[neoxsupreme]

... Michael Jordan never returned to the NBA after his 1st retirement in '93?

Please feel free to add whatever you think might have happened in the league if Jordan never came back.

-Jordan wouldn't be considered the GOAT. (Probably Magic or Kareem)
-Scottie Pippen would have 1 MVP award.
-The Jazz would have 2 Championships.

[ralaw]

I believe Jordan still would be considered the GOAT because many believed he was when he left the 1st time. I think the second 3 peat just cemented it for him. You have to remember much of the Jordan legend was driven by the media.

[The MAMBA]

I think Jordan would have been considered the GOAT EVEN MORE if he had stayed away from the game. Think about it...he lost out on 1994 and most of 1995 (and when he came back, wasn't basketball ready). From 1996-1998 were the last years of Michael in closest resemblence to his physical prime, but the scary thing is his real physical prime...(you know the one where it had him jumping from one side of the lane to the other while switching hands?)..probably ended by 1995. People could have left it up to their imagination for even more great things he could have done. But the fact is, if he stayed, I'm sure they would have won in both '94 and possibly '95 but it would have been much harder with the void of PF being left after Horace bitterly left the Bulls.

[Dee-Zy]

I heard Jordan said he was glad that he wasn't there the 2 years houston won the titles cuz he said he wouldn't have been able to beat the dream.

[OneBadLT123]

Originally Posted by Dee-Zy

I heard Jordan said he was glad that he wasn't there the 2 years houston won the titles cuz he said he wouldn't have been able to beat the dream.

was quoted on a interview with bob costas durring the 95 Magic-Rockets series


About the topic though, Possibly the jazz would have won, maybe the pacers. Or the sonics, we just dont really know.

[Hakeem]

Originally Posted by neoxsupreme

-Scottie Pippen would have 1 MVP award.

How would Pippen have an MVP award? Chicago winning fewer games would have hurt his chances, and he wasn't even putting up his best numbers from '96 to '98. 20/6/6 isn't going to win you MVP.

Karl Malone and John Stockton would be held in much higher regard. Most people would probably consider Malone the greatest power forward of all time, as he'd have 2 titles to go with his incredible stats.

Jordan wouldn't be the clear-cut GOAT in most people's minds. He'd still be a candidate, but only on the same level as the others. Part of why Jordan is considered the definite GOAT by so many is the 6 titles (many players have won 2 or 3), the 72-win season, and the fact that he was so productive for so long.

[GTA Addict]

MJ was considered the GOAT after the first 3-peat. Right after the Bulls won Game 6 of the '93 Finals Bob Costas was quoted as saying "MJ has earned the certification in the minds of most now as the greatest to ever play the game." That said, it wouldn't be as clear cut. The second 3peat did wonders to add to his legacy.

- Shaq wins a championship with the Magic in 1996
- Malone and Stockton win a championship in 1997
- Pacers-Jazz goes 7 games in the 1998 Finals. Reggie wins a championship. Bird's legacy grows even bigger.

[neoxsupreme]

Originally Posted by Hakeem

How would Pippen have an MVP award? Chicago winning fewer games would have hurt his chances, and he wasn't even putting up his best numbers from '96 to '98. 20/6/6 isn't going to win you MVP.

Karl Malone and John Stockton would be held in much higher regard. Most people would probably consider Malone the greatest power forward of all time, as he'd have 2 titles to go with his incredible stats.

In '94 Pippen was 3rd in MVP voting behind Malone and Dream I believe and he lead the Bulls to 55 wins so I think he can carry the Bulls pretty far but Jordan just put them over the top. That's pretty impressive. This thread is about "if Jordan never returned after his 1st retirement". The only reason Pippen posted 20/6/6 and 2 stls from '96 to '98 is b/c Jordan was playing w/ him so obviously he would have to carry more of the load if Jordan was away resulting in better stats. I'm just guessing what might possibly have happened had Jordan not come back. Just my own assumptions and opinions. Guys take it easy.

[Hakeem]

Originally Posted by neoxsupreme

In '94 Pippen was 3rd in MVP voting behind Malone and Dream I believe and he lead the Bulls to 55 wins so I think he can carry the Bulls pretty far but Jordan just put them over the top. That's pretty impressive. This thread is about "if Jordan never returned after his 1st retirement". The only reason Pippen posted 20/6/6 and 2 stls from '96 to '98 is b/c Jordan was playing w/ him so obviously he would have to carry more of the load if Jordan was away resulting in better stats. I'm just guessing what might possibly have happened had Jordan not come back. Just my own assumptions and opinions. Guys take it easy.

55 wins is pretty much the minimum for an MVP candidate, though. The more wins you get, the more likely you are to win the award. Part of why Pippen finished so high in the voting in '94 was that the Bulls won almost as many games in '94 as they did the previous year with Jordan. But that's a one-season thing -- voters wouldn't keep that in their minds every year. Good point about Jordan likely lowering Pippen's stats, though. Jordan did lower Pippen's ppg, but Pippen's assists went up with Jordan there. Is there really that much of a difference between 20/6 and 21/5?

IMO, Pippen winning an MVP if Jordan hadn't come back would have been possible, but not likely.

[GTA Addict]

I don't think it's really arguable that Karl wins MVP in both '97 and '98. '96 is pretty much up for grabs. The voting went like this:

1. Jordan - 1114 points (109 first place votes)
2. Robinson - 574
3. Hardaway - 360 (2 first place votes)
4. Hakeem - 238 (1 first place vote)
5. Pippen - 226
6. Payton - 98
7. Malone - 85(1 first place vote)
8. Kemp - 73
9. Hill - 63
9. Shaq - 63

This is the only year I can see Pippen winning MVP, but that's only if the Bulls somehow win around 65 games and Pip puts up much better numbers than he did.