re: Why is LeBron vs. Jordan even a debate?

I'm a LeGOAT fanboy and I acknowledge that while MJ pushed off Russell, the refs didn't call it and that's basketball. MJ converted the shot, MJ finished with 45 points that night, MJ won another championship. For the rest of eternity, that's what history will record and the haters will attempt to discredit that. As an astute researcher of NBA and NFL history, I kinda prefer that shouldve been our final memory of MJ as a basketball player because he played 12 and 1/4 seasons and advanced to 6 title series and won those 6 titles and their MVPs. BUT he decided to return as a declining 38 year old with dual GM responsibilities and couldn't even lead his handpicked team to a playoff berth. That certainly didn't help his legacy and almost predicted his ineptitude as an NBA executive, hell it might've diminished it. I mean, Brett Favre returned as a 40 year old QB with Minnesota and led them to the NFC title game and the exalted MJ couldn't even lead the Wiz to the playoffs?! Hell, before Scottie and Horace MJ couldn't even lead the Bulls past the first round of the NBA playoffs while Magic and Bird were leading their teams to the Finals. Before that Phil Jackson/Tex Winter system was executed, MJ was just a great fantasy stat guy and nothing else. You know who else achieved as such and never won anything? David Thompson(MJ's idol) and George Gervin. Point being, MJ's legacy would've likely remained superior had he just retired after the 1998 season-6 in 12 seasons with those accolades is incredible.