12/21/24
February 16, 2007
Team Me Up Scottie: Pippen wants to return and is looking for another NBA championship ring.
posted by Bill Lumbergh to basketball at 10:14 AM - 53 comments
He knows the triangle like the back of his hand. The Lakers are young and could use some veteran leadership. Could it be a reunion with Phil? I know Kobe and Scottie used to go at it pretty hard when Pippen played for Portland, and I think there might be some bad blood there. I guess only time will tell.
posted by yay-yo at 11:48 AM on February 16, 2007
Is Scottie serious? He should just hang it up and call it a career. I mean, how many rings does this guy need? He won 6 rings while with the Bulls and played alongside the greatest baskeball player ever, in Michael Jordan. But this is like saying Charles Barkley trying to make a comeback to play with a contender in order to win a ring. If in their prime, a basketball player were to win, that's great but if they failed to win and still had a great career, that's great too. Why try to re-live your glory years while being away from the game for more than 1 year? Let it go, man!
posted by BornIcon at 12:09 PM on February 16, 2007
It's not really Pippen who is the dumb guy in this - I think it's the team that puts him on a roster. Really - is this going to actually happen? I don't see it.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 12:33 PM on February 16, 2007
?????? C'mon scottie, your knees are shot, and you really wouldn't help anybody, except maybe the Celts, and then it wouldn't be such a great comeback, because you can't do much worse than 1-18 through the last 19 games, and the only way left is up. Maybe Kareem could come back too and help a team to the playoffs..hmmmm...
posted by bavarianmotorworker at 12:46 PM on February 16, 2007
The D-League needs some serious promotional help. How about some old timers come out of retirement to play in the NBDL in the name of boosting the quality of play. Their names alone would bring increased attention to these teams predominately locked into small markets and suffering from low attendence. Imagine Pippen suiting up for the Sioux Falls Skyforce to play against the Reggie Miller led, Tulsa 66ers.
posted by gradys_kitchen at 01:20 PM on February 16, 2007
It has nothing to do with Pippens physical status. It has everything to do with his EGO! Let him step on the court with the worst team in the NBA for one practice and get the smoking of his life and maybe he will wake up. MAYBE!
posted by sportnut at 01:22 PM on February 16, 2007
How about some old timers come out of retirement to play in the NBDL in the name of boosting the quality of play Ooh, that sounds fun. I'd pay to see not-quite-good-enough 19 and 20 year olds go up against Scottie and Michael.
posted by callmejay at 01:29 PM on February 16, 2007
Give it up, Scottie. You had a good run long ago, but your time has passed. As far as leadership, I'm not sure you're the guy to provide it.
posted by dyams at 01:33 PM on February 16, 2007
I'm curious about the context of Pippen's comments. You know, if he called a press conference announcing his decision or if some reporter said "Hey, Scottie, the Heat won last year with has beens and Shaq usually doesn't show up till the end of season. How would you feel about doing something like that?" If he called a press conference, he's delusional. If it was just an answer to a fluff question, no prob. The coaching portion of his comments -- well, that's just nuts. He couldn't handle being a sidekick, then he couldn't handle being the man, then he wouldn't take the blame in Houston when it was his to take. I just don't see any team in the league that would benefit under his guidance.
posted by forrestv at 01:39 PM on February 16, 2007
What's next Bill Walton? LOL. Anyone notice that the word retire must have changed it's definition? Webster really needs to get with it and make the needed changes. Scottie needs to just give it up, there are plenty of people who can warm the benches of the NBA!
posted by robi8259 at 01:44 PM on February 16, 2007
Didn't ya'll see Rocky 6?
posted by ChiefsSuperFan at 01:53 PM on February 16, 2007
"How about some old timers come out of retirement to play in the NBDL in the name of boosting the quality of play" Sounds nice, until you have to tell a young, developing player that you cut him so an over-the-hill NBA vet can take his roster spot.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 01:54 PM on February 16, 2007
We need a champions tour for basketball stars who can't hang it up.
posted by Bill Lumbergh at 02:12 PM on February 16, 2007
If Rick Mahorn and Kurt Rambis were to play in an "Oldies But Goldies" league who would you most want them to lower the boom on?
posted by ChiefsSuperFan at 02:47 PM on February 16, 2007
I'd love to see Mahorn take it over Barkley! Yes!! Better yet, Parish on Ewing!
posted by bavarianmotorworker at 02:54 PM on February 16, 2007
It's all EGO,EGO,EGO / MONEY,MONEY,MONEY. Pippen COULDNOT compete in the NBA developmental league. For that matter he COULDNOT compete on a good division 2 NCAA team. Some one in his stable of money grubbing so called friends is telling him" he ought to go back to the NBA and kick those young boys butts". Wade, James, Bosh, and many other of not such high status players would take Pippen to the cleaners. I don't know why Scott would need more money but maybe he has to support all thoughs friends.
posted by sportnut at 03:10 PM on February 16, 2007
Scotty just had a news conference. He announced that he was gay when he played in the NBA, but now he is heterosexual. Good luck on the comeback Scotty!
posted by Desert Dog at 03:30 PM on February 16, 2007
Damn, I didn't realize that Scotty Pippen was so hated. He was an asshole, but he was always a good player. Can someone fill me in on the reason for the hatred? Did he molest some kids or something? Rape some animals? Make an off-color joke or comment? Maybe he wants to comeback to play with Kobe so he can say that he played with the two greatest players ever.
posted by yay-yo at 05:09 PM on February 16, 2007
I suspect that Tiki Barber made better retirement plans than Pippen.
posted by Newbie Walker at 08:24 PM on February 16, 2007
Scottie did a great job with the Bulls, back in the '90's. Perhaps we should set up a Senior League in Basketball, as we have in golf? That way all the retired players who want to steal a spot from a young gun trying to break into the NBA will have a place to display their egos. They could compare laser surgeries, cholesterol meds and viagra scrips. I hate the fact that we have high school grads going straight to the NBA today, and feel the early draft rule should be changed, but I certainly don't want to see once great ballplayers limping around the court either. Scottie, go home, relax, enjoy your 6 rings, you earned it.
posted by hoglegs69 at 09:04 PM on February 16, 2007
Scottie pippen was a very good basketball player! Was! Don't do it Scottie!
posted by steelerchooks at 09:50 PM on February 16, 2007
Damn, I didn't realize that Scotty Pippen was so hated. He was an asshole, but he was always a good player. Can someone fill me in on the reason for the hatred? Well, for one thing, he is commonly known as Scottie NO-TIPPIN' Pippen, and for anyone who has worked in the service industry , that's a great reason he may be hated by a lot of people. He's a quitter, he's selfish, he's not a leader. Are those sufficient, or, shall I go on?
posted by tommybiden at 09:52 PM on February 16, 2007
i like how everyone knows how scottie pippen's knees are shot and how he'd be dominated in division 2 ncaa without having seen him play in 2 years. he was a fantastic role player in his time. 2 years have passed, 2 years of perhaps letting his knee heal and staying in shape? if he's in shape and thinks he can provide something to a team on the way to the playoffs, why not? this is, after all, a game and if you still enjoy playing, there's nothing really offensive about offering your services. he'll not be a star, but could he give 20 minutes of defense, leadership and perhaps skill off the bench? not unlikely. until i see him in a game situation, i'm not willing to write him off. his talent was unquestionable; if he really is in game shape and his knees are healthy, i'd take him over ronnie brewer of the jazz or jarvis hayes of the wizards, teams that are division leaders.
posted by dfleming at 10:14 PM on February 16, 2007
The reality is that if he can do it, teams will be all over him for this experience and talent but I have a feeling that at 41 and a game based on speed and quickness, I think he would make Steve Nash look like a defender and just be a jump shooting perimeter player. Mastery of the triangle or not.
posted by jc at 11:03 PM on February 16, 2007
Pippen COULDNOT compete in the NBA developmental league. For that matter he COULDNOT compete on a good division 2 NCAA team. You may hate Pippen, but you can't be serious. He is only a year and a half out of the NBA, yet can't play D2 anymore? Get a cloo (yes, intentionally misspelled). Maybe he wants to comeback to play with Kobe so he can say that he played with the two greatest players ever. What is with this thread? What a joke. Does anyone really truly believe that Kobe is one of the top 2 players ever? Not even close. He wasn't even the best player on his team when Shaq was in LA. Probably not in the top five Lakers to ever play (Magic, Wilt, Shaq, Kareem, West, Baylor, etc...)
posted by urall cloolis at 11:23 PM on February 16, 2007
Does anyone really truly believe that Kobe is one of the top 2 players ever? um, yay-yo crushes on kobe a whole bunch. check his posting history.
posted by dfleming at 11:32 PM on February 16, 2007
It surprises me no one has mentioned this yet, but does anyone suppose that he might just be looking for a way to get himself at least partly out of Jordan's shadow? His 6 rings all come with that particular "Yeah, but," and maybe he's thinking that if he can get one ring without Jordan, people might take his selection as one of the 50 greatest players ever a bit more seriously? Not saying that he'd succeed at it, mind you, just wondering if that's what he's thinking.
posted by TheQatarian at 12:08 AM on February 17, 2007
I know that Pippen was hard to like as a person, but c'mon he wasn't just a good player, he was a great player. People who understand the game of basketball recognize how valuable his all-around skills were, how absolutely unique they were at the time, how with the help of Phil Jackson he revolutionized the small foward position . He was definitely one of the 50 greatest of all time and if I had to pick a team of 12 players from among those fifty, he would definitely find a place on my squad. That said, he is not the brightest bulb in the basketball world, and he has done several foolish things: refusing to enter the game in the playoffs againgst the Knicks being the most glaring. But I would also remind you that Scottie Pippen led the Bulls to within one questionable foul call of the NBA finals - without Michael Jordan. That season the second and third best players on the team were Toni Kukoc and Steve Kerr! they won something like 55 games during the regular season by playing team ball, and he was the focal point. He won the MVP in the All Star game that same year and he lifted his scoring while staying, as ever, within the team concept on the court. He was a basketball leader. That said, he was the easy Bull to hate, MJ always seemed above it all (though he wasn't) and all of those fans of other teams who had their hearts pulled out of their chests year after year by the Bulls find it easier to hate on Pippen (with reason) than Jordan.
posted by sic at 08:46 AM on February 17, 2007
This has become one of the worst threads I've ever seen on this site.
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:21 AM on February 17, 2007
This has become one of the worst threads I've ever seen on this site. My suggestion then, would be to do something to improve it, ignore it, contribute something positive, or simply walk away.
posted by tommybiden at 09:29 AM on February 17, 2007
How could he help your team? He's got 6 fouls to give. He just needs to find a team with guys on their bench who don't have 6 fouls to give, then he's a shoe-in IF he can convince the coach he'll go in when asked. So yea... i'm sayin there's a chance.
posted by 2 time mvp of the shittiest team ever at 09:33 AM on February 17, 2007
More seriously... He was a very well-rounded player, but he'd clearly be a role-player now. What would his role be? A defensive stopper? Not sure he's still got what it takes for that. What made him so good was that he could do a bit of everything, but that may be his weakness now, as no one skill jumps out at you as something that could help a team.
posted by 2 time mvp of the shittiest team ever at 09:46 AM on February 17, 2007
Can someone fill me in on the reason for the hatred? He played on the Bulls in the 1990's. all of those fans of other teams who had their hearts pulled out of their chests year after year by the Bulls find it easier to hate on Pippen (with reason) than Jordan. Not true my friend. Michael Jordan is number three on my top ten list of athletes I will punch in the face upon immediately meeting. Pippen isn't even on the list.
posted by HATER 187 at 09:51 AM on February 17, 2007
As a Pistons fan, I never hated Pippen. All my hatred for the Jordan Bulls is reserved for Jordan. Pippen (and begrudgingly, Jordan) gets my respect as an outstanding basketball player. Hater, you should totally post or put that list in your profile. I look forward to reading it. (Or maybe you could turn it into a column, listing all the reasons why.)
posted by apoch at 10:18 AM on February 17, 2007
Hater I would like to see your list as well. I'd pay to see you punch Jordan in the face, just make sure you have your own health and life insurance paid up before you do. I wonder if Mike Tyson is also on your list.
posted by urall cloolis at 10:51 AM on February 17, 2007
Jordan never won a single NBA title without having Scottie Pippen on his team. Think about that for a minute or two before you dis him. I think I understand where the hate comes from.From the Wiki: Perhaps the most infamous episode of Pippen's career came in the postseason of Pippen's first year without Jordan, the 1993-94 playoffs, where the Eastern Conference semifinals pitted the Bulls against their bitter rivals, the New York Knicks. On May 13, 1994, down 2-0 in the series and tied 102-102 in Game Three, Bulls coach Phil Jackson needed a big play from his team to have any hope of advancing to the next round of the playoffs. With 1.8 seconds left and the score tied, Jackson designed the last play for Toni Kuko?, with Pippen relegated to simply inbounding the basketball. Pippen, who had been the Bulls' leader all season long in Jordan's absence, was so angered by Jackson's decision to not let him take the potential game-winner that he refused to leave the bench and re-enter the game when the timeout was over.
By more accounts than this, Pippen was a selfish player, but that doesn't diminish his stature as one of the all time greats.
posted by psmealey at 11:00 AM on February 17, 2007
Sorry, sic. Missed your post above.
posted by psmealey at 11:01 AM on February 17, 2007
This has become one of the worst threads I've ever seen on this site. Fraze, seriously? worse than the Ameachi threads this week?
posted by hawkguy at 12:04 PM on February 17, 2007
My suggestion then, would be to do something to improve it, ignore it, contribute something positive, or simply walk away. Occasionally, TT, you have to say something. I view this as worse than the Amaechi threads because people are now dragging the idiocy shown there into other completely unrelated areas. If you're going to be an ass, at least be an on-topic ass -- many of the comments in this thread have been the kind of shit you'd hear sitting around in a truck stop at 3 a.m., except I can see the poor grammar and lousy spelling here. Oh, and I don't get the benefit of overly strong coffee and a mound of biscuits and gravy here, either. You'll also see I opened with an on-point comment, then ducked back in to see where we had gone -- which turned out to be pretty much off the rails. It's fucking sad, and hopefully some of these mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers will take their PBR-swilling asses out for a walk, or perhaps a GED.
posted by wfrazerjr at 12:18 PM on February 17, 2007
You know, it's funny. Everybody is all hating on Pippen. And on him not being a leader. He all but won game 7 against the Lakers in 2000. Everyone else on the team quit playing. What was he supposed to do. As far as him quitting, he's human and made a mistake. It's easy for people to sit around and say what they would do but the truth of the matter is that we don't know until faced with the situation. Now I don't condone not tipping service staff, but that is his right after all. Scottie comes from the generation that actually played defense. This crap we are getting now is pathetic. Yeah the scores are higher but no one is playing defense and fg% isn't really all that much higher than in the '90s. If Pippen can compete then I say let him. He'll know soon enough if he can still be on the pro level or not.
posted by WareJordan23 at 01:22 PM on February 17, 2007
I also remember Pippen taking some helatious charges on Karl Malone in the finals and playing the last games of that series with sever back pain and a lot of heart. He always was the engine of that killer Bulls defense. Definitely a flawed person, but a superstar nonetheless.
posted by sic at 03:10 PM on February 17, 2007
Did a post of mine get deleted? Or did I just not post it?
posted by wfrazerjr at 04:16 PM on February 17, 2007
Your's and Tommy's exchange was deleted, Fraze. (I was with you, though.)
posted by forrestv at 04:30 PM on February 17, 2007
Pro basketball just needs to have its own "senior" circuit, a la golf.
posted by ridadie2005 at 04:57 PM on February 17, 2007
Was scottie pippen great because of MJ is one of the great bar arguements in chicago history. MJ's abilty allowed pippen to cheat on defense. MJ would have made glenn rice or even steve smith apart of the NBA top 50 in my opinion. I have seen guys get into blows because of this subject of pippen's ability. His play for Houston w/o MJ is what you get with this joker.
posted by whodat at 09:00 PM on February 17, 2007
Don't forget that Horace Grant, John Paxson, and Bill Cartwright also allowed Pippen to free lance on the court. Pippen definitely had the right skills to be one of the best to play in the 90s regardless of who played alongside him. It is highly doubltful, almost inconceivable, that he could produce similar results again. I agree with dfleming on this topic. Give Scottie a chance and let the teams decide if he can compete effectively again. I doubt he will be the Michelle Wie of the NBA in as far as taking a spot away from someone else with better skills. He will have to earn it first.
posted by danjel at 11:35 PM on February 17, 2007
Was scottie pippen great because of MJ is one of the great bar arguements in chicago history. MJ's abilty allowed pippen to cheat on defense. MJ would have made glenn rice or even steve smith apart of the NBA top 50 in my opinion. I have seen guys get into blows because of this subject of pippen's ability. His play for Houston w/o MJ is what you get with this joker. one could argue that the other 4 players on the court, regardless of who they are, give dikembe mutumbo in his prime the ability to cheat on defence too. ditto for ben wallace. as long as you have scoring around you, you can cheat on defence at a position. except that pippen also was a shooter, a clutch shooter, and a guy who could provide assists and rebounds. he was the guy who defined the position people have wanted kirilenko to play for a few years now.
posted by dfleming at 12:31 AM on February 18, 2007
Pippen is the most over-rated player in the history of the league.he was a good player,no doubt,but top 50?No way.the bulls did not win without Jordan.he was supposed to be the missing piece for the rockets to get back to the championship,didn't happen.he was suppsed to be the one to put portland over the top.where was he when the greatest single game collapse in playoff history was taking place?he was wishing he had Jordan.lets not even bring up him gimping aroung back in chicago a few years back.he couldn't play then,he can't play now.he should just stay retired,and maybe he will ride Jordans back all the way to the Hall Of Fame.and to the other guy:I don't know what you are trying to say about Steve Smith and Glen Rice.Both were all-stars,and Smith was a bigger factor in Portland reaching the conference finals than Pippen was.
posted by mars1 at 01:49 AM on February 18, 2007
Sorry about the spelling. I was so freaked out that Scotty was talking trash about returning that I had a brain fart. I do not hate Pippen, infact I think he was the extra lift that put the Bulls over the top all thoughs years. But do you think he could compete with James, Wade, Kobe, or any number of quick sky walking YOUNG men in the NBA, not a chance ! Like I said before it's EGO or MONEY or who knows what has got him thinking that he can compete on the same level he did just a year and a half ago. With all due respect to Pippin, he should hook up with MJ again. MJ made him allot of money a long time ago maybe he would do it again. Or better yet maybe he could team with Larry Brown or Zeke and they could teach him how to coach basketball,HA,HA!
posted by sportnut at 12:38 PM on February 18, 2007
sportnut, exactly how many current NBA players in their prime can hang with James, Wade or Kobe? The answer is none, they are always going to get their points. That's precisely why they are superstars. Anyone who thinks that Pippen wants to come back under the assumption that he is going to make the All-NBA team is nuts. He wants to do what Gary Payton/Alonzo Mourning did for the Heat last year: contribute experience and what is left of his body to a push a team over the top. That's it. And that's enough for some teams that already have superstars. Also, what other motivations do any NBA players have to play in the league besides ego and money? I don't think any of them aspired to be professional basketball players so that they could cure cancer or promote world peace.
posted by sic at 01:08 PM on February 18, 2007
sic, Gary Payton and Alonzo Mornng are 2 totally different cases in comparision to Pippin. Payton tried to get a ring with the Lakers and could not do it there so he saw the chance to go to the Heat and get that ring and make some more money, and I applaude him for doing just that. Pippin has many rings. Alonzo was out of the NBA with his physical problems for well over a year and he saw the opportunity to get that ring with the Heat and also to achieve an historical come back for a player that had so many things in his way. I also applaude him for that. Pippin has an attitude problem as we all know and I really don't know what he could contribute to a young team with all the attitude problems that currently exist in the league. Would it not be like throwing gas on the fire. By the way there are many players that have gone on to become many things other than a pro athlete after they have retired. Case in point, Bill Russell, Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson. They all three used pro basketball to spring board them into many other endeavors outside the game. There are many,many others that have done the same but I don' have the time to list them all, you ought to read some of their books. Read the book called "THE BIG O" by Oscar and then tell me what they aspire too.
posted by sportnut at 01:46 PM on February 18, 2007
They all three used pro basketball to spring board them into many other endeavors outside the game. You could also add Bill Bradley and many, many more to that list; but here's the thing: none of them dreamed of playing basketball specifically so that they could go on to do great things after their playing days. Those opportunities arose spontaneously after their careers were over and, as you say, were possible because they had become rich and famous thanks to basketball. But in the end they all entered into the business of professional basketball to earn a paycheck. This is not a criticism, it's a great career option to have, don't you think? Anyway, it's obvious that a lot of people commenting have personal issues with Pippen, which I find strange, but it explains why his announcement rankles so many of you.
posted by sic at 02:26 PM on February 18, 2007
Pippen said he'd like to eventually become an NBA coach and would be willing to apprentice as an assistant as well. Isn't that nice? He's willing to apprentice before jumping into the top league in the world as a head coach! You weren't one of the Top 50 players of all time, Scottie, and no one needs your 41-year-old, bad-knee-havin', sit-on-the-bench-and-refuse-to-go-in ass.