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

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

Sorry if I conveyed the wrong impression about Barkley. I like the man,
although whenever he opens his mouth, he invariably sticks his foot in
it. 
All I am saying is that the *hunger* which drives you to win
championships is probably gone from Olajuwon and Pippen, leading to
their playing carelessly/negligently - take your pick. So Barkley has to
step up and exhort these guys to do more and last night, when the
Rockets beat the Fakers, you could see Pippen and Barkley recapturing
some of their lost glory. Kobe, the man who is going to supplant Micheal
Jordan in this league, was running around looking like a chicken with
its head cut off - did you see the behind-the-back pass from Pippen to
Barkley (for a layup) and the way Scottie blew by Kobe on the next
possession? 
My desire to see Pippen play for the Celtics stems from the M.L. Carr
(who?) era, when our go-to guy was Dee Brown or Rick Fox. I *lost* that
desire when Walker was picked, and I would not wish to see Walker,
Mercer or Pierce traded for Pippen now, but it still doesn't mean that I
don't consider Scottie a good (almost brilliant) player in his hey-day.

venkat 

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Sherry & Hart [SMTP:hartleyo@ix.netcom.com]
> Sent:	Thursday, May 13, 1999 11:39 PM
> To:	Sampath, Venkatesh
> Cc:	celtics@igtc.com
> Subject:	Re: Pippi's Big Disappearance (or was he ever really
> there)
> 
> Sampath, Venkatesh wrote:
> > 
> > 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).
> 
> Any of the big 3 C's are too much to pay for Pippen. Last year if you
> recall most on this list were smart enough to realize that Pippen not
> only was overvalued but also way overpriced. He is not good enough now
> or when he was younger to bring any team a championship in the same
> way
> McHale without Bird was not good enough to bring the C's a
> championship.
> Some players are just missing pieces not team saviors. Pippen is the
> classic example.
> > 
> > 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.
> 
> HMM, I guess he just screwed Houston out of the big money. Krausse(GM)
> of Chicago was pretty smart not to sign Pippen to a long term
> contract. 
> 
>  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? 
> 
> Why are you savaging Barkley, he is the one guy who is playing his
> butt
> off. Pippen has Sucked! Hakeem may just be too damn beat up, but at
> least he scores once in a while.
> 
> 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.
> 
> Hey most of us are not Jordan fans, but for Christ sakes, he did win 6
> rings and to say he is a ball hog, well who did Chicago have in crunch
> time that you would give the ball to instead of Jordan?
> > 
> > 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.
> 
> Thank Mr Jordan for making him one of the top 50.
> 
>  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.
> 
> I agree with you on the Kobe comparison.
> 
> 
> Regards, Hart
> > >-----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?<<<
> > >