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Let's also assume his dad wasn't killed, and he didn't lose that competitive drive. I know it's a big assumption to make, but his peers - Olajuwon, Barkley, Ewing, Stockton, etc. managed to stick around and play at a high level consecutively.
I think he ends up with 8. Here's my math:
91-93= The 3 he wins obviously.
94= He plays, the Bulls win. Outside of Jordan, that was arguably the best Bulls team of that era. Pippen and Grant were both in their primes, as was BJ Armstrong. Pete Myers was an awesome pickup to play D off the bench. That team freaking won 55 WITHOUT Jordan, would have won at least 65. They may have had issues with Houston in the Finals, but I think they pull it out.
95= This is where it get tricky. Horace Grant leaves in free agency no matter what imo. Without Grant, I doubt they win a title.
96-98= Back to the "real" timeline. Without Grant, they look for a power forward solution, Dennis Rodman would have been available anyways.
99= Jordan doesn't retire, they keep that team together, they win 1 more in a shortened season.
But that's it. No way they win with that aging group after that.
Maybe 7 but they might have lost in the Finals one of the years and they don't reload with a vengeance in 1996 as the Greatest Team of All Time. So in the end it worked out better.
Here are my issues
- Not sure the Rodman domino falls because in 1996 Bulls were desperate and willing to bring in a hated rival. If the team had won a title the season before and probably fell just short in 1995, I don't think they see the need in going the Rodman route. A big reason for the move was there were serious questions whether MJ had lost it. 1.5 years away and then he was great but not Godly in the Magic ECF series.
- Pippen wouldn't have ''struggled'' without MJ to realize he should cherish their relationship regardless of MJ's faults. If MJ sticks around longer then Bulls almost surely trade Pippen. There were numerous rumors
- Kukoc doesn't develop with MJ around
- You are discrediting those Malone/Stockon Jazz. Except for a few games, it was always hard fought, wire to wire action.
- 1998 Bulls definitly don't defeat the Pacers in that 7-game series. They were tired and spent. The only thing that got them through it was knowing it was ''The Last Dance''.
The 1999 Strike does play into your argument. MJ would not have needed to play a full season. But overall I think the legacy played out better. "MJ won a title in every season he started during the 1990's"
As for Rodman, I still think they end up going after him. Thinking back on MJ's comeback, I don't think there was an air of desperation as much as just wondering if he needed a full season to get back in gear. He had some awful moments (Nick Anderson's steal in Eastern Semis), but I think he averaged like 32 ppg in the 95 playoffs. I think there WAS an acknowledgment that that team needed rebounding in the worst way, especially because of the bangers in the East during that era - the Knicks, Magic with Shaq/ Grant, Pacers with the Davis boys, etc. Rodman came especially cheap because of his behavior in San Antonio. I think no matter what, the Bulls would have made a run for him if all they had to give up was Will Perdue.
I also don't agree about Kukoc. He only played one full season (93-94) without Jordan before he came back. He may have grown a lot, but then again he was 6th man of the year playing WITH Jordan in 95-96, and already came into the league with strong European experience. I think Kukoc would have been Kukoc no matter what.
I agree with your other points though, especially that 1998 year. What was really interesting was I remember reading a book about that season, and I think it was Phil Jackson who had decided to trade away Jason Caffey for basically nothing in a move to motivate Rodman. It kind of worked during the regular season, but I think he was really second guessing the decision because the Bulls seriously lacked inside depth against the Pacers. It's a miracle the Bulls won that year, I think it says a lot about the heart and motivation of Jordan to lead his team through.
He would have won 8 rings in a row. Had they kept the 98' team in tact, he would have won possibly 9 in a row in the 99' finals. That season was a shortened season and the eastern conference would not have provided too much of a challenge for the Bulls considering the 8th seeded Knicks marched on to the NBA finals. This Knicks team barely squeaked into the playoffs and yet they made it to NBA finals. The season was a shortened season which is perfect for that 98' team. This Knicks team wasn't a great team but actually won a game against the Spurs and the fifth game was won on a shot with 45 sec or so left in the game. The series could have easily gone 6 games if that shot by Avery didn't fall in or even 7 games with a Knicks team that squeaked into the playoffs.
This was the Spurs NBA finals ever. In the first round, the Timberwolves actually gave the Spurs a bit of competition, even though the series ended 3-1. The Spurs had a front line advantage against the Bulls, but it's always been like that with the Bulls, having guys like Cartwright and Longley. The Bulls never had a dominant center in their championship years. The Bulls and Spurs would have been an interesting series but I think the Bulls would have won it in 6 games. Lol, I know I'm a bit biased here but that shortened season was for the taking for the Bulls.
6. You have to take in account Jordan was 35 when he won his last title (after retiring in 1993) his body was fresh. If Jordan would have not retired, it would have been tough for Jordan and the Bulls to reach the Finals or win it after taxing themselves playing 82 game seasons plus all the postseason games. Those 1998 Bulls were done after that. You could see their age showing a little bit, especially in that Pacers series.
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Lol, I know I'm a bit biased here but that shortened season was for the taking for the Bulls.
