LEBRON: YOU’RE NO MJ!

by Matt Minucci

I’ve seen Michael Jordan play. I’m a Knick fan and I’ve watched as he gleefully shoved a dagger in my hopes and dreams for 6 out of 8 years from 1991 to 1998.  It would have been the entire eight  years, but  Jordan was suspended for two years (94-95) for gambling woes….uh…I mean he was playing baseball.

How much you want to bet I win 3 more NBA titles?

And this year I’ve had a chance to watch LeBron James grow into his own superstar potential. I’ve watched him play his tail off in this best of seven series against the very ordinary Orlando Magic. And I’ve seen his Cavs flounder their way to a 3-1 deficit. In fact they are one LeBron miracle three away from being swept.

LeBron, I’ve seen you play. And I’ve seen Jordan play. LeBron, you’re no Michael Jordan. Now I know some of you (I’m looking at you Alex, but I’m sure there are others) who delight in the hopes of a Dwight Howard-Carmelo Anthony finals. Sure, you’ll be treated to exciting basketball. But I liken you people to the ones that go to the Circus to watch the trapeze act. Not me. Not your average Joe-six-pack hoops fan. We want to see the clowns and the elephants. We want LeBron-Kobe.

Kobe will most likely hold up his end of the bargain and vanquish an over-achieving Nuggets squad. But LeBron? He’s down 3-1 and it shouldn’t even be that close. It would take…well…a Jordan-esque effort from Bron-Bron to pull the Cavs fat out of the proverbial fire. And I don’t think he’s got it in him.

This is my team? really?

I wanted to take a look at Jordan’s first championship squad – the 1990-91 Chicago Bulls – and compare that squad to the 2009 Cleveland Cavaliers. Comparing some of Jordan’s other squads would be unfair. They had the experience and swagger of champions, the last three added a wacky Dennis Rodman who had a fire lit under his tail by Jordan and Pippen. In fact, the 95-96 Bulls who went 72-10, are generally regarded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, team of all time.

No, let’s look at the 90-91 Bulls. They had lost the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games to the eventual champion Pistons the year before. In 91, the Bulls finish 61-21 and went to the finals. Last year, the Cavaliers lost in the semi-finals in seven games to the eventual champion Celtics.  This year, the Cavs went 66-16 before running into the Magic wall in the finals.

People will say the Cavs are just LeBron and that Jordan had Pippen and an overall better supporting cast.  But let’s look at the numbers:

In 91, Jordan averaged: 31.5 pts; 6.0 rebounds; 5.5 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

In 09, LeBron averaged: 28.4 pts; 7.6 rebounds; 7.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

Very similar numbers. Lebron actually gets more rebounds and assists and less points, which tells me he is actually getting better support from his teammates than Jordan did. Jordan was better defensively with a full steal per game better.

But let’s look at the rest of the cast:

In 91, Pippen averaged: 17.8 pts; 7.3 rebounds; 6.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

In 91, Grant averaged: 12.8 pts; 8.4 rebounds; 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

But now there’s a bit of a problem. We run into the old Gilligan’s Island theme song that finishes, “…and the rest!” because there’s no one really significant left.  Sure you have Bill Cartwright, BJ Armstrong and John Paxson, but their numbers just aren’t there. Cartwright probably has the best overall numbers with 9.6 pts and 6.8 boards per game.

Now let’s look at the 09 Cavs:

Mo Williams averaged: 17.8 pts, 3.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas averaged: 12.9 pts, 7.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.

Delonte West averaged: 11.7 pts, 3.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Even Anderson Varejao averaged: 8.6 pts and 7.2 boards per game.

To me these numbers suggest that LeBron has a more complete team than Jordan’s 91 Bulls. The 91 Bulls were primarily driven by Jordan and Pippen with the occasional big game by Horace Grant. But something else stands out as well. The 91 Bulls were adept at getting the ball back, whether by steal or rebound, they played better defense than this year’s Cavs team. But overall, the 09 Cavs are a better squad that the 91 Bulls.

Except in the playoffs. The 91 Bulls wiped out the Knicks in 3, the 76ers in 5, swept the defending champion Pistons and crushed the Lakers in 5. They won in blowouts, they won in close games. Their only 2 playoff losses in 91 were by 2 points apiece. 99-97 to the Sixers and 93-91 to the Lakers.  Jordan was a monster. He simply refused to allow his team to lose. LeBron is a great player, no question. But he is playing as an individual. He hasn’t yet figured out how to elevate the play of the guys around him. And until he does that, he’ll simply be a great player, but he won’t be Michael Jordan.

Not yet LeBron.