For all you mid-30's to mid-40's guys who just had to get the first pair of those patent leather Jordan shoes each year, here's food for thought, lol. First I didn't say your childhood hero was bad, just overrated! 1) The 90's were the decade when the NBA was at it's weakest. Look it up-more teams had abysmal records in that watered down expansion decade than any other. 2) When MJ retired after 1993 to try to play baseball, the Bulls only lost 2 more games the next year without him. Previous poster was correct. Nike and Gatorade made Jordan famous, but Scotty Pippen made him a winner! MJ was a great offensive player with the ball and he was also an outstanding defender later in his career. His passing was average at best, and his rebounding was as well. He was nowhere near the all around athlete like Wilt, or Danny Ainge for that matter, who actually made it to the majors in baseball, was an All-American in football, and was a scratch golfer, too. Wilt, Kareem, and Russell could dominate games from the middle, as well as from both ends of the court. Robertson and West were better all around guards than MJ, Magic and Bird made their teammates so much better with their unselfish, team-first play, and Dr. J was more exciting to watch in his prime. The best all around player I saw in the NBA was Elgin Baylor, who blew out his knee after 5 or 6 seasons, before arthroscopic surgery was the norm. His first 5 or 6 years stats are incredible, and he was executing the Euro-step 50 years before James Harden. For sheer talent, I'd have to tip my hat to Pete Maravich.
