Courtney Alexander isn't complaining publicly, nor apparently privately, that Michael Jordan's presence on the Washington Wizards will likely affect his playing time.

How could he? Jordan was and is his idol. Always will be. And the reality is that without Jordan, the Wizards with Alexander in the starting lineup next to Richard Hamilton are a team struggling to win 30 games. But the Wizards suddenly become a playoff contender with a big backcourt of potential 18-20-point scorers in Jordan, Alexander and Hamilton together at one time or another.

"Hopefully we can work it out and all live happily ever after, and I think we will," Alexander told ESPN.com Wednesday. "We'll buy into one common goal about winning basketball games.

"But what MJ's arrival does for us is it puts us on a stage," said Alexander, a second-year pro out of Fresno State. "It's all up to us now. We'll have a national television audience a couple of times a week, we'll be playing in jam-packed arenas every night. The cameras will be rolling when you think they aren't."

Alexander said Jordan wouldn't have come back to lose.

"No way," said Alexander, suddenly talking like the Wizards are one of the Eastern Conference's elite teams. "Will we win the championship this year? No, probably not. But Michael Jordan's character is built on his ambition and his will to fight through adversity. His competitive nature is so unbelievable that it has to rub off on you in a positive way."

Alexander admits he wouldn't even be interviewed if Jordan weren't coming back. He understands that few would care about the Wizards, that TNT and NBC wouldn't dare show the Wizards more than any token appearance. They wouldn't be a road draw, either. But all that changed when Jordan said he's back and, so too, did Alexander's basketball career.

Few players ever get a chance to play with an idol, let alone converse with one. Alexander got a rare treat of being traded for by his idol last year when Alexander left Dallas for Washington (the second time he had been traded after Orlando drafted him and then shipped him to Dallas on draft night 2000). Then he got a chance to play against and with Jordan during the invitation-only pickup games in Chicago. Now he's got him as a teammate, mentor and, probably in some form, an unofficial coach under Doug Collins.

Alexander, who at 24 is 14 years younger than Jordan, grew up with posters of Jordan on the wall. He studied his style, replaying videos over and over again. He even hung like MJ on a jumper when he was at Virginia and Fresno State, fading back after swishing a mid-range 'J' or a 3-pointer.

"I tried to pick up different things he did," Alexander said. "It's impossible to emulate him and it's foolish because if you do, you're called a copycat. Any comparisons are flattering, but they are not deserved and anything like that is far-fetched at this point in my career. We both have the jumping ability and fade, but that is a God-given ability, rather than me going out there trying to jump over people."

But it was a moment in Fresno, of all places, that Alexander seems to have connected with the living legend. Jordan followed his last shot against Utah by playing in a charity basketball game in Fresno for friend and current Wizards colleague Rod Higgins. Following the game, Jordan pulled Alexander aside, held an intense conversation in his ear, and then drove off. The words resonated with Alexander during his final two seasons in college. They still do.

"I always knew he liked me and my game," Alexander said. "But what I learned from him in Chicago (this summer) was how to be the consummate professional. The eerie thing about Michael Jordan is that he works so hard. He has such a high level of concentration on every possession.

"I thought that if the best basketball player ever had this strong a work ethic, then I know I should and can," Alexander said. "He gave me helpful hints here and there and showed me what and how to do things. He's in constant attack on both ends of the floor and he doesn't rest. He is the ultimate competitor."

And that's why Jordan will and should play as much as he's physically able.

Jordan can play the point, shooting guard or small forward. The Wizards also have Chris Whitney and Tyronn Lue at the point to give them a different look if they don't want to go big. The problems for the Wizards will be in the frontcourt, where top pick Kwame Brown will be thrust into major minutes with still developing Jahidi White and journeymen Christian Laettner, Popeye Jones and Loy Vaught.

"It'll be up to Doug, but I know me and Michael can play three positions and Rip (Hamilton) can play every position on the perimeter, too," Alexander said. "We'll be flexible. But I don't even think about who's going to be the odd man out or anything. This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I'm going to milk it for everything it's worth.

"You can't write it any better for me and players like Richard Hamilton who aspire to get to that level one day," Alexander said. "This is going to be a constant learning lesson for me -- in practices and in games."

Alexander doesn't expect anything less than Jordan being Jordan.

"He's still MJ," Alexander said. "People don't understand that he left the game when he was still able to play (three seasons ago). He's 38, but he's a young 38. His clock ticks differently then a lot of other people. All the people saying he can't do this or won't do that, well, that's what drives Michael Jordan."

Alexander can't wait to be along for the ride.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.