RSS
Scottie Pippen: A Calculated Come Back
The Zen Master, Phil Jackson wants Scottie Maurice Pippen to leave Fort Lauderdale where Pippen now resides in retirement and journey to Los Angeles. The Lakers have suffered ever since Big Daddy Shaq decided to walk to Miami. Kobe Bryant, of the Lakers is a great player with a greater ego but he cannot slice it alone. He needs a wing man to generate some heat. What better player than Pippen who rode shot gun with Michael Jordan. It’s not that simple. As always, there are complexities.
At the All Star game in Las Vegas, Pippen finally came out and admitted that he is coming back. Former Bulls coach Phil Jackson, who now coaches the Lakers has been talking to Pippen for some time. “I did get in touch with Scottie,” Jackson has admitted. “But it was just preliminary talk about how he’s doing, where he’s at and how he feels.” You know the Zen Master is not revealing all. They had to have talked about Pippen returning to the Master. Pippen and Bryant, a double barreled assault team. That is what Jackson wants to do. Can the combo be the same as Jordan and Pippen? No. The dynamics have changed. Pippen is older, the fire does not sizzle anymore, Bryant is a talented player but he is no Michael Jordan. Not by a long shot. So….. Will it work? The Zen master seems to think so. He has been secretly talking to Pippin for some time now, gently nudging him, probing, prodding and then stepping back. No fast breaks here. Just nice and easy.
Pippen is looking back at his track record, wondering if he should sacrifice his laurels at Jackson’s alter of assumption. If the whole thing does not work out, Pippin’s reputation will be run over by a herd of stampeding bulls and his image will be ground in dirt. Jackson on the other hand will get on his Harley Davidson and ride away unscathed. Jackson seems set for life in Los Angeles. He divorced his wife June, when she refused to pack her bags to move to Los Angeles when Jackson was named head coach of the Lakers on June 16, 1999. Today he is dating Jeanie Buss, the daughter of Laker’s owner Jerry Buss. The Zen Master it seems has finally heard the sound of one hand clapping.
Pippen of course is sitting on the bench, keeping his options open. “I am ready to play right now, and I’ll keep on working out until I accept an invitation to work out with a team, preferably with a contender. I won’t give any names, but a half a dozen teams have already expressed interest since I announced I’m coming back.”
Will his 41 years make a difference? Of course. There is more than age involved here. When talking of the Lakers, there is the ego angle? The feud between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’ Neal has been well documented. The venom splintered the Lakers. From NBA champions who could have formed a dynasty, they became a fractured contender. It was a tragic loss of a well knit team that split into warring camps, O’Neal on one side, Bryant on the other. Now, will Bryant accept another King on his court? Will his enlarged ego accept the fact that there is now a super heavyweight in the house? Pippen has more medals pinned on his chest than Bryant ever hopes to have. Six NBA Championship rings and a host of other records. Phil Jackson has openly declared his hostility to Bryant. In his book ‘The Last Season’ Jackson called Bryant a “Callous Gun for Hire.” Jackson wants Pippen to take over. Pippen has wisdom and startling talent. Jackson has said, “Pippen is the most intelligent defensive player I have ever coached.” Bryant is obviously aware of all this.
Somehow the shadow of Michael Jordan will always hover over any team Pippen chooses to play with. If it wasn’t for Pippen being Jordan’s wingman, Jordan would never have got all the laurels that were laid at his feet. Pippen was always there, protecting Jordan’s back and flank. And Jordan has acknowledged this time and again. “When we went into battle,” Jordan says, “I knew that I had someone to watch my back. I love him like a brother. He pushed me to be the best basketball player.” Pippen will now be expected to shoulder the burden of the whole team. At 41, can he do it?
And that is the reason why Pippin’s comeback has created a buzz in the NBA. There is a feeling in the air that whatever team Pippen chooses to be with, that team will have a strong shot at being NBA champions. The image of Pippin as a raging Bull is still there. The problem is, can he play with a team that might have to adjust to his style of playing? What will that do to the team? His best bet it seems will be the LA Lakers. For one, Jackson knows Pippin, his style and personality. Pippin has publicly stated that he has still not made up his mind, but if Jackson has been talking to him one can assume that Pippin’s mind is already made up in favor of the LA Lakers.
In Pippen, Jackson sees a leader. You can be the greatest player in the world but if you cannot motivate your team to win a championship in the end, you will be another Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers, a great player, who tried for a championship ring for 18 years. Miller retired May 19, 2005. The Lakers management has already tasted championship blood under Jackson; they are lusting for another shot at the coveted title. To bring it all back to the city of angels, one more time. Bryant alone cannot do it with the present Lakers team. With Pippen there, the Lakers will have sure-footed guidance on court and a lethal double edged sword to slash through defenses. With the Lakers, Pippen could find the professional stability he lost after Michael Jordan retired.
After his run with the Bulls, Pippen went to the Houston Rockets, but Sir Charles Barkley and Pippen clashed, so Pippen teamed up with the Portland Blazers and then finally did a U turn and headed for Chicago. On December 9th 2005, Pippen retired and his number 33 jersey went up to reside in the rafters at the United Center in Chicago.
And now he is coming back. He wants a seventh ring. It is a long way from Fort Lauderdale, Florida where Pippin lives, to the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Miami on the other hand, is a fast break away. Reports coming in from Miami whisper that Pippen and Big Daddy Shaq have been talking of teaming up and unleashing fire and brimstone on the rest of the NBA. In the City of Angels, they must be feeling The Heat.
Comment by Douglas Redding Jr.
Posted on May 21, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Pippen is nothing without Michael Jordan. He talks about coming back, but there has been no big buzz about his return. Players like Steve Nash will run rings around Scottie Pippen. Well, the basketball season is winding down. The Spurs right now are doing pretty darn well. Big Daddy Shaq is cooling his over size feet in Maimi and Kobe Bryant is lying low in L.A. So where is Pippen going to go? The fact of the matter is that he is of no consequence today as a basket ball player. Pippen cannot make a great difference to any team, not today. It is time he came to his senses and let his great past rest in peace. Coming back to the game, Pippen will only disgrace himself. He was a great player with a greater player called Jordan who took up his slack. Those days are gone. The Bulls will never be the same. Pippin should do what Charles Barkley is doing. Become a commentator and do ads for cell phone companies. That’s better than going out on court and embarrassing himself. How big a difference can Pippen make to the Miami Heat. Will Wade and Shaq change their games to adjust to an ageing Bull? And if he were to go to the Lakers. Kobe’s ego will suffer, Pippin is an old warrior, with too many medals on his chest. Kobe is the leader of the team. Will he, can he, give up a part of that power on court? These days it’s not just basketball. Times have changed. Pippin should know that. Pippin will never get that seventh ring. And hey, what’s wrong with six rings? Pippin should stay retired. He has the money, a family and fame.
Go fishing for Blue Marlin, Scottie. Call up Dennis Rodman. Talk about the old days.Go run with the bulls in Spain. But please do not return to the NBA. Believe me, it will be a disaster. And I say this out of great respect for your talent.