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

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

> I don't think anybody ever said that Scottie Pippen would be the "final
> piece" of the championship puzzle. A major piece, yes, but not a final
> piece. Seriously, I don't think you're going to get many responses by
> saying, "One of you so-called list expert morons answer my question!"
> Even so, I'll give you a response.
> 
> To begin with, Pippen is clearly not suited for Houston's offense, which
> consists of throwing it to Barkley or Olajuwon and spotting up for a 
> three. Pippen has never been known for consistent outside shooting, but
> rather ballhandling, passing, rebounding, and defense. Defense in 
> particular does not show up on the stat sheet. The primary reason that 
> the Rockets are losing to the Lakers is that they can't stop Shaq 
> whereas Shaq can neutralize Olajuwon. As a result their entire offense
> is based on Barkley passing out of the post. Yes, Pippen is clearly having
> a bad series. Sports journalists are now extrapolating the results of
> this short series to imply that Pippen hasn't done anything over his
> career. Sports journalists are idiots at analysis if you ask me; if they
> had better basketball analysis abilities they'd be making a lot more 
> money working in the industry.
> 
> Greg, you also ask for Pippen defenders to state their case on Pippen,
> "not including his rings and top 50 status." That's a bit less than fair
> isn't it? And you make a big deal about the HOF status of Barkley and
> Olajuwon. Well, they are still good players but past their prime. Just
> because they are HOF players doesn't mean it's suddenly Pippen's fault
> that they aren't winning. 
> 
> So how would Pippen have fit into the Celtics? I assume you meant two
> years ago when the Celtics were going to trade their #3 and #6 picks
> for Pippen and Longley. This is the only trade that was actually 
> confirmed for both sides; there were various reports of Walker being
> included which was definitely denied by Pitino, as well as next year's
> first-rounder which no one chose.
> 
> First, Pippen takes over the point guard duties allowing the team to
> play two shooting guards in the backcourt. This is important because
> you eliminate defensive deficiencies at the point guard position, 
> which are pretty common. (This is why you have the dreaded Mark Jackson
> back-in play as the Pacer's go-to option late in the game). Pippen
> is also one of the top defenders in the game at the small forward spot
> as well as a good rebounder. So you improve your defense at two spots.
> This is vital because the typical fan/sports journalist ignores defense
> even though it is more than half the game.
> 
> Second, Pippen's defensive ability is enhanced by the press. He's been
> called a one-man full court press but in a system with a true press,
> he'd be even more effective.
> 
> Third, Pippen is an exceptional open court player, far better than anyone
> the Celtics have right now. He can handle the ball, make the pass, and 
> finishes very well on the break. 
> 
> Fourth, Pippen is a veteran and he doesn't have to be the #1 guy on his
> team (which would avoid the Mercer-Walker conflict that we have).
> 
> Fifth, the trade would have changed the free agent signings that Pitino
> made. He could have spent the money on some backcourt player instead
> of Mills and Knight. 
> 
> And Pippen may be approaching 34 but he was two (good) years younger when
> the trade was proposed. We would have given up Mercer and Anderson 
> essentially. We would have ended up not being in a position to draft 
> Pierce because the Celtics record would have been better but that is
> a freak, unpredictable occurrence. (And saying that we shouldn't trade
> for someone because he'll help us win more games and hurt our lottery
> position is ridiculous). Of course, at this point I would never
> trade Pierce, Mercer, and Anderson for Pippen but that wasn't the
> trade that was being proposed. 
> 
> If you asked me two years ago whether I would rather have Mercer and
> Anderson (or Billups) than Pippen and Longley though, I'd take Pippen 
> in a heartbeat. It may not show in the stat sheet but defense counts
> and that is where Pippen excels.
> 
> Alex