The competitor in Michael Jordan would never have allowed himself to team up with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson if given the chance. I wish I could have heard the off the record thoughts of MJ on the 3 lovers joining the Heat together.
When Michael Jordan talks, people listen. His voice is gospel in NBA circles, even to this day. When MJ told the likes of Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, Eddie Jones, and Grant Hill to stay away from the Jerry Krause- led Bulls in 2000, they listened and followed his word as if he was Paulie from Goodfellas. The man speaks and people care and take notice of his opinions. That’s why I was thankful to hear basketball Jesus give his take on the 3 DB’igos joining forces/beds in Miami. “There’s no way, with hindsight, I would have called up Larry, Called up Magic, and said, “Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team,” Jordan said. “But that’s …things are different. I can’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.” Jordan’s thoughts are similar to most fans view on LeDiva. You’d have a better chance finding Johnny Drama a co-star than you would have seeing MJ, Larry, or Magic fleeing their teams back in the day. What irritates me is there are people arguing against Jordan’s assessment of James.
Apparently, Jordan’s off the record comments were much more severe and paint a clearer picture to how Jordan really feels. Either way, the Don has spoken, and his words will no doubt find their way to South Beach where LeBron’s talents reside, and where Rupaul Bosh rotates between his two teammates bedrooms.
Michael Jordan took the torch from Magic Johnson in the '91 NBA Finals. Could you have ever imagined either of these two guys going to another team to piggy back a title? No F-ing chance.
Pro sports are about competition, not about forming a dream team with your buddies. Did these 3 have the right to team up? Sure, but I don’t have to like it. When Jordan says he would never team up with Larry and, or, Magic if given the chance, I believe him. When you’re the MAN, guys come to you. Two-time MVP’s don’t go running scared because they “don’t want to have to score 30 every night.” The basketball fools who say James just wants to play the Magic Johnson role to Dwyane Wade’s Michael Jordan piss me off. Just because Magic played point guard and was an unselfish player doesn’t mean he was the Lakers’ 2nd banana. The guy scored 42 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and handed out 7 assists as a rookie in the Finals clinching game 6. Oh yea, he also jumped center that game. The point is, even as a rookie, Magic had the balls to take the lead for a championship team with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar injured. Yes, Magic was the point guard, but he also wanted the ball in big moments. So, you can take the Magic comparisons to one of the new Heat fans who don’t know Rony Seikaly from Ronny Turiaf. Would Magic have left the Lakers after the ‘84 Finals loss to Boston because he didn’t have a great series? Hell, no.
Guys like Jordan and Charles Barkley have the right to criticize James because they have earned that respect. Said Barkley….”He’ll never be Jordan, this clearly takes him out of the conversation. He can win as much as he wants to. There would have been something honorable about staying in Cleveland and trying to win it as ‘the man’… LeBron, if he would have in Cleveland, and if he could’ve got a championship there, it would have been over the top for his legacy. No matter how many he wins in Miami, it’s still clearly Dwyane Wade’s team.” The way Jordan and Barkley feel about a talent such as James running to Wade insults their basketball sensibilities. Sometimes you can’t choose your destiny. LeBron is too talented to pull this bitch move.
Side Note: Barkley is great for one liners as we know. One of my favorites came during the playoffs as LeDiva was quitting on his team, his franchise, and his city……”I played against the greatest player in Michael Jordan, and LeBron aint that damn good.” Well said Chuck. Well said.
Jordan was always frustrated with Jerry Krause and the guys he brought to the Bulls before they were winning titles. Jordan gave us a glimpse of just how bad of a talent evaluator he was when he wanted Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant traded. However, Jordan never threatened to leave and always wanted to win in Chicago. I’ve never said James shouldn’t have left Cleveland if he wanted to, but to take the coward way out and, seemingly, absolve yourself of blame and pressure should, and does, insult Jordan. Jordan was insulted, as all basketball fans were, because most thought James wanted to be ‘the man’ on his team. When you call yourself The King and have “Chosen 1″ tattooed on your back, you don’t go play Robin in a horrible sports town. Like MJ said, these “kids” had an opportunity and they made it happen. It’s unfortunate, because instead of the torch being passed from MJ to Kobe to LeBron, it’s going from MJ to Kobe to Durant. As a Durant guy, that’s fine with me. Nobody is going to accuse James of being a savvy “decision” maker, but don’t get mad at the basketball Don for being insulted by the chosen 1’s career choice.
