Pippen "KG is the most overrated underacheiver in the NBA"

I like KG and he's practically considered a here in MN. I think the lack of killer instinct on him is a fair knock. He's just such an innately team oriented guy even when his teammates let him down. In some way's he's got the same type of problem that people accuse Yao of having of just being too nice about things instead of taking charge late in the game. Another problem is that the T-Wolves in their playoff runs have rarely had homecourt advantage and they have almost always been a far far better team at the Target Center than on the road. On top of that they've had the misfortune of running into buzzsaws of really hot teams like the Spurs, Mavs, Lakers and in their first playoff appearence the Dream, Barkley, Clyde Rox.

 

The point is simple -- with a big brother to watch his back Pip was huge. Without MJ he flamed with us and he flamed every time it mattered in Blazerville.

 

Without MJ he took his team to the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, further than MJ ever did alone. He flamed with us when Rudy tried to make him Robert Horry. A few years later he was back in the WCF with the Blazers.

MJ was huge when he had someone else to do all the other things while he focused on scoring.

 

MJ was a great defender and all so no knock on him, but Pippen was twice the defender MJ was. MJ was more of a 'passing-lane' defender, Pip could do that and shut you and your mama down.

 

True that. The only modern day defender I have seen shut himself down completely in last seconds of a playoff game. Sat his own butt on the bench to throw the Knicks off guard so Kukoc could make a game-winning basket.

Acutally I admit, he was great defender. Too bad he started sucking by the time Rockets got him. Kobe lit him up and shut him down completely in the first round playoff series.

 

That was still a pretty good Chicago team that he 'took' (and sat on his butt while Kukoc made the play) and the WCF Blazers was a team reminiscent of SP - it cratered under the pressure with skill but without leadership.

Pippen could do a lot on the court but with no MJ he was just another good but flawed ringless player and loser.

 

The team lost Jordan and replaced him with Pete Myers and a rookie Kukoc.

So what was Jordan without Pippen, since I don't believe he ever got a team out of the first round without him.

 

Some of you are just unbelieveablely stubborn!!! Poster Tigermission1 already explained Pippen sat during that 2nd round series was because he refused to go into the game after phil jackson designed the last play for toni kukov. Pippen was pissed cos he want to take the last shot, like him or not that's the competitive fire!!! Also, Pippen led the blazers team to the WCF and basically the whole team choked during the last/seven game against the lakers...

Anyway, back to the topic, I think KG is a very good player but he is a real franchise player the media made him? He failed to led his team to playoffs for the second straight seasons yet the media still giving KG the free pass whereas the media are bashing yao for teh failure to lead the t-macless rockets.

Blaming KG's wolves failure on his teammates is a lame excuse. He got Wally/Ricky Davis, Kandi/Blount, Hudson, Jaric, EG, Hassell, Banks etc etc. Not a bad team. Yet his team lost to a t-macless houston rockets!

KG is overrated caused the media hyped him as a franchise player thus he is underacheiver failing to lead him team to playoffs.

KG maybe unique type of player and he is playing very good(stats wise). As shown in the last game against the Kings, he needed to step up big and be a real leader(37points, season high) in order for his team to win but not to defer to the likes of Cassell/Spree and even Ricky Davis!

 

No way. It's a lot easier to defend when you don't have to carry the entire offensive load of the team. Let Jordan focus exclusively on defense and then see who the better defender is. Also, how do you explain Pippen's (lack of) defense in Houston?

 

Pippen didn't lead that team anywhere. More like Steve Smith and Rasheed Wallace led them, I suppose. The team was stacked and they choked mightily.

 

This kind of criticism of KG breaks my heart. Everytime I watch that guy play he seems to give everything he's got to help his team get the win. He has carried terrible squad after terrible squad, year after year, and he seldom even complains. Guys like Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady would have quit giving their all a long time ago on the teams he's played on, but not KG.

Incidentally, I've met KG on multiple occasions and he's a really nice, down to earth guy. I think he's a credit to the league both on and off the court. They need to fire McHale and get him a decent GM, or just trade him to a good team. It'll be a shame to watch him go his whole career on these mediocre T-Wolves teams.

 

I'd pick Webber over KG, given both of them are in their respective prime, I know KG defends waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy better, but C-Webb has incredibly soft hands and he passes the ball beautifully, watching him play is really an enjoyment.

 

Father time.

And no, I don't think MJ could have been as good of a defender as Pip. Pip is just bigger.

 

So glad Pippen has some love here, some unrequited, unearned love.

 

He sucked ass as a Rocket. That's only 1 yr of an illustrious career. Liking him and recognizing his game are completely different. I hate John Stockton but he could play.

 

No love, I just call it like I see it. I have always been like that (ask anyone)

I think it's a given that it will be difficult for Pip to get a fair shake in a Rockets forum, I am not stupid, I understand he's not well-liked and his time here wasn't anything to brag about.

However, some of the stuff said here about Pippen is pure garbage. Like him or not, he's one of the all-time greats and the most well-rounded player I have personally ever seen. He was an assassin, that's why he and MJ have all those rings. MJ needed a cold-hearted mothafu*** like himself that would be able to work with him. I think the only people that could stand playing with MJ for all those years without breakin' down and crying like a baby were Pippen and Malone, because those guys were just as cold-blooded as MJ was and could keep up with his work ethic.

Anyways, you need not take my word for it, ask MJ himself about what Pippen meant to him and the Bulls. It was precisely the presence of Pippen that allowed MJ to be who he was and not have to worry about other things.

 

So one year removed from the Bulls, and his defense takes a very noticeable dive. Could it also be that being surrounded by other good/great defenders makes you look better than you really are?

 

A drop off from one year to the next can be significant once you go past 30. See Dream's drop off from 34 to 35. From 91-99, Pip played more games than most as the Bulls reached the Finals 6 times (well, he was hurt for half of 98).

Additionally, he was obviously the defensive keg for those Bulls teams and his defense didn't suffer when MJ left.

 

I don't know what you're talking about, but Pippen's defense with the Rox was not crap, his offense what was suffered in our system, not to mention he was not exactly in his prime years, but he didn't stink it up as you seem to indicate. I think more than anything else he struggled playing with both Dream and Charles clogging the interior so that he can't drive or do much else like he used to in Chicago; he was relegated to a jump-shooter pretty much.

I think that squad had horrible chemistry, and it showed at the end when things imploded between Pip and Chuksta.

 

I just call it as I see it, as well. And, well, we just see it differently.