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"Harold Miner"
Baby Jordan! Disappeared like a fart in the wind.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slu...yhoo&type=lgns
here’s been much talk about the first billion dollar athlete.
Tiger Woods is supposedly on track to reach $1 billion next year, though his agent Mark Steinberg told us he doesn’t keep an official tally anywhere. And many mention LeBron James as the guy who is most likely to follow Woods.
But, at least according to one metric, they’ve already been topped by Michael Jordan.
It’s hard to say how much Jordan has reaped personally, but 2009 will be remembered as the year MJ was inducted into the Hall of Fame and the year that his Nikebrand, Jordan, topped $1 billion in annual revenue for the first time. It appropriately comes 23 years after Nike reached $1 billion in revenue for the first time.
The rise of Jordan as a marketing icon is an amazing story. The kid from the University of North Carolina, who had never worn Nikes before he signed his contract, made buying Air Jordans an annual ritual. And 6 ½ years after he played his last game, the business continues to grow. At more than $1 billion in sales, the Jordan brand now makes up roughly 5 percent of Nike’s overall revenues.
Consider these statistics, provided by SportsOneSource, a sports market retail tracking firm:
The Jordan brand has a 10.8 percent share of the overall US shoe market, which makes it the second biggest brand in the country and more than twice the size of Adidas’ share.
Three out of every four pairs of basketball shoes sold in this country are Jordan, while 86.5 percent of all basketball shoes sold over $100 are Jordan.
“The Jordan brand has established itself as the premium ‘designer’ brand in athletic footwear,” said Matt Powell, an analyst for SportsOneSource. “The breadth and reach of this line will never be duplicated.”
As I’ve said many times before, the next Michael Jordan isn’t Harold Miner, Kobe Bryant or LeBron James. There is no next Michael Jordan.
"Harold Miner"
Baby Jordan! Disappeared like a fart in the wind.
Mj is the "gold standard" BUT ...People forget he had many of the same faults as Kobe even if he is tmaybe the greater player I have ever seen:
1. Fought teammates - Steve Kerr meet MJ's fist
2. Hogged the ball - In his own HOF speech he said there is no I in team but there is one in win. (recalling dispute with Tex over breaking the triangle)
3. Gambled partied and commited adultery staying out all night before some of the Bulls biggest games. (to me that was disrespectful to his teammates)
now granted he won most of those especially later in his career, but still ...
4. He destryed the mentally weak ...fo all the guys he made better he destroyed Kwame Brown, Stacey King, Brad sellers etc. including questioning Kwame's sexuality (though i did find that funny but still..not right)
5. Great article on ESPN.com talks abou how none of the WIZ or even many of the Bulls players had any affection for Mj the way the Spur player loved David ...and how david gracefully bowed out ...
6. He played great defense at times ...others he gambled and took many plays off letting Pip do the grunt work (much like Kobe)
Look MJ pretty much denied Stockton, Malone Ewing and Barkley from g etting les, Magic and Isiah from onne more ...amd tortured Cleveland to neo end. He was one of the greatest dunkers, had great fundamentals and who when motivated was the best defender in teh NBA ...
I just hate when people on Kobe or LEbron or Magic in comparison to MJ is the GOAT arguable of my generation 1980 til now BUT he is not without fault, was far from perfect and cases can be made for other players being greater (not IMHO but Magic is right there )...people that are so on his jock act as though is un-touchabull! LOL and judge Lebron negatively in comparison when Lebron may someday pass them all ...will he, who knows? Right now he is behind Kobe but me maybe the GOAT when all is said and done ...
And those that insist on comparing them negativelyt to Mj need to stop Jordan dominated his era, Magic his, this era it has been duncan, Shaq and Kobe ...
Last edited by Killakobe81; 09-12-2009 at 11:24 AM.
My favorite is when the Bulls played the Rockets during a game in '92 and Jordan got his game-tying 3pt attempt stuffed back in his face by Olajuwon. Hakeem also blocked several of Jordan's shot attempts throughout that game. The Bulls had trouble getting wins in the Texas triangle during their first le run.
Bull . That's a myth, a lie, a fabrication.
He was investigated by Stern for gambling issues non-related to the NBA. That was it. He was never suspended.
Lie more.
Jordan is too damn good. Historically, big men dominate the NBA, not shooting guards. Russell, Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar, Shaq, Duncan, etc.
Jordan was the first and still only guard to dominate the NBA with no all-star big man.
So, just because you are 2nd or 3rd best SG, doesn't mean you are top 10. Half the top 10 is populated by Centers. Then you got PG's, SFs, and PF's....
By dominate I'm gonna assume you mean building a dynasty around a guard. But yeah, you don't really need an all-star center when you have a hall-of-fame wing player by your side. Everyone needs to realize the Modern NBA is very, very young. It's only about 30 years old, but you're right, dominant big men have usually been the center-piece of every good team and championship team during the NBA's history.
Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars "dominated" the NBA for a while and they were both guards, and they didn't really have an all-star big. Lambeer wasn't an all-star during their championship years and he was more of a perimiter orientated player anyway.
You have to think of it this way too, how many championship teams in the modern NBA have not had an all-star guard/wing player on them? The Sixers had Dr. J, Lakers had Magic, Celtics had Bird, Pistons had Thomas/Dumars, Bulls had Jordan/Pippen. The 93-94 Rockets were the only team up until this point (modern era in my perspective) that didn't have an all-star wing guy but they did get Drexler for their next championship in 95. Duncan and Robinson did the same thing in 99. And this decade of course we've had Kobe with the Lakers, Manu/Parker with the Spurs, Billups with the Pistons, Wade and the Head, and finally Ray Allen/Pierce with the Celtics.\
Centers can't win it by themselves anymore than perimeter players can.
Solly cholly, Jordan was suspended a year for gambling.
Stings, don't it?
tee, hee.
Oh, this ought to be choice. Let's see 'em come in here and somehow explain that it'll work for , but, not for Artest.
tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.
You probably didn't see many Rockets games this past year. I watched every single one including the postseason. You don't want Artest to be aggressive. He's slower than most small forwards and shorter than most power forwards. Not to mention he's a terrible ball-handler.
He was most efficient when he became a spot-up shooter.
Star centers are rare commodities. Star perimeter players are not. Just look at the recent #1 draft picks.
2007: Greg Oden
2006: Andrea Bargnani
2005: Andrew Bogut
2004: Dwight Howard
2003: Lebron James (With Darko picked 2nd)
2002: Yao Ming
2001: Kwame Brown
2000: Kenyon Martin (no all-star wings in the draft)
1999: Elton Brand
1998: Michael Olowokandi
1997: Tim Duncan
Clearly, teams looking to rebuild agree that the best way to start is through the center position.
I definitely agree, the main reason why you'd want to start your team around a Big man is in the hopes that he's a defensive anchor for your team as well. While center is probably the most important position, theres a reason why most aren't successful without a star guard because they need someone to create during the 4th quarter when centers can't usully carry their teams on the back.
You guys want to stop the circle-jerk for a moment and take a look at the evidence? You're saying Kobe "never had a supporting cast"? What about the Shaq/Horry/Fisher/Fox teams of his 3 rings? Shaq was named MVP in 2000, and could have been the following 3 years but for transcendent performances by Iverson and Duncan. And Gasol/Odom/Bynum/Ariza/Fisher is hardly shabby. Neither of those teams even go close to qualifying as "no supporting cast"! I wonder what All-Stars like Shaq and Pau, and game winners like Fish and Big Shot Rob would have to say about your bull ?
MJ, OTOH, had Scottie, admittedly one of the most under-rated all-court players of all time, and an elite rebounder-defender in Dennis Rodman, but other than that all he played with was a bunch of very well fitted role players who utterly accepted their roles, and that was it. Sure, guys like Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, Luc Longley, John Paxson and Steve Kerr were nice role players, but Scottie was the only other All-Star Michael played with. Kobe has had at least as much support from Shaq, Pau and Lamar.
Get a grip, fellas, really... or maybe that should be loosen your grip and back away from your penises, they might fall off.
---Originally Posted by lakaluva
You mean Mike walked in Kobe's shoes for while? Not having a supporting cast to help him win? Damn, people sure never mention that about his career.---
Still no cogent rebuttal.
You could make a strong case for MJ having some of the worst championship squads of any team's.---Originally Posted by lakaluva
You mean Mike walked in Kobe's shoes for while? Not having a supporting cast to help him win? Damn, people sure never mention that about his career.---
Still no cogent rebuttal.
pau has been a franchise player since he joined the association
tee, hee.
he has. he was memphis' franchise big man, now he's the lakers' ill-gotten franchise big man
Pau was taking the Grizzlies to the playoffs. Those ty grizzlies. It doesn't matter if they couldn't win. Pau was still the man for those teams, the star big man, carrying them. ALL-STAR talent.
In Michael Jordan's day, HE HAD NO EQUALS. NO CONTEMPORARIES. Jordan had an aura around him, even his opponent's knew "That's Mike..he's a lot better than me"
Kobe isn't even clear cut better than LeBron. FOr most of Kobe's career, he hasn't even been top 2 in the NBA. He's only been top 2-3 for the past 3 years.
Well it did [matter] until Lee missed that layup.
tee, hee.
memphis wanted deng AND gordon. and deng was better then than he is now
Boo hoo. Kobe had three years in his career where he didn't have a top 2 or 3 supporting cast.
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