Here's a story about Scottie Pippen's season in Houston. You don't have to accept it, but if you do, it may help you make sense of things and get over the anger and resentment we all feel. Scottie never should have come to Houston. We needed a player who could either (a) rotate in with our big men and gradually replace them (e.g., McDyess, Cato), (b) shoot well enough from long range to punish double-teams in the post and spread the defense to create room for slashing inside (e.g., Williams), or (c) take his man off the dribble and go to the basket for a score, dish, or forced foul (e.g., Francis). Pippen was none of the above. The only reasons Pippen came to Houston were that (1) we had the cap room and (2) there wasn't enough time for him or Rudy to realize that the marriage wouldn't work. When Pippen blames Rudy for the failed marriage, he's partly right. He's right that Rudy should have realized that Pippen wasn't (a) or (b). You can't make Scottie bigger, and I wish he were a better long-range shooter, but he isn't. But it's Scottie's fault that he never became (c). He keeps blaming Rudy, Hakeem, and Barkley for not letting him play a bigger role in the offense. But that's the whole problem: Scottie was waiting for permission to play a bigger role. Real team leaders -- guys who really deserve $20 million a year -- don't wait for permission to take over the game. They just do it. They go out and earn the respect of their teammates. They get the ball, they get picks, and they get space from their teammates because they take the initiative and get the job done. Scottie never got the job done. He never really tried. When he didn't get what he wanted, he looked for excuses instead of opportunities. Look at Steve Francis. He's just a rookie, but he makes plays, he shoots, he goes to the basket, he leaves his man in the dust. He makes things happen. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But he tries. And in his first dozen games, he's evidently impressed Rudy, Hakeem, and Barkley enough to get the space and the dynamic role Pippen complains he never got. You could say it's not Scottie's fault he was never a (c). He played all his career alongside MJ, the greatest (c) of all time. You could say that Scottie was always a great role player, not the kind of guy who could be expected to take over a team. And I'd agree with that assessment. I'd like to forgive Scottie for never becoming the superstar he couldn't be. But in that case, I'd want to know why he demanded $20 million. If Scottie wasn't a team leader, asking for that kind of money was a huge lie on his part. So he made trouble for us until we traded him. In exchange for throwing away cash on Augmon and the other lost players, we got Williams and Cato and Rogers. If we're lucky, Cato will be the (a) we needed, and Williams will provide some of the (b). And maybe Rogers will provide a bit of both. If we didn't have Pippen to deal, we would have had to woo Williams and Cato as free agents -- a difficult task, given the new cap rules about players who switch teams. There it is. Problem #1 was that Rudy probably misled Scottie about the role he expected Scottie to play. Problem #2 was that Scottie misled Rudy about his ability and willingness to be a team leader. If Scottie had been the team leader he advertised -- and for which we signed him to the huge contract -- he could have solved Problem #1. He wasn't. And that's his fault, not ours.
Will, I agree that Pippen is not a off-the-dribble-to-the-hole kind player, neither a spot-up long range snipper. But, how is that he misled Rudy? Players put everything on the tape, they let their play to talk. I think it is Rudy who thought that he could make it work to have Pipen to fit into Hakeem and Chuck, without having to demolish the low post offense. So, basically, I say it was Rudy's misstep. Although, having been a tough critic on Rudy, I think that it would be too hard for him to make a high post and pick'n'roll type offense last season, not because of short season, but because that they were just too weak in the PG posistion. In all, a low post offense does limit players like Pippen's and Shandon's ability. The reduction of low post play lately has enabled Shandon to pick his offensive game up. That is an encouraging sign. Go Shandon!!!
Our Rockets beat the Trailed Blazers tonight please! [This message has been edited by Finalfantasy (edited November 26, 1999).]
i also think that d) keeping a big opponent from getting the player that completes them (the lakers jones & campbell deal that was rumored) came into play... the rockets, after being foiled by nick the trick's ability to take mcdyess away got the best player instead of the best fit... i'm not sure if that's anyone's fault (if any, the rockets, i guess) scottie being a whiner has something to do w/ being the sidekick of mj's for so long (society since he didn't HAVE to be traded to pair w/ the best player ever)
You see... Scottie Pippen is proving to the whole NBA world this year what he proved to just the Rockets last year. Here, he averaged 14 points 6 rebounds 5 assists and a couple of steals. But when he did that last year, the NBA world looked at him as an underachiever, as someone who is trying to fit in or they blamed Rudy T and his "system". This year, he averages the same stats, but the NBA world says that he is providing "veteran leadership" and his stats go by the wayside. Conclusion? For all his talent that he claims he has, one thing Scottie has never been and can never try to be is a leader. He is more comfortable in the background, playing second fiddle and making small contributions. That way, the actual leader of the team he belongs to can take all the blame when the team sucks. But, when the team does well, he is looked upon as one of the key ingredients as to why that team is achieving. Go back to the Bulls. When they lost, did they blame Pippen? No, they blamed MJ. The one time MJ wasn't there to put on his diapers, he failed to do all of what Will is mentioning in his post. And he embarassed himself in the process. Steve Francis took the bull by the horns. Now, the team knows and respects Francis. Same thing happened with Clyde. If you are a leader, if you can lead, if you have the ability to make your team better, it shows from day one. This was a bad marriage. And it ended in a bad divorce.
Caveman, Pippen is just as much to blame for the "failed marriage" concept as Rudy was although I believe much more so. Pippen said he wanted to come to Houston and play with a dominant center. Olajuwon was supposedly a major reason why Pippen came. Pippen supposedly told Barkley he would sign with Houston if Barkley did. The Rocket's offense and the players performance were as much known to Pippen as Pippen's was to Rudy and the Rockets. The short season hamstrung the Rockets efforts to modify the offense to beenfit Pippen. They did try though. I still maintain that Dream took more jummpers from the high post last year than in any other season. He did move out of the block to open the lane for Pippen. As Will pinted out, Pippen never took advantage of the opportunities. He never asserted himself. He apparently thrives only in a system where someone else creates for him. In the off season Rudy promised changes and was delivering on them. The deal for Francis was swung and then the long wait for Anderson. After all that, Pippen begins his effort to get out of Houston. An entire off season's planning was shot and the Rockets were back to square one. Both Francis and Anderson thought they would be playing with Pippen in Houston. If Pippen would have been willing to honor the commitment he made to Houston, how much better do you think we would be? How much smoother do you think the transition to a running game would be for the Rockets? The Rockets are in the predicament they are in because of Pippen. They had to cut their losses and begin to move toward the future. They wisely got a good lot of talent for Pippen. The problem is that these young players are inexperienced for the most part. I believe they will improve over the course of the season but how much remains to be seen. It may or may not be enough to make a playoff run. If not the blame doesn't belong to Rudy, Dream or Charles. It belongs to Pippen. He , not Barkley, is the one who has acted selfishly. If he gets a ring with Portland it will be a small consolation for the lack of character he will most likely carry with him for the rest of his life.
Will, I appreciate your post but I just tend to hold a grudge I'm afraid and, well, I still hate him. As mentioned above, he set our program back - he cares about no one but himself - he has no honor, nor character. He says it is in the past but that is wishful thinking cus I won't forget it and his legacy in history is ROLE PLAYER, SECOND BANANA, BLAME IT ON MY TEAMMATE MENTALITY and, most importantly, QUITTER WITH NO CHARACTER. How he twists things in his own mind to feel he did nothing wrong is beyond me. Yes, my anger and resentment is still here. Thanks for trying though. P.S. If Pippen is not a, b, or c, and I'm sure I agree with you, then what the heck is he? An exceptional role player that only wants wide open slash dunks? Why does he light it up only once in a blue moon? He could have been a leader but I think his problem is mental - HE IS ONE SICK DUDE! Laughed out loud at the comment "Pippen likes being second fiddle so the leader can take the blame when they suck.
Frankly he could average twenty-five a night and pull down ten rebs and a dozen assists and all that still adds up to a loser to me. He will never be able to prove to me he is anything but a snake with a big pay cheque. He no longer plays in a Rocket's uniform because when he showed his true colors, he was dumped and traded for the first available offer by an organization that was embarassed to have him wear their (Rockets) uniform. Pippen carries that link to the almighty a vacant spot left by MJ ... which the media has not quite been able to adjust to yet. That is why he will remain a pseudo star despite his antics and whining. Eventually he will fall and I will be there applauding the sudden stop at the bottom, as he splatters his ego and reputation all over the same media that showers him with superlative adjectives today.
