Monday, July 19th, 2010 at 9:00 am  |  298 responses

MJ On Miami Three

Michael Jordan weighs in, and he’s not a fan.

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Playing in the American Century Championship golf tournament over the weekend, MJ was asked about what he thought of all the free agent movement this summer, and specifically, LeBron’s decision to join up with D-Wade and Chris Bosh in South Beach.

While Jordan understands that today’s game — and the mentality of the players — differs greatly from when he was hooping, Mike still let it be known that he was far too competitive to have even thought about playing alongside guys who were considered to be in his class at any point; people like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

According to MJ, the idea was to beat those guys, not team up with them to chase rings:

“There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team,” Jordan said.

“Things are different. I can’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.”

NBA fans (and sports fans, in general) rarely agree on things, but we can reasonably state the following: with but a handful of true Heat fans being the exception, nearly everyone hates this new-look Miami Heat team.

So, they’ve got that going for them.

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  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    I love when a thread on anything finishes with Go Suns.

  • http://www.clownpenis.com Tarzan Cooper

    Cosign jtaylor on all points!!!!

  • http://www.clownpenis.com Tarzan Cooper

    Cosign jtaylor on all points!!!! Yea

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    If Scottie Pippen had never played on the same team as MJ; they could very well have joined forces 7 yrs into THEIR respective careers. Being two team leaders with different games and shifting the balance of power…
    The pressure is on the Heat who have amassed this girth of talent to now go out and win with it…. and win alot by the sounds of it. Could this be the team that winning just the one championship is considered a failure?
    For myself – I am coming into the 2010/11 season with the mindset that the Heat did this purely to win. If they don’t – it will be egg on their faces. Also Eboy won’t hear the end of it on the internets around these parts.

  • MF

    The GOAT knows Lebron is a chump

  • http://slamonline.com tealish

    @Dacre, that’s why Eboy’s telling everyone that will listen, that the Heat should not be title favorites.
    Well, too bad. LEBRON, WADE, BOSH, Haslem, Z, Miller…you better win the title.

  • http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

    “CSP8 Posted: Jul.19 at 2:50 pm
    Oh and Shaq is a not a winner either because he couldnt do it by himself. A true leader would’ve stayed in Orlando and waited another 10 years for help…. lol gtfoh”
    COMMENT OF THE MONTH!

  • http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

    Damn… JTaylor with the fire. I think movie stars AND athletes are both overpaid, but I see your point.

  • T-Money

    TO EVERYBODY: quit crying, seriously. this the miami heat now, deal with it.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Nima Zarrabi

    JTaylor21 coming thru the spot with some incredible verses. Very nicely done. Cheers.

  • http://www.slamonline.com/ The Promise

    @JTaylor: Yes, people on here do hate on these cats for gettin paid max dollars, and to me, there is nothing wrong with getting paid for being one of the best basketball players in the world. I don’t think any of us could honestly say that we would turn down a 100+ million dollar deal just because its a bit over the top. No way man. Not me. I don;t hate on that at all. If you wanna read my hate, read my post at 2:59 P.M.

  • Robb

    I don’t care about how much money these athletes win, I’m not gonna bi†ch about it at all, but there are some things money can’t buy, respect is one of them and Lebron just lost the chance to have it.

  • Harrell

    Yo keep this stupid ish up im enjoying it but to address the subject at hand why does jordan not see the value that pippen and rodman had? come on and Eboy quit spittin fire they not ready my man and they can’t handle the truth either. Hell, who gives a sh!t what these legends say this isn’t their era!!

  • Nashty

    As much as I hope Lebron could have stayed with the Cavs, you cannot help but think he did the best thing for himself. The haters will understand it once The King win about 5 rings along with 3 more MVP trophies…..

  • http://fdsjklfl.com Jukai

    What’s funny is everyone remembers past events differently.
    I disagre with T-Money AND Bryan.
    My belief is Jordan has WAY better handles than Pippen (like, not even close), Jordan is a better passer, and Pippen is a better defender.
    Funny how people disagree.
    I guess it’s also how you define things. Jordan was a better passer but Pippen was the wiser choice for point guard, since he could defer and control tempo… a more Billups-esque way of controlling the game, whereas Jordan was more Chris Paul, having the ball in his hands all the time but dishing it to all the open guys.
    I know judging stats, especially separate years, is ludicrous, but I will point out Pippen’s highest assist total was seven assists a game with a SUPERIOR team… Jordan did eight dimes a game with trash.
    Also, what do you put more value on in defense: Pippen was a way better isolation defender but didn’t have the lift and speed that Jordan had, who could get more steals and get some ridiculous blocks. Jordan’s man-on-man defense wasn’t that behind Pippen. So who is the better defender?

  • flash

    i think MJ wanted Dwade to kick Lebron’s royal @ss. but LBJ was too chickenshit about the thought of it so he joined MIA. and if LBJ’s gonna win a fistful of rings then Wade is having an extra one for his toe

  • horsey

    were jordan, pippen and rodman that much better than wade, bosh and lebron? i bet if someone took some time to add up all their stats they might look pretty even. mike did the same thing in chicago that these boys are doing in miami only his front office was good enough to move pieces around him (like wade) and today’s league is lacking the unbelievable gap between the super elite and the next tier players that the old league had.

    for years the scoring title/mvp went to michael, the rebounding went to rodman, assists went to stockton without much of a contest. these days 3 guys are in the mix for each and it may come down to the final couple of games.

    mike had the same situation…maybe better…i hope he recognizes how special those teams were and how lucky he got to play with those “kids.”

  • Sturm Drang

    Jordan never had a chance to play with another superstar. It’s easy for him to say, now, that he’d never do it…

    But, considering those years in the 80s when he kept losing to the Celtics and Pistons… If he’d had the chance to get Magic and Patrick Ewing on his team right after losing to the Pistons, you’re all lying to yourselves if you think MJ would not have jumped at the chance.

    Consider when he came back from retirement and how quick Rip was jettisoned for Stackhouse.

  • M5

    Pippen, did the heavy lifting on defense on those Bulls team. Giving Jordan the freedom to play center field and get those steals. And I believe Jordan earned those assist total before the triangle offense was installed and Pippen highest average was while playing in the triangle, which I believe is a greater achievement.

  • Justin

    Did I really see someone saying Horace Grant was a great scorer? lmfao! Idiot. Sturm, how can you say MJ never had a chance to play with another superstar? Scottie Pippen is on the 50 greatest of all time list! MJ is absolutely right in his statement. Lebron took the cheap way out and his legacy will be somewhat tarnished no matter how many rings they may win. The only person that actually should not be faulted for this is DWade. He stayed put. Of course he’s going to try and get guys to come to his team so I don’t see why he’s included in all of this.

  • Lem

    I don’t think Mike was taking a shot at Lebron. I just think he was saying that the mentality and business of the game has changed. I think Wade will continue to be the leader while Lebron and Bosh will fill supporting roles. It will be interesting to see how things pan out for Miami. I wish them the best though.

  • http://soulbanger.tumblr.com tapion786

    is this the longest comment thread on slam ever? can someone check up on this?

  • javy

    Lebron, they’re selling used championship rings at the pawn shop, you might want to avoid the trouble and just go buy one.
    Since you take the easy road, I might be able to get you a coupon for 50%.
    Like somebody mentioned before: THE REAL KING “MJ” has spoken.
    Let the vanwagon miami fans start riding these clowns!!
    They will start to come out of the bushes….just watch!

  • bill breedley

    mj,magic, bird, kobe = batman/superman
    pippen, mchale, pau = robin
    lebron = batmite/krypto
    nuff said!!!!

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Good point by M5 on the assist totals for Pip.
    I got Scottie as a better defender, rebounder and they are maybe even as passers. Seriously, Scottie had to take Magic cause Mike couldn’t handle him. And when the Bulls wanted to give Stockton issues, guess who they called? Scottie. Anytime the Bulls wanted to give the other teams top defender problems they called on Scottie. Now, maybe Jordan could have done the same thing if he wasn’t carrying the scoring load, but I’m not sure. Plus, if he had to defend the best player, what would his scoring numbers have been, and how would that have affected his overall legacy? And, if Pip didn’t have to guard the best player on the other team, could he have expended more energy on scoring?
    So, I got Scottie better than Mike at rebounding and defense, about even at passing.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    the longest comment thread had 1,000 comments.
    If people think that MJ’s opinion is more important than anybody else’s, then people are stupid.
    Jordan didn’t even want to play with Cartwright.

  • kaboom

    Does MJ means Chris Bosh is a top player?..He isn’t even a top5 right now,like Larry en Magic Johnson were back then

  • bill breedley

    mj basically b**ch slapped bron back in his place. overhyped nobody who has not proven anything yet. ringless powder blower chose to be a sidekick hoping that would be course to a ring. should the 3 win in 2 or 3 years,the ring he gets just wont feel as good as if he had won it with the cavs. empty and hollow victories … choice of losers

  • http://Www.dimemag.com Royal

    @bill-Kobe was once a Robin ….there’s no problem with that due to him being one of the few players to succesfully be a #1 and #2 option on championship squads.

  • Jake

    Holy comment overload.Oh and Allen,MJ did guard Magic quite a few times, Phil just preferred having him on Byron Scott because the Bulls back then needed Michael to score 30 plus against Showtime in order to win.While we’re at it I also saw him shut down Karl Malone and Charles Barkley on a few occasions.

  • ends

    eboy is really loud all of a sudden I wonder why

  • ends

    honestly eboy is not about the rest of the leagues fans hating (which there is a lot of – im not worried were the defending SouthEast Champa come get US) its about ur Idol since you left Jersey the “cough” “cough” quote Greatest of All time unquote ur Stepfather MJ critical of your new big 3.

  • http://Www.slamonline.com Myles Brown

    Yes, I’m a moron. For thinking that the greatest competitor and practice player this league has known was responsible for turning a weak and raw talent into a legitimate MVP candidate. Forgive me. Scottie came up with the breakfast club idea and made Michael and his trainer come. Scottie only had those migranes during crucial games because he wanted to give Michael a challenge. Scottie was always been a champion at heart, he just had to wait for Michael to catch up. Forgive me. I’m just a moron.

  • truthteller

    I’m curious to hear what all the people who like to discredit Kobe’s first three rings (and even his last two) with comments about him having Shaq (and Pau Gasol)will say if Lebron wins rings in Miami. FYI, the Heat are Wade’s team. he won a ring without Lebron and Chris. Just so you know. Now go ahead and make it interesting.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Jake
    Jordan got handled by Magic in Game One of the 1991 Finals, at which point Phil told Scottie to go to work, and Scottie locked Magic down. Period. It wasn’t really about the scoring, it wsa about Magic at 6’9″ taking Jordan on the block and scoring and directing traffic over the top of him all night. Sure, it used Jordan’s legs, but the problem was the Jordan just couldn’t guard Magic for the whole game and really bother him. Scottie could. Scottie gave Magic fits because he had almost as much lateral footspeed as Mike, but way, WAY more length.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Myles you know I don’t think you’re a moron.
    But, I think you and others give Mike a tad too much credit for what happened with Scottie. No doubt, Jordan was the alpha dog and where he led, others followed.
    But, he only had so much power. There were plenty of Bulls that Jordan could not influence or lead. Hell, even Horace never truly “developed” under Jordan, and reports I’ve read say that’s because he was more concerned with getting ripped then developing a jumper and post moves. And Jordan couldn’t convince him otherwise.
    Mike pushed Scottie, but Scottie still had to put in his own work. He had to accept the challenge and he had to have the God-given ability to become the player he became. I think it shortchanges Scottie to just say “Mike made him what he was” and I know Scottie always bristled at that talk.

  • http://Www.slamonline.com Myles Brown

    I understand that and defend Scottie as one of the most underrated players ever. But I can’t separate that from the fact that Michael directly influenced his development. You have to wonder what he would have become without it. Same for Michael.

  • http://Www.slamonline.com Myles Brown

    I just don’t like the idea that the biggest knock on Jordan was that he was selfish and couldn’t make his teammates better, yet when they actually improve he doesn’t get the proper credit. They had to work for themselves but he set the example and helped them get there.

  • c_cantrell

    eboy gets alil too excited bout all this..
    grow up dude and get off the computer.. go outside and
    swim or jog or get a freakin life

  • BostonBaller

    Let me start by again saying that I do NOT have a problem w/ the young guns joining forces. @kundai Posted: Jul.19 at 9:27 am: Yes MJ had Pippen but Pip was drafted and was unproven and timid for a few years. It is a completely different situation where as they did not “join forces” at the height of their careers. They developed together.. @Eboy Posted: Jul.19 at 9:21 am: you were spot on with why some of us aren’t scared or spitting venomous hatred. MJ gave his opinion as did Magic AFTER being asked a question, neither disrespected the Heat or their decisions but there will be A FEW young cats here disrespecting the greats b/c they can’t figure out what the greats meant by what they said. It must suck not having comprehension skills which causes utter nonsense to come from a lack of a thought process. Re-read my 1st line…

    Mike is the greatst and i respect him alot. But he need to look to his left and relize that his best friend on the bulls team scottie pippen is equivalent to a wade for a lebron or a lebron to a wade. and horace grant was a great scorer those first 3 championships like bosh maybe slightly worse. MJ just needs to look at things differently the game is more team oriented than it used to be

  • BostonBaller

    As far as LBJ being selfless by joining the Heat, that’s a bit farfetched, almost as much as ppl saying he is forfeiting his “legacy”. A great player is a great player regardless if he is on a bad or stacked team. I’m sure “fans” not the n word are not trying to make decisions for a grown man but instead using this forum to whine. @truthteller Posted: Jul.19 at 2:42 pm: The Heat are NOT the only team capable of dethroning The Lakers.thank you very much. lol. @Jackie Moon Posted: Jul.19 at 4:36 pm You make a seriously valid point. Ok we have established that MJ didn’t make Pip the player he was b/c Pip had to put in the work..then you can’t say any player makes another player better b/c said player has to do the work themself. Magic did not make anyone better, Nash or Kidd doesn’t make anyone better.

  • Pingback: SLAM ONLINE | » Magic Johnson’s Turn to Criticize LeBron’s Decision

  • http://slamonline.com Anjoe Intal

    LBJ won’t get a ring until kobe retires.

  • BostonBaller

    Was it a critique or simply a statement of what they would have done in their playing days?

  • http://Www.slamonline.com Negetivekreep

    Funny how people look at certain things depending on thier emotions rather than the facts, but then try to use facts to support thier feelings. Like a few Laker fans who clearly hate Brons descision, because It turns the heat into a new dominant alpha dog, and gives LeBron a very good look at defeating and simultaneously dethroning Kobe in the finals. Every Kobe fanboys worst nightmare. But then you have the hunted, who used to be the guys throwing all the rocks. I really respect guys like Jukai and Eboy, and that’s why I get annoyed when, now that the Heat have turned into the “Lakers east” you guys are suddenly the victims? Seems like a double standard, IF YOUR GOING TO ESTABLISH TALKING POINTS FOR LAKER HATE….then please expect the “guppies” to come out hook line n’ sinker now that your team has got the juice/hype. It’s simple, do onto others..? I hate reading post’s from Laker fans who r B*tching now that they’re on the other side for a change, but it also sucks to read the same guys who LOVED to say Kobe’s first 3 were Shaq’s, didnt count, not in even close to being in the conversation with Mike..ect. Now pissed that LeBron is getting criticized and straight hated on. I realize that we are all biased, but damn! You guys need to look in the mirror and c that you help’d create this monster.

  • the Dude

    It sounds like a lot has changed in the L since His Airness laced them up. Player’s attitudes being the number one loss.

    Next season was gonna be interesting and who knows maybe the rest of the League will be more focused because of The Decision.

    Chris Bosh is as much a sellout as James. We will see how they get along.

    ” … keep your enemies closer … keep your enemies closer … keep your enemies closer … keep your enemies closer … keep your enemies closer.

  • Bobby

    Well said Mike. Well said. My competitive nature would never allow me to what LeBron did. I want to beat everyone at anything.

  • http://msn.com Thomas

    Even if they do have a few rings within the next few years it doesn’t change the fact they’re all chumps. Larry, Mike, and Magic did what they did on their own with their teams without the help of the other two. They didn’t team up like a bunch of wimps just to get a ring. If the Heat get a few rings it won’t prove anything other than they couldn’t do it alone.

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