The true greats never really get shut down. They manage to make a difference elsewhere. Or they lead their team by doing something else. They are multidimensional. Jordan was really one dimensional. I will say he changed the way SOME people played the game, but not all. Defense still wins championships. And without his teammates he did not win.
Lets look at Jordan before he was surrounded by talent.
Rookie year
http://www.basketball-reference.com/.../NBA_1985.html
They finished with a record of 38 - 44
Second year
http://www.basketball-reference.com/.../NBA_1986.html
They finished with a record of 30 - 52
Third year
http://www.basketball-reference.com/.../NBA_1987.html
They finished with a record of 40-42
Fourth year(The year they added Scottie Pippen)
http://www.basketball-reference.com/.../NBA_1988.html
They finished with record of 50 -32 (First time he made the playoffs.)
Playoffs:
Lost NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals (4-1) versus Detroit Pistons
Won NBA Eastern Conference First Round (3-2) versus Cleveland Cavaliers
Now as you can see until the got Pippen, Jordan was not winning much. And I can continue this showing the acquisition of more players and they get more wins. Russell won on every level. I will give you that Jordan was good, sometimes great(when not getting every call from the officials), but he was not even close to the best.
Bookmarks