I have thought about the nickname thing as well. Used to give players some great names. Even after that era you had Iverson as "The Answer" and Pierce as "The Truth" etc. I guess we do have The Joker right now, that is a good one. Barkley as the Round Mound of Rebound is a classic.The best thing about this debate is that I can never, ever lose the argument! I can never win but it is entertaining for some odd reason.
In a strange twist, I think Lebron would have been better in the Jordan area when physical play was not only allowed but encouraged and Michael excelling to even greater heights in today's environment with no hand checking or body contact.
In a true debate, I think Jordan era NBA players had a lot more character than today's players (social media and constant online judgement probably has a lot to do with it). Where have all the great nicknames disappeared:
Julius "Dr. J" Erving
Earvin "Magic" Johnson
Daryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins (from Lovetron)
Robert "The Chief" Parish
Gary "The Glove" Payton
Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon
Karl "The Mailman" Malone
Vinnie "The Microwave" Johnson
And perhaps the most under rated player of all-time: Billy "The Whopper" Paultz. Without a doubt, the Whopper would have dominated every food court in the NBA today!