ESPN's “The Last Dance” documentary has made it clear that Michael Jordan is not very fond of his former Chicago Bulls teammate Bill Cartwright.
In a rather hilarious moment from the latest episode of the 10-part docu-series aired on April 26, Jordan shared the main reason why he didn't embrace head coach Phil Jackson's famed Triangle Offense philosophy in the beginning.
The Triple Post Offense, of course, preached team basketball and equal opportunity for all five players on the floor, as opposed to having one star dominating most possessions. Jordan said he didn't want the lumbering center to have the ball on his hands during crucial possessions (via “The Last Dance”).
MJ wanted nothing to do with Phil's triangle at first 😂 #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/hN0Ga2Yc1E
— ESPN (@espn) April 27, 2020
Michael Jordan's indifference towards Bill Cartwright was evident throughout the first few episodes of the “The Last Dance.” Adding more fuel to the fire was the fact that the Bulls traded away Charles Oakley, who was MJ's close friend, just so they could acquire Cartwright from the New York Knicks.
Chicago needed an interior threat at the time and the 7-foot-1 Cartwright was the man for the job. Oakley was a good enforcer for the team but he was quite limited offensively.
Although MJ would later admit that Bill was a big part of their first three-peat, Jordan seemingly antagonized the Bulls center every chance he could.
He cruelly labeled him as “Medical Bill” due to his history with injuries and always called out Cartwright for his supposed “bad hands”.
Cartwright was indeed a serviceable big for the Bulls throughout his tenure as the starting center for the team. Fans, however, will always remember him for his odd-looking shooting form. He would later serve as the head coach for the Bulls upon his retirement.
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