RE: Pippi's Big Disappearance (or was he ever really there)

["Sampath, Venkatesh" <Venkatesh.Sampath@microcell.ca>]

Well, since I am one of those that liked Scottie Pippen's play and
defended him on this list, I shall try to justify my desire to see him
play for the Celtics (however, I certainly would not have liked to
acquire him for the Celtics at the expense of Walker and last year's
first-round pick which, I think, was the trade being proposed. I was
extremely thankful that one didn't come off). 

While I don't like the way Pippen has played, in general, for the
Rockets, and in particular, against the Lakers, I still don't feel that
he is to be trashed. Yes, he is having a bad season, but on the the
other hand, what does he have to prove? He has enough championship rings
to last him a lifetime and it is quite likely that the fire and the will
to win have probably diminished considerably. It still doesn't take away
his capabilities which were:
1) The second scoring threat after Micheal.
2) A solid defensive player - recall his play against Malone in the
Finals last year? 
3) A legitimate three-point threat.
4) A legitimate ball-handler. 

Why is he playing badly now? I only have a part answer to this - he and
Olajuwon told NBC that the onus is on Barkley to lead the Rockets to a
championship; for obvious reasons. Barkley should be the one hungering
most after a ring and he's got to step up and show the way to the
others. 
For that matter, why are Olajuwon and Barkley not performing to the peak
of their capabilities? If you say it's age, why shouldn't age be a
factor in Pippen's poor play this season? 
No, seriously, this bit about Jordan "making other people play better"
is making me sick. Jordan was an individually gifted and brilliant
player - perhaps one of the best to play the game. This obviously egged
other players on the team to outdo themselves. But Jordan certainly did
not make other players perform better - to my mind, Bird and Magic
succeeded in this to a far greater extent. Jordan was a ball-hog. 

Pippen is one of the 50 all-time greats to have played the game of
basketball. If people on this list don't like it, that's tough. And
puhleese, he is as over-inflated as Kobe? Give me a break. What the heck
has Kobe ever won? His defence is responsible for shutting Pippen down?
Pippen was playing below his average long before the playoff series
against the Fakers started. One below-average season for Pippen doesn't
prove he's a bad player. 



>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Odegaard, Greg M. [SMTP:GMOdegaa@RMC.com]
>Sent:	Wednesday, May 12, 1999 2:06 PM
>To:	'celtics@igtc.com'
>Subject:	Pippi's Big Disappearance (or was he ever really there)
>
>Well at least 2 people, including myself, asked the list experts who believe
>that acquiring 6 time champion Scottie Pippen, would be the final piece of
>the Boston Celtics championship puzzle, to explain how this would come to
>pass, and how Pippen at the soon to be ripe old age of 34 would be worth
>mortgaging our teams future for a maybe a improved chance of winning
>anything at all in next years playoffs let alone a title; to date squat.
>Why, because they either don't have the courtesy to respond, or more likely
>there is no argument short of a clear one or tow person agenda, as card
>carrying members of the Pippi fan club.
>Now before anyone starts to think (that being you Joe) that I am actually
>enjoying the success of the Fakers and clearly text book failure Pippi is
>playing out nightly, you couldn't be more wrong.  Sure I don't feel Pippi is
>worth much of anything at this point in his inflated career, and would set
>the C's back further than any loss of Duncan (the PF MVP he is), but I would
>root for any permeation of the devil in sneakers if they were playing the
>LALA Fakers.  It is an illness, but 50% of any problem is admitting you have
>it, and there is no 12 step program that I know outside of New England, yet.
>
>So with that in mind I copied below the comments that are just on the sugar
>coated ESPN site (imagine what the Houston and LA papers are saying or that
>illustrious Bsktball website).   I ask again, with all due respect, either
>let us all know what and how Pippi would be the saving grace of our
>wonderful Celtics team, or get back in line and admit what the rest of the
>world would acknowledge that is would be a very bad idea, bar none.  Hell I
>would encourage signing Rodman before trading anything of value for Pippi.
>The entire clip is below, but I must highlight this snippet:
>>>>Pippen, guarded mostly by Kobe Bryant , is 5-of-20 from the floor and
>0-of-6 on 3-pointers in the series as whispers are growing louder that all
>those years of playing with Michael Jordan enhanced Pippen's rep. <<<
>You think?  Many on this list have complained about the over inflated value
>of Kobe, so this makes Pippi's exaggerated abilities even more so.  
>I know I have been harsh on matters such as this before; but please state
>your case on Pippen, not including his rings and Top 50 ranking, but how he
>is going to fit into the Celtics team (minus the starters that would have
>been traded to get him here) and assure a decent shot at bringing the 17th
>championship to Boston in the maybe 2 or 3 half way decent years he has
>left.  Playing with 2 HOFer's in H town isn't getting him anywhere, and of
>course it isn't all his fault, but he WAS THE DIFFERENCE wasn't he?
>With the Spurs losing along with the Jazz, let us all say a prayer that the
>Fakers aren't peaking now to go onto something bigger.  Thankfully the
>Blazers should hold there own and the losses by the Spurs and Jazz should
>just be a wake up call at worst, and the Fakers will have to get through
>these teams to go any further. 
>Thanks and I look forward to the Pippen response (take your time, not just a
>week please),
>Greg
>
>>>>Wednesday, May 12 2:16am ET
>Pippen is trippin'
> <<...>> 
>ESPN.com and news services
>
>The way Scottie Pippen  has played, maybe Jud Buechler was the best free
>agent who left the last Chicago Bulls championship team. 
>Pippen struggled offensively for the second straight game, missing all seven
>shots and scoring just three points in Houston's 110-98 loss to the Lakers
>on Tuesday, which caused the Rockets to fall behind 2-0 in the Western
>Conference playoffs. 
>"I tried to get myself going early but that sort of went to hell," Pippen
>said. "It was very disappointing. I was disappointed in my play personally,
>but my play did not cost us the game. The fact that we didn't come out and
>meet that team's intensity is what lost it for us. I mean, they took the
>game from us in the first five or six minutes and we were never able to get
>back in the game." SEASON STATISTICS
>
>Pippen, guarded mostly by Kobe Bryant , is 5-of-20 from the floor and 0-of-6
>on 3-pointers in the series as whispers are growing louder that all those
>years of playing with Michael Jordan enhanced Pippen's rep. 
>"I think (Pippen) was a little off," Bryant said. "The shots just weren't
>falling. He took seven shots, but he missed them." 
>Pippen has not made a field goal in his last 46 minutes of play. His last
>field goal was with 9 minutes, 12 seconds left in the fourth period of Game
>1. He played 37 minutes Tuesday. 
>There could be some dissension brewing on the Rockets. Houston center Hakeem
>Olajuwon , who also had an off-game with just eight points, said Pippen's
>struggles are not because he and Charles Barkley  dominate the ball. 
>"I'm tired of hearing about getting somebody involved in the offense,"
>Olajuwon said of integrating Pippen. "We're looking for every opportunity
>and all the help we can get, and we don't hold anybody back. When Scottie
>brings the ball down and has it in his hands, he has the freedom to create."
>
>Buechler, meanwhile, has exceeded expectations for the Pistons this season. 
>Can you say that about Pippen with the Rockets?<<<
>