They were the two words (one a contraction) that every NBA fan, every Bulls fan, every Chicago fan and, most importantly, every shoe salesman wanted to hear: “I’m back.” Nineteen years ago today, Michael Jordan un-retired for the first time with a simple press release. I remember it coming over the Sun-Times facsimile machine that Saturday afternoon.
Jordan's employer not only gave him a paid leave to pursue his fantasy, but provided the minor league team with which to pursue it. Empathy? Generosity? Nope, it was simply that Jordan was that great.
Organizations win championships! We are enjoying the dynasty created by the organization since the really actually good players were shown the door. /sarcasm
Organizations DO win championships. Just ask Pat Ewing, Carl Malone or Charles Barkley. More fairly organizations with the right talant win championships. Great players don't prevail despite bad orgs and great orgs wither without great players. It takes a village so to speak. Of course a great org isn't great unless they can assemble the right talent because that is a function of the org. But other than draftees marquis players often have a big say in which org they will play for so... what was the question again?
Where are the championships? We rebuilt so we wouldn't grow old and suck like the Celtics back then. The same Celtics who have won a championship since.
Is the organization to blame for Rose's knee inuries etc? The org has built a heck of a good team but while orgs (and players win championships nether orgs or their players guarantee championships. There is always a perfect storm factor. Miami is a well run org with great players but if LBJ had shattered a femur two years ago history would likely be different. The Knicks have had plenty of talent over the years but the org has been bad enough that their last championship predates Watergate.
In any event the role of the organization or sytem as opposed to or in conjunction with the talent of the players in this context is always immaterial. The phrase in Bulls lore is always a generous comment acknowledging the contributions of everyone involved with the franchise morphed and twisted to mock and vilianize a short fat uncharismatic GM who, like it or not did, in fact, play a critical role in surrounding MJ with enough of and the right players to win championships. Not to mention taking a chance on a flaky hippie coach who could make it all gell -- which is why some Jerry love on this occasion from this coach is not surprising and is in fact refreshingly honest.
Miami signed Wade and Bosh, too. Without those two, it'd be a worse team than LeBron played on in Cleveland. Two organizations, same story. One just has PLAYERS.
Do you think Wade plus Bosh = any championship? Me neither. Two great orgs. One championship barring injury. Tale of two franchises indeed.
I'm not seeing championship banners hoisted in Chicago for decades. What were the odds we got the #1 pick to draft Rose? That was some serious organization move.
