The offical MICHAEL JORDAN thread!!!!!!!!

[Yawnie]

yea for sure, if jordan could still play i think he would, age is against him though

 

[*Oz]

Mentally yes, physically no. Have a read of 'When Nothing Else' matters and you'll get an idea of how bad he was physically. Even then he wasn't playing too bad as a point forward/role player but we're 6 years past that. There's no chance he'd be able to compete at that level again, whether he wants to or not.

 

[Yawnie]

no doubt he has the knowledge, but yea ur right, the physical ability is not there

 

[jordan23]

Mentally yes, physically no. Have a read of 'When Nothing Else' matters and you'll get an idea of how bad he was physically. Even then he wasn't playing too bad as a point forward/role player but we're 6 years past that. There's no chance he'd be able to compete at that level again, whether he wants to or not.

You have to applaud Jordan for coming back to help a struggling Wizards franchise and nearly leading them to the playoffs. He was way better than alot of players even at age 40.

 

[*Oz]

You have to applaud Jordan for coming back to help a struggling Wizards franchise and nearly leading them to the playoffs. He was way better than alot of players even at age 40.

Oh yeah man, I do and did. Regaurdless of the teams success was good to see him out on the floor still putting up 20ppg. For the most part the actual team was a joke. I mean those kids were so young I think most the time the MJ presence was just a distraction. And it's just a shame he got screwed over in the end. Washington pimped him for all he was worth but doesn't matter now, I think he has a better deal in Charlotte and it's closer to home.

 

[jimboiitmac]

You have to applaud Jordan for coming back to help a struggling Wizards franchise and nearly leading them to the playoffs. He was way better than alot of players even at age 40.

agreed I think a lot of people understime what Jordan did at age 40. sure if you were the #1 option on your team, and you were 40 you could put up substantial numbers, but come on, this is quite impressive:

At age 39, 40:

2001/02: 22.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.2 apg, 1.42 spg, 42% FG, 79% FT
2002/03: 20.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.50 spg, 45% FG, 82% FT

to give everyone else an indicator, look at the decline of Jason Kidd and Shaquille O'Neil currently.

Kidd is only 35, and Shaq, he's 36.

I doubt either will reach 40!!

 

[*Oz]

It was very impressive. He was getting the same amount of steals and assists as he did for the most part of his career. Shave off 10ppg but then you have to factor in he wasn't seeing nearly as many minutes as he was in Chicago and playing with bum knees for the most part. For a 40 year old who hasnt played for 2 years it's remarkable.

 

[jordan23]

Oh yeah man, I do and did. Regaurdless of the teams success was good to see him out on the floor still putting up 20ppg. For the most part the actual team was a joke. I mean those kids were so young I think most the time the MJ presence was just a distraction. And it's just a shame he got screwed over in the end. Washington pimped him for all he was worth but doesn't matter now, I think he has a better deal in Charlotte and it's closer to home.

The team was a joke, i mean they all played as individuals and who did MJ have besides from Rip and later Stackhouse who was overated? and damm that was a old Oakley in that squad

Charlotte will guarantee a fair deal for MJ since he owns a major share of the business

 

[*Oz]

They had Laettner, USA Gold Medal winner! But he was a complete dud afterwards. Was fun watching MJ lose it at him, but no one remembers that, only Kobe losing it at his team in Boston.

Yep, was good to see Oak and MJ back together, even if it looked like they were more suited to retirement villages. (Joke)

The team with Rip was never going to work, they hated each other for the most part. When Stackhouse was there they did make a little noise.

 

[jordan23]

They had Laettner, USA Gold Medal winner! But he was a complete dud afterwards. Was fun watching MJ lose it at him, but no one remembers that, only Kobe losing it at his team in Boston.

Yep, was good to see Oak and MJ back together, even if it looked like they were more suited to retirement villages. (Joke)

The team with Rip was never going to work, they hated each other for the most part. When Stackhouse was there they did make a little noise.

The last time i saw Oakley was at the Pippen retirement ceromony and he said he was considering a comeback

It's also funny how Laettner career ended up a dud afterall after showing so much promise and potential at Duke. His NBA career reminds me of a Luc loneley.

 

[wall4ace]

The last time i saw Oakley was at the Pippen retirement ceromony and he said he was considering a comeback

It's also funny how Laettner career ended up a dud afterall after showing so much promise and potential at Duke. His NBA career reminds me of a Luc loneley.

how many rings did laettner win?

 

[*Oz]

3 less than Longley?

He makes a point about the stats but it's hard getting a rebound when you got Rodman murdering the boards.

 

[jimboiitmac]

The last time i saw Oakley was at the Pippen retirement ceromony and he said he was considering a comeback

It's also funny how Laettner career ended up a dud afterall after showing so much promise and potential at Duke. His NBA career reminds me of a Luc loneley.

ohhh i don't think it's fair to call him a dud.

he had a solid veterans career and put up all-star numbers for a few seasons in there! he just never had a career nearly as accomplished as any of the teammates of the '92 medal team, but hey for a college scrub hyped up he did alright.

look at redick who made the national squad (and is still in it) as a hyped college star hahaha.

besides laettner was an all-star and put up 18.2, 8.7 and 1.3 steals, 1.02 blocks as a rookie i thought he had a pretty decent career.

here is his early on stats:

92-93 MIN 81 81 34.9 .474 .100 .835 2.1 6.6 8.7 2.8 1.30 1.02 3.40 3.60 18.2
93-94 MIN 70 67 34.7 .448 .240 .783 2.3 6.3 8.6 4.4 1.24 1.23 3.70 3.80 16.8
94-95 MIN 81 80 34.2 .489 .325 .818 2.0 5.5 7.6 2.9 1.25 1.07 2.78 3.70 16.3
95-96 MIN 44 44 34.5 .486 .290 .816 2.2 4.6 6.9 2.9 .91 .98 2.55 3.60 18.0
95-96 ATL 30 27 32.6 .489 .000 .823 2.9 5.0 7.9 2.3 1.03 .93 2.50 4.00 14.2
95-96 -- 74 71 33.7 .487 .231 .818 2.5 4.8 7.3 2.7 .96 .96 2.53 3.70 16.4
96-97 ATL 82 82 38.3 .486 .352 .816 2.6 6.2 8.8 2.7 1.24 .78 2.66 3.40 18.1

after that it all went downhill but yer not bad

 

[jordan23]

3 less than Longley?

He makes a point about the stats but it's hard getting a rebound when you got Rodman murdering the boards.

It was just a guy who springs to mind - Longley.

Rodman was a machine on the boards. You talk about Jordan, Pippen etc but Rodman was just as impressive -2 DPLOY and 7 time rebound champ.

 

[jordan23]

Check this out:

Ask the coach: he'll tell you how the worm turned

August 29, 2008

Lakers coach Phil Jackson, at his alma mater (North Dakota) on Monday for the “Great Conversation” community event, was asked who's the greatest athlete he's coached.

Michael Jordan would be a good guess – but a wrong one.
Dennis Rodman, Jackson told the crowd.

“He could probably play a 48-minute game and play the 48th minute stronger than the first minute of the game,” Jackson said. “He was that terrific an athlete.”

Then, reports Kevin Fee of the Grand Forks Herald, Jackson credited Madonna for helping Rodman overcome what Jackson called his “shy” personality.

“Madonna saw what was in there and wanted him . . . to do what she does: be outrageous, and kind of talked him into opening up his character,” Jackson said. “And Dennis didn't know how many ways he could open up his character.”

 

[jimboiitmac]

Check this out:

I definately believe that.

His rebounding will always be underrated, he was an absolute beast.

No wonder the Bulls won 6 titles, those teams had guys like

The "greatest" of all time

The "definition of a do-all point-forward", in my opinion the most underrated + most talented small forward of all time

and hands down the best rebounder of all time.

chuck in a 3 point specialist in Kerr and a big aussie koala to dunk on a few people and set screens in Longley and you've got a decent team!

 

[jordan23]

Rare clip from Jordan retirement ceremony in 94:
[youtube]DNjwj6sJV-4[/youtube]

 

[jordan23]

Some money statistics and info for the Bulls fans.It's funny how Longley,Kukoc can earn more than Pippen.

During the summer of 1995, The Bulls traded away Will Perdue and some cash for Jack Haley and Dennis Rodman.

The move would land the Bulls one of the best defenders and rebounders the NBA has ever seen, It would propel them to an NBA record 72 wins. They would go on to win the Finals with a playoff record of 15-3. Total that and that’s a mark of 87-14.

They scored 105.2 ppg while only giving up 92.9. Some awards for that season included:

* Phil Jackson - Coach of the Year
* Toni Kukoc - Sixth Man of the Year
* Michael Jordan - scoring leader (30.4 ppg), regular season MVP, All-Star MVP, Finals MVP, All NBA First Team, All-Defensive NBA First Team
* Scottie Pippen - All-NBA First Team, NBA All-Defensive First Team
* Dennis Rodman - Regular season rebound leader (14.9 rpg), NBA All-Defensive First Team
* Jerry Krause - Executive of the Year

The next year would see the Bulls go 69-13 and go 15-4 in the playoffs to win their fifth NBA title. They scored 103.1 ppg and allowed 92.3 ppg. Jordan was named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, All-NBA First Team, Finals MVP, NBA All-Defensive First Team, and the league scoring leader (29.6).

The next year they would go 62-20 and went 15-6 in the playoffs to win their sixth championship. They scored 96.7 ppg and allowed 89.6 ppg. Jordan was again All-NBA First Team, NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP, Finals MVP, and NBA All-Defensive First Team.

The next year with a majority of the team retired, traded and the rest leaving disgusted with team management, the Bulls went 13-37 in the shortened NBA lock-out season.

Why is the second three-peat better than the first? Simply put, it was done with so much ease and understanding of what each player’s role was. Every player bought into head coach Phil Jackson’s game plan.

Also considering, Jack Haley was brought in with Dennis Rodman as a babysitter for Rodman. Haley was the only one Rodman talked to in that first year and Haley only played in one game that season.

Also amongst all the playoff games, Rodman was still able to maintain his party lifestyle and night life and still be able to remain the game’s best rebounder throughout those three seasons.

The last two years were also difficult because several players were upset about their contract situation, mainly Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson. It was no secret that Jackson and general manager Jerry Krause didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of subjects, but without Jackson, Krause knew he would be losing the game's greatest player.

The team was dismantled when they could have competed for at least three more championships.

Looking at the salaries, Jerry Krause and Jerry Reinsdorf were getting a bargain from the excellence that was on the court. At least five or six of these player’s could be making max or close to max deals by today’s NBA standards.

Salaries from the '95-'96 season:

* Michael Jordan $3,850,000
* Toni Kukoc $3,560,000
* Ron Harper $3,120,000
* Scottie Pippen $2,925,000
* Dennis Rodman $2,500,000
* John Salley $2,402,000
* Luc Longley $2,300,000
* Bill Wennington $1,000,000
* Randy Brown $900,000
* Dickey Simpkins $845,000
* Steve Kerr $800,000
* Jason Caffey $627,000
* Larry Krystkowiak $335,000
* Jud Buechler $300,000
* Jack Haley $225,000
* James Edwards $225,000

'96-'97 season:

* Michael Jordan $30,140,000
* Dennis Rodman $9,000,000
* Toni Kukoc $3,960,000
* Ron Harper $3,840,000
* Luc Longley $2,790,000
* Scottie Pippen $2,250,000
* Randy Brown $1,300,000
* Dickey Simpkins $1,040,000
* Robert Parish $1,000,000
* Bill Wennington $1,000,000
* Steve Kerr $750,000
* Jason Caffey $700,000
* Jud Buechler $500,000
* Bison Dele $247,500

'97-'98 season:

* Michael Jordan $33,140,000
* Toni Kukoc $4,560,000
* Ron Harper $4,560,000
* Dennis Rodman $4,500,000
* Luc Longley $3,184,900
* Scottie Pippen $2,775,000
* Bill Wennington $1,800,000
* Scott Burrell $1,430,000
* Randy Brown $1,260,000
* Dickey Simpkins $1,235,000
* Robert Parish $1,150,000
* Jason Caffey $850,920
* Steve Kerr $750,000
* David Vaughn $693,840
* Keith Booth $597,600
* Jud Buechler $500,000
* Joe Kleine $272,250
* Rusty LaRue $242,000

Chicago Bulls Examiner: The best Chicago Bulls team ever

 

[Frozen08]

Nice threads!

 

[jordan23]

Latest news from the Jordan camp as requested:

Michael Jordan Teams Up with National Guard

Michael Jordan Teams Up with National Guard
Wednesday, 05 November 2008 16:16

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 5, 2008 - Basketball legend and avid motorcyclist Michael Jordan is the latest high-profile celebrity to team up with the National Guard. Jordan and Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn, director of the Army National Guard, unveiled the 2009 No. 23 National Guard Michael Jordan Motor Sports Superbike to more than 2,100 cheering citizen-soldiers gathered for a training workshop here last month.

Music star Kid Rock, who also appeared at the recruiting event, joked about Jordan's celebrity stature. "Who decided to put me on after Michael Jordan?" he demanded to know, before explaining the celebrity pecking order. "It goes like this: Actors. Sports stars. Rock stars. Michael Jordan."

The professional closed-course motorcycle road racing team that Jordan has owned since 2004 competes in the American Motorcyclist Association's superbike class. Jordan joins a National Guard celebrity "A" list that also includes Kid Rock, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rock group 3 Doors Down.

"These people associate themselves with the 'best-in' categories, and that talks about what the National Guard is," said Army Col. Mike Jones, chief of the Army Guard's strength maintenance division, who has presided over a historic recruiting surge that motivated other services to adopt the Army Guard's recruiting methods when the component's numbers eclipsed its congressionally authorized end-strength.

When Michael Jordan's older brother, James, retired in 2006 as command sergeant major of the 18th Airborne Corps' 35th Signal Brigade – the only airborne signal brigade – he told the Associated Press, "The Army was my life. That's why I dedicated myself to it. I felt I could be very successful in it. It didn't require me to be [six feet tall]. It just required me to be physically fit."

James Jordan's career increases Michael Jordan's empathy with citizen-soldiers, the basketball legend said. "He's spoken very highly about the armed services," Michael Jordan said. "Some of the lessons he's learned, he's passed on not just to me, but to my brothers and sisters and everybody that has come into contact with him. I live vicariously through him."

Michael Jordan's been a motorcycle enthusiast since he rode his first dirt bike at about the age of 6. He committed to AMA racing after his third retirement as a professional athlete. "Once I saw it, I became a great fan," he said.

Aaron Yates joined Michael Jordan Motor Sports in 2007, and on Aug. 31 handed the basketball superstar his first AMA Superstock championship.

"Winning means a lot," Jordan said. "You put forth a lot of hard work and dedication. You start the season off with a lot of goals. You go through disappointments in the course of the season, and at the end of the year when you finally step up to that podium and win the championship, nothing's more gratifying."

Jordan looked out at the 2,100 citizen-soldiers who gave him a standing ovation here. "I've represented my country a couple of times," he told the soldiers. "And you guys have represented me."