In the never-ending discussion of which NBA player should be ranked higher, LeBron James or Michael Jordan, David Blatt is a bit biased. He coached James in 2014-15 and part of 2015-16, bringing the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals. But he left Cleveland under a cloud, fired at midseason and replaced by assistant coach Tyronn Lue after what was portrayed at the time as a nudge from James.
As ESPN’s ‘The Last Dance’ documentary, which chronicles the 1997-98 season in Chicago, Jordan’s final year with the Bulls, continued on Sunday with episodes No. 3 and 4, Blatt was part of a panel discussion on Partner TV in Israel. Comparing Jordan and James, Blatt seemed to take a shot at James’ approach—indicating James is a selfish player.
“Michael Jordan is bigger than LeBron James,” Blatt said according to Israel Hayom. “He won the most championships with one single team and did not focus on the ‘I’ but on the ‘us.’ But surely, in terms of ability and influence, they are both included in the top five best players in history.”
Jordan Stuck Through Hard Times in Chicago
Certainly, Blatt is right about Jordan staying focused on one team through good times and bad, compared with James.
Jordan was drafted in 1984 and stuck with the Bulls through 1998. That included a run of four coaches (Kevin Loughery, Stan Albeck, Doug Collins, Phil Jackson) in his first six seasons, three straight first-round exits and six year without an NBA Finals appearance. James’ first six seasons in the NBA went much the same way—one Finals appearance that led to a sweep followed by a run of playoff disappointment.
After his Cavs lost in the second round of the playoffs to Boston in 2010, James bolted Cleveland and joined two of the league’s top players—Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade—in Miami. By contrast, Jordan won a championship in his seventh season with the team that drafted him.
Jordan did come back in 2002-03 and attempt to play for the Wizards. James, after returning to Cleveland in 2014, is now with the Lakers. He has changed teams three times in his career.
Blatt Took LeBron’s Cavs to NBA Finals
Blatt was hired in the spring of 2014 by the Cavaliers after the team fired Mike Brown, the former coach who had returned for only one year. At the time, it was unclear that James would be returning to Cleveland—Blatt, an affable coach with extensive international experience, had been hired to lead a rebuilding project.
Despite that, Cleveland won 53 games under Blatt and took the Warriors to six games in the 2015 Finals, even with Kevin Love out because of a shoulder injury and star guard Kyrie Irving out with a knee injury after Game 1. The Cavs were 30-11, on pace for 60 wins, when Blatt was fired the following January.
Sources around the league were certain James wanted Lue, not Blatt. David Griffin, then the Cavs’ general manager, insisted that was not the case.
“I didn’t talk to any of the players before this decision,” Griffin said at the time. “It’s really critical to me for everybody to understand this is my decision. This is our basketball staff’s decision. … I’m not taking a poll.”
Still, Blatt—who resigned as coach of the Greek team Olympiacos last August after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis—has carried some bitterness over his treatment in Cleveland. He did return to the NBA as a consultant with the Knicks last December but the team let him go this month after a changeover in the front office.
READ MORE: Shaq: Lakers’ Dynasty Would ‘Easily’ Topple Jordan’s Bulls
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Cavs’ Ex-Coach Praises Jordan, Takes Shot at LeBron James