prophet_of_rage wrote:And you see the fatal glow in your approach. The fact that Lebron plays in a tougher league doesn't mean that MJ wouldn't be the same player in the league. It means that team success is likely to be worse the tougher the league you are in.
You can pretend the Bulls weren't the 2017 Warriors but they were for their era. The 80s trams had broken up and the salary cap rules meant every team had two stars and a bunch of role players. Thanks to MJ and Pippen signing bad deals they were able to add at various times Rodman, Grant, Kukoc and Harper.
The Bulls won 55 games with Pippen and Grant. Two All-Stars. You couldn't keep a team like that together today.
Will you admit that much?
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People “conveniently” forget that 1994 was a down year for the NBA with no clear cut dominant teams establishing themselves making it the most wide open season from 1980 to 1998.
Heck the 94’ Hawks led by the post Achilles ruptured Dominique Wilkins along with Blaylock and Augmon tied the Knicks for the best record in the East with 57 wins
The Bulls would’ve beaten them in the playoffs easily specially with the addition of Tony Kukoc who without his late game heroics Chicago would’ve only won 52 games in the regular season and most likely gotten swept by the Knicks in the second round!
Let’s also “conveniently” forget the LeBald played virtually his whole career in a historically bad Eastern Conference matched only by the 80’s West and was only able to get over older versions of already overrated teams like the Pistons and Celtics when they got really old not to mention a 36 y/o Tim Duncan in 2013!
MJ had to deal with prime Bird’s Celtics and Bad Boy Pistons for the first 7 years of his career with a much worse squad but always managed to give Detroit a tough matchup even in defeat. However, unlike LJ he didn’t quit and go join other superstars like a coward, he stuck it out and got better every year until finally he got to the top. That’s why he’s the greatest among a ton of other things.
Shaq, Kobe, Duncan and LeBald had to wait for the great 90’s teams and players to get old or retire for them to have a chance not to mention quite a few offensive friendly rules to make life a heck of a lot easier for offensive players thus creating the “Chuck and Duck” soccer mom friendly soft NBA you see now before your eyes which nobody that has seen what real basketball looks like really respects