Obstructed_View
03-28-2008, 01:52 AM
I found this on an old hard drive today. I wrote it in 2004. I don't know what motivated me to write it aside from Jordan comeback hype, and I don't recall if I had the guts to post it back then. It's interesting, no doubt partially inspired by the stompings the Lakers put on the Spurs back then. I don't know if I agree with everything in it now, and fought the temptation to edit it. I notice that it was written on a Monday at 3 in the afternoon. I think I was supposed to be working.
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OV
Monday, October 11, 2004
Michael Jordan was overrated.
I'm waiting for the rain of stones to fly toward me as the rest of you absorb that statement.
I must admit, I'm always a little dubious when Americans crown whatever they witness firsthand as "the greatest" without regard for anything else that came before. Boxing is where this practice is the most extreme, but many NBA fans tend to forget the truly amazing players that came before.
Now that my blasphemy has sunken in, you heard right, I said it. Jordan was overrated. Am I saying he wasn't great? Of course not. We knew Jordan was great before he ever even made the playoffs. From his rookie year we knew he was going to be special. We all know the things he did, and I was just as amazed as anyone else to witness his greatness. No matter what the opponent, no matter the challenge, he met it and dominated.
Jordan's career can be summed up in that one word: Domination. Jordan was not only the most dominant player of his era, he was the most dominant player of any era. He had no real competition; in spite of the huge amount of talent in the '84 draft, there were no other truly great players in his era. Olajuwon, Barkley, Robinson, and Malone were all top 50 players, but weren't near Jordan's level. Jordan's greatness was such that he had it to spare; Scottie Pippen would not have made the top 50 list if he hadn't played alongside Jordan. Pippen was not a winner without #23.
But let's put Jordan's greatness into some historical perspective: How many titles would Jordan's Bulls have won if they had come together just ten years earlier? While Jordan would have gotten his share, he'd have had to fight Magic, Bird, Dr. J and Isiah for them. Jordan only started to win championships after those players faded away.
An additional factor to consider was new motivation for the NBA, and a departure from history. In the past the NBA made rule changes to slow down a dominant player. Beginning a new trend, motivated more by the marketing department than the competition committee, the NBA changed the rules to help Jordan. The flagrant foul and clear path rule changes, and the hand checking rules benefitted no team more than the Bulls, and no player more than Jordan. The NBA was happy so long as people bought his jerseys and videos, and tuned in to see him perform his high-wire act on a Sunday afternoon. We bought, we watched, we begged for more. One of the most enduring images of Jordan is of his winning shot in the finals, getting away with an offensive foul.
After this, the NBA learned that they could fiddle with the rules for a large market team and no one would question it. In fact, the "no charge" area under the basket should have Shaq's picture in it, holding up his three rings.
Armed with that information, are you surprised that the olympic team featured five of the top six players in terms of jersey sales? But I digress...
Jordan's comeback to the Wizards after swearing he'd never play for anyone but Phil was proof of the Greatness Gap. Jordan was fun to watch for the occasional flash of brilliance, but his crappy team was the lead on Sportscenter every night, and we had to endure the Wizards vs Atlanta or Charlotte twice a week on national TV.
I remember seeing Jordan as a Wizard pin a shot against the backboard with both hands, and no one, not the officials, not the commentators, not the sportscasters, ever mentioned the word "goaltending". Vince Carter later duplicated the move in a Nike commercial. A "retro" Nike commercial featuring afro-wearing current NBA stars showing the lack of fundamental skills that made Jordan so dominant and the NBA so wealthy.
*****************************************
OV
Monday, October 11, 2004
Michael Jordan was overrated.
I'm waiting for the rain of stones to fly toward me as the rest of you absorb that statement.
I must admit, I'm always a little dubious when Americans crown whatever they witness firsthand as "the greatest" without regard for anything else that came before. Boxing is where this practice is the most extreme, but many NBA fans tend to forget the truly amazing players that came before.
Now that my blasphemy has sunken in, you heard right, I said it. Jordan was overrated. Am I saying he wasn't great? Of course not. We knew Jordan was great before he ever even made the playoffs. From his rookie year we knew he was going to be special. We all know the things he did, and I was just as amazed as anyone else to witness his greatness. No matter what the opponent, no matter the challenge, he met it and dominated.
Jordan's career can be summed up in that one word: Domination. Jordan was not only the most dominant player of his era, he was the most dominant player of any era. He had no real competition; in spite of the huge amount of talent in the '84 draft, there were no other truly great players in his era. Olajuwon, Barkley, Robinson, and Malone were all top 50 players, but weren't near Jordan's level. Jordan's greatness was such that he had it to spare; Scottie Pippen would not have made the top 50 list if he hadn't played alongside Jordan. Pippen was not a winner without #23.
But let's put Jordan's greatness into some historical perspective: How many titles would Jordan's Bulls have won if they had come together just ten years earlier? While Jordan would have gotten his share, he'd have had to fight Magic, Bird, Dr. J and Isiah for them. Jordan only started to win championships after those players faded away.
An additional factor to consider was new motivation for the NBA, and a departure from history. In the past the NBA made rule changes to slow down a dominant player. Beginning a new trend, motivated more by the marketing department than the competition committee, the NBA changed the rules to help Jordan. The flagrant foul and clear path rule changes, and the hand checking rules benefitted no team more than the Bulls, and no player more than Jordan. The NBA was happy so long as people bought his jerseys and videos, and tuned in to see him perform his high-wire act on a Sunday afternoon. We bought, we watched, we begged for more. One of the most enduring images of Jordan is of his winning shot in the finals, getting away with an offensive foul.
After this, the NBA learned that they could fiddle with the rules for a large market team and no one would question it. In fact, the "no charge" area under the basket should have Shaq's picture in it, holding up his three rings.
Armed with that information, are you surprised that the olympic team featured five of the top six players in terms of jersey sales? But I digress...
Jordan's comeback to the Wizards after swearing he'd never play for anyone but Phil was proof of the Greatness Gap. Jordan was fun to watch for the occasional flash of brilliance, but his crappy team was the lead on Sportscenter every night, and we had to endure the Wizards vs Atlanta or Charlotte twice a week on national TV.
I remember seeing Jordan as a Wizard pin a shot against the backboard with both hands, and no one, not the officials, not the commentators, not the sportscasters, ever mentioned the word "goaltending". Vince Carter later duplicated the move in a Nike commercial. A "retro" Nike commercial featuring afro-wearing current NBA stars showing the lack of fundamental skills that made Jordan so dominant and the NBA so wealthy.