I think the very fact Greg Ostertag started at center for a team that went to the NBA Finals simply proves that if the Bulls had played ten years earlier or ten years later, they probably would've won fewer championships. I mean that Jazz team took the Bulls to 6 games each time? That's great and all, but Greg Ostertag in his prime probably wouldn't sniff the court here. Ray Allen is much better than Hornacek and PP is dramatically better than Russell. KG is probably marginally better than the Mailman given what he can do on the defensive end. So the Jazz have Stockton, who is significantly better than Rondo, but not by as much as PP is better than Russell, Ray is better than Hornacek, or Perk is better than Ostertag.
The Bulls won during Hakeem's prime. I wouldn't read so much into Ostertag.
When comparing teams, you also have to look only at the way the players played in the years you are comparing. That factors into the Malone/KG comparison, considering KG was past his prime when he arrived here.
I disagree on a number of levels.
1) Jordan never faced Hakeem in the playoffs. Moreover, that's not the point. The Hakeem teams were pretty horrid too. He was not only the only Hall of Famer on the first one, but really only even the only true good player on the team. When Drexler came, things got better, but they were hardly Shaq and Kobe or Magic and Kareem.
2) Malone and Stockton were both older than KG is now when they met Jordan in the Finals. And even if you are going to argue that they were still at the tops of their games at 34-36, what evidence is there to show that KG isn't at his peak still, or at least wasn't at his peak when they won 2008? Sure he go injured, by so did Jerrod Mayo last night, and he's in his early 20s. Sure his stats dipped when he got here, but that's what happens when you play with two other superstars (which is my point about why the NBA is better now than it was ten years ago), not even to mention Rondo.
