On his latest episode of the Pull Up podcast, Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum fielded questions, and discussed what era and team he would most want to play in, if not today’s era.
Michael Jordan’s catalog of unforgettable moments is one that has no shortage. If you were a perimeter defender, your paths likely intertwined at some point, and Jordan certainly got the better end of the stick. One of the first moments that associated Jordan with both athletic superiority and success came during Game Five of the win-or-go-home 1989 First Round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a moment in which Jordan out-hung Craig Ehlo, the first of many demoralizations of the city of Cleveland.
If Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum had his pick of the litter, choosing both a different era and the team to boot, he said he would like to be one of the guards hoping to loosen the screws on Jordan’s pedestal by joining the Cavaliers of the late-1980s and early-1990s.
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McCollum took a few fan questions at the tail end of an episode of the Pull Up podcast with Jordan Schultz earlier this week. He also contemplated on a few other teams, with the help of Schultz.
"“The ‘90s Knicks would’ve been cool. Sacramento Kings, the Bibby era. Suns with Nash would’ve been cool. So, there’s some situations and eras where you’re like ‘Ah, I would like to play in that era that would have been cool to play against those guys and go head-to-head.”"
It’s a hypothetical, and something we’ll never know the answer too, but it’s certainly something of intrigue. The Cleveland Cavaliers produced three 50-win teams over a four-year span, and that 1989 Cavaliers team, subsequently regarded as the “team of the ‘90s” by Magic Johnson and numerous reporters, produced a No. 3 defense, but just the No. 12 offense.
You wonder how the addition of ours truly, a lock for 20-point scoring seasons every year, could have boosted that team up a notch, particularly next two another All-NBA guard in Mark Price, and two smooth-passing All-Star bigs in the frontcourt
Earlier this week, McCollum made similar shockwaves in answering a Chicago Bulls fan question that said a player could win $5 million if they could score on a prime Michael Jordan at least once. He offered this response.
https://twitter.com/cjmccollum/status/1251596341899223041?s=21
Some are quick to discredit him and the hypercompetitive nature it takes to become a 20-point scorer, or keep pushing towards a dream as the only player from your college to ever make the NBA. If nothing else, one could imagine CJ McCollum could sap some of Jordan’s energy, thus making it more difficult to score on offense. Shifty guards were problematic for players of this time (i.e. Rod Strickland, Sleepy Floyd, Kevin Johnson). Lehigh’s own is of similar ilk.
Other than that, he fielded questions such as “Shaq or Kareem,” and “favorite road arena to play in.” Check out more of his content wherever you get your podcasts. There’s always a fun discussion to follow.