Yeah, if we're talking about combos excluding size, then give me MJ and an above average player over James and Wade. You are vastly underrating his impact ...offensively - creating space, the J, the drive, etc. defensively - giving the Bulls the versatility to gamble and implement their plan. MJ's drive/will to win pushing his teammates to be better ...Look at how Pippen folded post MJ - He IS NOT a top 50 player of all time. Jordan casts a massive shadow, but he also brought guys into the light. And comparing Chicago w/Phil Jackson and supporting cast to the Cavs is crazy.
Tough to compare them 2v2 since a lot of all 4 players skills shine in the team game. I think this is a much more interesting debate: Jordan/Pippen/Rodman + 2 scrubs vs Lebron/Wade/Bosh + 2 scrubs. The Lebron team has more offensive talent, but the Jordan team is far superior defensively. Put Rodman on Lebron and Pippen on Wade. Those are very tough matchups for the Heat. Wade would get killed in the post by Jordan. Lebron on Jordan would be a decent matchup but I think Jordan would still score a lot. I think the main thing is that top teams only really need 2 elite scorers. The third scorer (Bosh) ends up being a little wasted. That's why the Bulls could get away with using Luc Longley as their 3rd scoring option. It's also why the Dream/Clyde/Barkley team didn't quite gell.
Yeah, your logic. Pippen was drafted 5th then traded to Bulls, as a rookie. That's some good work by the GM for recognizing talent.
I think it's close, but I can't vote for either option. I think Hakeem, Magic, and Wilt were all better players than Jordan, so I can't vote for the first choice. I don't think the Heat will win 6 rings, so I can't vote for the second choice. It would have been a better poll without the commentary. To answer your question, though: I think Jordan + Pippen were slightly better than LeBron + Wade are. Jordan + Pippen + Rodman are much, much better than LeBron + Wade + Bosh.
