It is -- there is no true apples to apples comparison, and when you look at who Jordan had to go up against, I'd say his peers were a step above the elite talent today (the 1992 Dream Team is still the greatest "best of best" lineup in any sport at any time ever assembled -- they may even be better than the Top Gun class of 1989 ...). I don't think Scottie Pippen gets enough credit for what he did insofar as spreading the floor and initiating the offense -- Jordan couldn't have done what he did if he was bringing the ball up the court every possession. Maybe another way of putting the "inspirational" aspect to application is that Jordan probably made Kukoc, BJ Armstrong, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, Harper, Rodman, (probably not Robert Parrish or Bill Cartwright haha), etc. better players. I'm not sure if I could say LBJ (or Westbrook for that matter) makes those around him better.
This NBA season's officiating has been horrendous across the board -- that comes from Nate Silver in my mind, but its something the league has to get a handle on. The NCAA which notoriously has been inconsistent at best was actually pretty good this season. If they can figure it out, surely the NBA can make strides in the right direction next year ...