Jordan is great but he's not the greatest. He's overrated with the brainwashed message that he carried the Bulls on his own. He didn't win anything until Pippen came into the picture. He didn't win anything after retirement til Rodman was acquired for free. Pippen in the first year Jordan retired got the Bulls to game 7 against the Knicks in 93-94 season and only lost 2 more regular season games in comparison to 92-93. The Rockets flat out owned the Bulls back then and don't give me this bs about how Jordan turned it up in the playoffs. Hakeem did too. Hakeem had great roleplayers on his team during the 1st championship run but not a true swingman like Pippen in his prime. Even Clyde was past his prime coming to the Rockets but Hakeem wasn't gonna let that be an excuse. The Sonics were the achilles heel to the Rockets but the Rockets were the achilles heel to the Bulls. It astounds me how so few people forget that. Jordan was a product of being a great great player with a great great swingman, with arguably the best rebounder all time, and the greatest coach of all time to play with. But lets forget those other facts and claim Jordan did it all on his own going 1v5. Also in the 80s the Rockets owned the Lakers. That Rockets team in the 80s if drugs and injuries didn't bog them down would have been a dynasty.
How many times did Jordan lose with HC? Answer: 0 and he is the only top 20 all time player to never lose with it. How many guys have at least 4 finals MVP's? Answer: 1 (MJ himself) Who else averages 30+ ppg in the season, playoffs and finals? Answer: Only MJ What did Magic do without having Kareem?
I'm not saying he's overrated given what he's accomplished, but he wouldn't have accomplished anything without a combination of a great coach, a great swingman, and arguably the greatest rebounder of all time on his team. Take away Pippen and he wouldn't have won anything. Take away a coach that knew how to manage egos and the team would have imploded most likely. Just as well take away the heroics of Maxwell, Cassell, Horry, Kenny Smith, and Elie and the Rockets probably wouldn't have won their first and second title. Even the greatest players can't win on their own, yet it seems like with Jordan that logic is thrown completely out the window. That's what annoys me the most.
Of course and I agree completely, but no matter who it is you can't say take away so and so and look at how they would have done. MJ was the best player on those teams, not the other way around. Take Worthy or Kareem off the Lakers I'm sure Magic and Kareem would not have had the success. In fact Magic and KAreem lost to us in 1981 when we weren't even .500. At least Jordan only lost to teams that had a better record and higher seed than him and each of those teams won it all or were in the finals. When people talk about Jordan being so good, it isn't about that he didn't need help, it is about that when he got it, he didn't lose when being the favorite and no other superstar that is top 20 all time can say that.
