rotating rotation

After the first seven games, the only safe bet, it seems, is that Marreese Speights is the first "big" Jordan calls upon. After that, well . . .

"I think we've been consistent with Marreese and Jason Kapono coming off," Jordan said. "[Sunday at Detroit] Jason Kapono, I thought, struggled with his shot, and we needed another defender out there, because they went small. I like the fact that Rodney Carney played in the second half.

"That's why you have 12 players active. We've got a good roster. We have guys who can defend and guys that can make plays. It's going to be a gut feeling for me. I want everyone to feel ownership in what we're trying to do. I look at what's going to be effective that night."

Carney has seen limited minutes, but missed most of the preseason with a hamstring injury. He played a little more than 13 minutes against the Pistons on Sunday, all of the time coming in the second half, including 10-plus minutes in the final quarter.

Kapono has given the team life off the bench, and a much-needed three-point presence, but his one-on-one defense is suspect, so it's hard to have him in at the end of games when stops are needed.

Willie Green, as always, is the ultimate pro and someone Jordan can rely on for whatever he needs. He played really well in 23 minutes at Detroit, but in consecutive wins against Milwaukee and New York earlier this season, his combined minutes were less than 17.

Jordan loves the spark and the defense Royal Ivey provides, and his minutes have been pretty steady throughout - about 10 a game, and Jason Smith has averaged close to 14 minutes a game, but didn't see the court in the win over the Knicks and played a little more than 4 minutes the game before against the Bucks.

Rookie Jrue Holiday has seen limited minutes and probably will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Primoz Brezec has been deactivated for the last six games, while starters Sam Dalembert and Elton Brand have seen extended bench time during games. *