WASHINGTON, April 19 (AP)-- Michael Jordan and Doug Collins, whose competitive natures clashed with the Chicago Bulls in the 1980s, are together again with the Washington Wizards. Their relationship, come September, is still undecided. Will Collins be coaching for Jordan, or will Jordan be playing for Collins?

On Thursday, Jordan was the boss. The Wizards' part-owner and president of basketball operations hired Collins, an NBA analyst and former coach of the Bulls and Pistons, as the team's sixth head coach in 25 months.

"'Why? Why do you want to do this?"' said Collins, anticipating the reaction. "It's easy -- because Michael Jordan called me on the phone and said, 'I need you. Can you come help me?' It was easy once he said that."

Michael Jordan welcomed Doug Collins back to the coaching ranks. AP Photos

Collins follows a trail littered with unsuccessful attempts to turn around the Wizards, who haven't won a playoff game in 13 years. He replaces Leonard Hamilton, a rookie coach hand-picked by Jordan last summer after a successful college career at Miami.

Hamilton resigned Wednesday night after the season finale. The Wizards finished 19-63, the third-worst record in the NBA, and set a franchise record for losses in a season.

"I was looking to try and experiment and go the college ranks. Obviously that did not work," Jordan said. "We kind of put him behind the 8-ball."

Jordan said he spoke with Hamilton about two weeks ago and realized the challenge of coaching the Wizards was taking its toll.

"Would I have fired him?" Jordan said. "I hoped I didn't have to come to that. But when he gave me the notion that he didn't know whether he was suited for his position, I had to act."

Jordan immediately contacted Collins, who coached Jordan in Chicago for three years before being fired after the 1988-89 season.

"I think his coaching ability is desperately something we need to educate the young talent we have," Jordan said.

The Wizards, with little salary cap space until 2002, are a young, sometimes undisciplined, team searching for an identity.

That description could also have applied 15 years ago to Collins, when he was a rookie coach trying to handle Jordan, an emerging superstar.

"We knocked heads early," Collins said. "I was 35, had never been a head coach before, was going to roll up my sleeves to show everybody that I could get the job done. I wanted to do things my way.

"My passion is still there. I'm older, I'd like to think I'm wiser. In a situation like this, it's going to take a lot of patience. Michael and I have another similar quality: We're probably not the most patient of people."

Jordan also admitted the two didn't get off to a great start, but he said they patched things up quickly. He said the widely perceived notion that he was responsible for getting Collins fired in 1989 was not correct.

"I'll be honest with you," Collins said. "There have been times I've sat around and wondered, 'Did Michael learn anything from me? Does he respect me? When he called me on the phone (10 days ago), I knew he respected me."

Jordan's selection of Collins will only heighten speculation that Jordan will leave the front office and return as a player next season. Jordan has increased his workouts in recent weeks, but he continues to play down the odds while not completely closing the door.

Jordan said Collins' hiring "is not depending upon whether Michael Jordan plays basketball again."

"There's been a lot of conversation about Michael Jordan playing basketball again," Jordan said. "I've said, and I still hold true to my words, that there's a 99.9 percent chance that I won't."

But, he added: "Three months from now, I can't tell where I'm going to be. Hopefully, I'll still be breathing. But if you ask me my opinion, as of right now, I'm not playing basketball next season, and Doug understands that."

Added Collins: "The most important thing for me was that Michael was going to be president here and we were going to be together. Whatever comes after that would be gravy. Would I love for him to play? Darn right I would love to have Michael."

Jordan said Collins' contract runs for at least four years, but would not comment further.

Collins also coached the Detroit Pistons from the start of the 1995-96 season through 45 games of the 1997-98 season. He then joined NBC and will continue to work with the network through the end of this season's playoffs.

Although the best scenario doesn't have the Wizards being championship contenders for at least a couple of year, Collins said the team needs to show growth immediately. He cited the example of the current Bulls, who cleared salary cap money but couldn't entice free agents because their won-loss record is so abysmal.

"There are no five-year plans in the NBA," Collins said. "This is a quick-fix culture."