Quote:
Originally Posted by nol
Thing is, you could never be too much of a liability on offense back then because at the very least you could stand far away from the basket and prevent your guy from helping out on Jordan.
Jordan's teammates have been substantially better than LeBron's. The same stats we look at today that show how Draymond Green is one of the top 10 players in the league despite his modest points per game average would have given guys like Rodman, Horace Grant, and even Toni Kukoc pretty convincing All-Star cases during their best years with the Bulls. Pippen would be looked at as a top-5 player at the time rather than a lucky sidekick.
I'd say Jordan was maybe more individually dominant at his peak (while playing under defensive rules that encouraged more one-on-one play) but LeBron would have to fall off quite rapidly (as in not be considered a top-10 player in the league 2 years from now) for him to not end up slightly better career-wise. Since 2012, every team LeBron has faced in the Finals is much better than any team Jordan ever went up against.
If everyone else on your team can handle their business, Jordan would be your guy, but LeBron's passing and defensive versatility give you the best chance to win if you're overmatched elsewhere.
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I agree with most of this. From '89 to '94 Horace Grant was a top 15-20 player with a peak year ('91-92) of top 10. From '90 to '97 Pippen was top 5-10. Kukoc came to the NBA late, but he still had a 4 year window of a top 30 or so player. Jordan simply had better help through his peak years than Lebron has.
I never in my life thought I'd see a player better than Jordan, but Lebron as far as total career value will probably surpass him. As you say, Jordan at his peak was probably a bit better, but Lebron is better suited to carry an over-matched team to the finals and give them a shot.