It is said that James relies on his teammates to win championships, but what about Jordan?
Before the 2019-20 season, Jordan was recognized as the first player in NBA history, but when James won the fourth championship of his career, the situation seemed to have changed, and James was regarded as the best player in history. The proportion of people is rising rapidly. However, there are still many fans who believe that James' achievements are due to his teammates, but this is not the case for Jordan.
Based on this, specifically comparing the Cavaliers when James left with the Bulls when Jordan left? There may be different answers.
From 2009 to 2010, James led the Cavaliers to a regular season record of 61 wins and 21 losses, ranking first in the league. Unfortunately, they lost to the Celtics 2-4 in the semifinals and missed the Eastern Conference finals. Then there was the story of James leaving the Cavaliers and going to the Miami Heat.
So, what happened to the latter after James left the Cavaliers for the first time?
First, the team's record: In the 2010-2011 season, the Cavaliers only achieved 19 wins and 63 losses in the regular season, ranking last in the Eastern Conference; in the 2011-2012 season, they only achieved 21 wins in the regular season. 45 losses, ranking third from the bottom in the Eastern Conference; before the 2012-2013 season, the regular season record was only 24 wins and 58 losses, still ranking third from the bottom in the Eastern Conference; in the 2013-2014 season, the regular season record improved to 33 wins and 49 losses. Ranked tenth in the Eastern Conference.
Second, the draft picks obtained by the team: In 2011, Irving was selected with the No. 1 pick in the first round (the No. 1 pick); in 2012, Waiters was selected with the No. 4 pick in the first round; in 2013, Bennett (the No. 1 pick) was selected with the No. 1 pick in the first round; Wiggins (the No. 1 pick) was selected with the No. 1 pick in the first round in 2014.
It can be seen that James’s first departure brought two major changes to the Cavaliers: First, the team’s regular season record dropped from first to last; second, the Cavaliers gained 4 high-draft players, including 3 No. 1 picks.
James left the Cavaliers for the second time, how did the latter perform?
Note: In the 17-18 season, James led the Cavaliers to a regular season record of 50 wins and 32 losses, ranking fourth in the Eastern Conference. After losing to the Warriors in the Finals, he chose to leave and then joined the Lakers.
The first is the team record: in the 18-19 season, the Cavaliers only achieved 19 wins and 63 losses in the regular season, ranking second from last in the Eastern Conference; in the 19-20 season, they only achieved 19 wins and 46 losses in the regular season. Ranked last in the Eastern Conference.
As for the draft situation: In 2019, the Cavaliers selected Garland with the No. 5 pick in the first round; in 2020, the Cavaliers received the No. 8 pick in the first round (player to be determined).
It can be seen that when James left the Cavaliers for the second time, the latter's regular season ranking fell directly from fourth in the Eastern Conference to last in the Eastern Conference, and he received high draft picks in the following two years.
To sum up: President James left the Cavaliers twice. The latter fell directly from the top of the league to a weakling. In the following 6 years, he received 6 high first-round picks. draft picks and selected 3 No. 1 picks. It can be seen that James's departure or stay will have a great impact on the Cavaliers!
After understanding the situation between James and the Cavaliers, let’s take a look at the situation when Jordan left the Bulls.
Note: In the 1992-1993 season, Jordan led the Bulls to a record of 57 wins and 25 losses, ranking first in the Eastern Conference; however, in 1993, Jordan's father had an accident, which directly led to the birth of the latter. The idea of ??retiring was followed by the so-called first retirement.
First, the team's record: In the 1993-1994 season, the Bulls achieved a record of 55 wins and 27 losses, ranking third in the Eastern Conference; in the 1994-1995 season, the Bulls achieved a record of 47 wins and 35 losses. Ranked third in the Eastern Conference (Jordan chose to come back in the second half of the regular season).
Followed by the Bulls' draft picks: In 1994, Simpkins was selected with the 21st overall pick in the first round; in 1995, Jason Caffey was selected with the 20th overall pick in the first round.
It can be concluded from this that when Jordan first left the Bulls, the latter's regular season ranking fell from first to third in the Eastern Conference, and the draft pick was only a low pick in the first round.
Jordan retired for the second time, which was when he left the Bulls in 1998. Jordan had just won his second "three consecutive championships." For various reasons, Jordan chose to retire for the second time, and then Pippen also chose to leave. Let’s take a look at the Bulls’ four seasons without Jordan:
First, the team’s record: 1998-1999, the Bulls’ regular season record was 13 wins and 37 losses, ranking last in the Eastern Conference; -In the 2000 season, the regular season achieved 17 wins and 65 losses, ranking last in the Eastern Conference; in the 2000-2001 regular season, the regular season achieved 15 wins and 67 losses, ranking last in the Eastern Conference; in the 2001-2002 season, the regular season achieved 21 With a win-61 record, it ranks last in the Eastern Conference.
The second is the draft situation: In 1999, the Bulls selected Brand (the No. 1 pick) with the No. 1 pick in the first round; in 2000, they selected Feizer with the No. 4 pick in the first round; in 2001, they selected Brand with the No. 4 pick in the first round; In 2002, he selected Eddie Curry with the No. 4 pick in the first round; in 2002, he selected Williams with the No. 2 pick in the first round.
It can be seen from Jordan's second departure from the Bulls: the Bulls dynasty no longer exists. The team has been at the bottom for many years in a row, and the draft has been high in the past four years.
To sum up, two points can be summarized: First, James left the Cavaliers twice; Jordan also left the Cavaliers twice. Second, in the 6 years since James left the Cavaliers, the latter became the worst team, received 6 high-ranking draft picks, and selected 3 No. 1 picks; in the 6 years after Jordan left the Bulls, the latter had 4 years They were both the worst teams, receiving four high draft picks and selecting one No. 1 overall pick.
Then, from the above conclusions, we can draw the following: First: both James and Jordan will have a huge influence on their teams; second, why the Bulls can still succeed when Jordan leaves for the first time. Ranking third in the Eastern Conference? There are many reasons. For example, the team also has stars such as Pippen, Armstrong, and Grant who are in their prime. This also shows that the Bulls can achieve brilliant achievements. Although Jordan is important, he is also inseparable from his teammates. .
Let me ask, since Jordan can't do without his teammates, why is James so obsessed with relying on his teammates to win the championship? After all, basketball is a team sport and requires concerted efforts to achieve final results.