I think they know better than to foul their own nest. Whatever they think of Bird, and he was a damned good player, at this point there is no benefit in trying to dim his reputation. Anyone attempting it would make themselves look vindictive and petty. Those young men were raised right.
There is no real objective and clear way of evaluating “the greatness” of any past player. It’s all opinion, and you what they say about opinions.
Okay, so if someone says Sam Bowie [Who was drafted ahead of Jordan] is better than Michael Jordan, there's no clear way of evaluating that?