Apollo wrote:
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I'm no fan of "The Decision" - not at all.
But
Jordan/Bird/Magic etc. played in a critically different era - they were not in our current overexpanded version of the NBA, where the talent is much more diluted. Every player LeBron is compared to played with multiple HoFers - not just All-Stars, but all-time greats. LeBron's roster in Cleveland was such a steaming pile of **** that after he left they went straight into the lottery. Title contenders with him, lottery team without him. Jordan left the Bulls to play baseball and led by Pippin (HoFer) and HoF coach, they won 50 games and made it to the second round. James had Mike Brown and Mo Williams. There's just no comparison.
So for me the argument enters speculation. What would Jordan have done if the Bulls had given him crap teammates that would peak with Mo Williams? Damn, but we know - he would explode. He exploded on Bulls management for drafting Toni Kukoc, for crying out loud. Michael Jordan would not have stayed in Cleveland, in that situation, to sign a 3rd contract just so he could prove that he could "win it on his own."
Talk about the collusion and The Decision, but I don't think you can compare LeBron's situation to his all-time-great predecessors.
Just my 2 cents.
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