Jordan Rules

Just finished reading an article by Wright Thompson about Michael Jordan turning 50. Wright Thompson is the guy that wrote the article about Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, the elusive holy grail of the world of corn-based spirits. Wright's article naturally made me want to try the stuff, and now I'm in the 3rd year of that quest (I'm on a waiting list, didn't have the money the first time & the second time I never got called).

Anyway, Michael Jordan turned 50. I hated Jordan for a long time. He played for the Bulls, so being a Pistons fan it was natural. After he retired (the second time, when we thought it was for good), I started to remember his influence on the game with more fondness. Then he came back with the Wizards, and I loved it. Except it was a little sad to watch him being wasted on a mediocre team, to watch his game transform into an older man's game (I mean he missed dunks!), and to watch that competitive rage get directed at players whose mindset was from a different (friendlier) era. On the other hand, the nostalgic side of me viewed much of his run with the Wizards like this Gatorade commercial:

 The thing is, Jordan can still play. He's practiced with the Bobcats from time to time and he can still take the pros to school. Just not 2 days in a row.

I love how LeBron backed off the Jordan comparisons by saying "I'm LJ, not MJ". This is an old trope in the world of basketball: who's the next Jordan? Is he better than Jordan? And so on... Is Kobe better than Jordan? Is LeBron? It's really the wrong question, but one we can't help but ask. Kobe loves winning, but he also loves stats. LeBron didn't love winning as much as Kobe (and nobody loves winning more than Jordan) and probably lacks some of the mental toughness both Kobe & Jordan have. And the jerkishness of both too. 

A couple things to remember before comparing current players to Jordan - talent in the league is diluted compared to Jordan's heyday, the rules are more geared towards offensive play to compensate, and Jordan walked away from the game for about a year and 3/4 of his prime. LeBron had this streak of 30 point games while shooting 60% or better that lasted 6 games. How well do you think Jordan could've done with the current hand-check rules and a league with only 4-5 rim-protecting centers? 

I love the description of Jordan watching the Heat & broke down how he'd guard LeBron. I think a significant part of him wants to step back on the court, just to see if he could do it. I think it might actually look something like that Gatorade commercial.