A major argument that has existed within the NBA for the better part of two decades has surrounded the question of who the better player is between LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
While both legends have a lot of different people in their corners, Skip Bayless recently reflected on the fact that several of James’ former Cleveland Cavaliers coaches have put themselves in Jordan’s camp.
Mike Malone, an asst coach on LeBron's Cavs, says LBJ doesn't have Jordan's "killer mentality." & David Blatt, LBJ's head coach in Clev, says Jordan didn't have to chase championships/co-stars (all 6 in Chi) & that MJ was about "us" instead of "I." LEBRON'S COACHES SAID THIS.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 2, 2020
Bayless has been one of James’ biggest haters for years, so it’s no shock that he is bringing up the fact that Mike Malone and David Blatt expressed their opinions that Jordan is the greatest of all time.
As is the always the case with Bayless’ controversial tweet, hundreds of fans have taken to the tweet’s comments section to criticize him. Still, the fact that Malone and Blatt did offer their support for Jordan does seem to say a lot.
With that being said, the circumstances regarding their time coaching James should be considered. Malone was an assistant coach for the Cavs from 2005 to 2010. He was only around James during the infancy of his career, well before he became the undeniable legend that he is today.
As for Blatt, he was fired by the Cavs during the 2015-16 season. Just a few months later, James and new head coach Tyronn Lue led the Cavs to the 2016 NBA championship in a historic comeback against the Golden State Warriors. Surely, that fact has influenced his opinion of James.
While Bayless may have a point when bringing up the opinions of Malone and Blatt, it seems far more likely that he is once again simply grasping at straws to try to defend his disdain for the former Cavs superstar.
