While ESPN's “The Last Dance” docu-series has offered basketball fans a unique, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s, it has also prompted a number of questions. Notable among those questions is: what kind of success would Michael Jordan have if he played in the modern NBA?
Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report recently wrote about building a team around Jordan if he were dropped into today's NBA, suggesting “Air Jordan” would have no problem asserting his dominance.
The article also discussed the kind of players that executives would ideally surround Jordan with, including guys who could play the role once assumed by Scottie Pippen as the “second star.”
Players such as Paul George and Anthony Davis were mentioned as players who could thrive alongside Jordan. But, according to one Eastern Conference general manager, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant would not be in that category.
“There's only one guy who wouldn't willingly move over and be No. 2—KD,” the unnamed NBA executive said. “He'd struggle playing with Michael. Too sensitive, and he'd want to shoot all the balls. If Michael yelled at him for missing too many shots, he wouldn't have liked it.”
The “sensitive” angle is not new to KD.
Some fans would certainly want Durant to tone it down in terms of his engagement with NBA fans on social media. Durant has a long history of Twitter “burner” accounts, and in April, he claimed the media in the Bay Area frequently sided with Stephen Curry.
At the same time, the notion Durant would want to “shoot all the balls” is a bit puzzling. After all, Durant fit in pretty seamlessly with the Warriors, especially in his first years with the Dubs.
Of course, this is purely hypothetical. Still, it is interesting to find some executives still believe Durant is prone to having soft skin, so to speak.
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