Happy Last Dance Day! Tonight is the first of 10 episodes of the Michael Jordan documentary. In honor of the occasion, allow me to pass along one of my favorite quotes from Jordan:
“It’s heavy duty to try to do everything and please everybody. My job was to go out there and play the game of basketball as best I can. People may not agree with that. I can’t live with what everyone’s impression of what I should or what I shouldn’t do.”
It’s a quote that I vividly remember reading before making a leap into sports full-time, leaving the comfy confines of a corporate position. It’s something I recall every time I make a move that hopefully brings me closer to my goal of being an NBA GM (dreamers can still dream), and it’s a reminder that everything you do is not going to please everyone, so excuse the bad analogy, but shoot your shot.
While we await an inside look into Jordan’s final season with the Bulls, let’s take a look at some notes from Chicago:
- Sam Smith of NBA.com explains how the conflict between management, players, and coaches helped motivate Jordan’s final championship season with the Bulls. Jackson and Jordan knew they had to go out as winners and the internal feuds fueled the team.
- Chicago feared paying Jimmy Butler the supermax and made one of the bolder franchise pivots over the past decade when they traded away the All-Star for a package of young prospects, ESPN’s Zach Lowe contends. The Bulls felt that a new core would bring them closer to championship contention, though they have yet to make the playoffs since trading Butler.
- In the same piece, Lowe argues that better play-makers – whether acquired via outside acquisition or internal improvements – would help the Bulls’ young frontcourt improve. Neither Lauri Markkanen nor Wendell Carter Jr. has played at a high level for consistent stretches during their respective young NBA careers.
“The Bulls felt that a new core would bring them closer to championship contention”
Anyone see a pattern here ?
It’s Chicago’s proximity to Cleveland
Paxson You Make 1 Wide Open 3 Pointer Now Your A GM/The Owner is A Supreme Joke the same Guy That Gave Krause the Keys And Now Paxson I guess it All Makes Since Now
Wrong Paxson. That’s his brother.
?? Jim Paxson is Dayton-Portland-Boston. Bigger older brother, allstar during Blazer days.
John Paxson is Dayton-NotreDame-Chicago. Twice allAmerican, Three NBA titles, the one big shot. Smart ballhandler, playmaker & shooter but almost refused to take it to the rim.
First time I saw “Scott” Pippen (as Mr. Stern called him as pick #5) play, that Saturday afternoon in mid-May of ‘86 before his senior season, I knew he was an nba player. Didn’t see a Hall-of-Famer and top 50 player of all time, but I knew he was better than 2 guys I had just played with the night before (before flying to Arkansas the next morning) in St. John Arena at Ohio State University – and we knew one of them was gonna be a 1st round pick the next month, and the other would be one the next summer (that guy led the nation in scoring the next season). After summer school I came back to Columbus telling my hoop buddies that we have a guy at UCA better than the 2 OSU players mentioned. They said, “No… if he was better than them he wouldn’t be at an NAIA school.”
I said, “Ok.”
Who were the two players?
actually, looks like Brad Sellers and Dennis Hopson?
Yep… Brad and Dennis. I knew if you’re on this site you’d figure out those two guys.
Awesome documentary so far. Lotta memories – especially the UCA footage and my lob for the dunk lol.
Cool story. One guy was Dennis Hopson?