Pippen likely to retire

[Andrew]

Pippen: 'I don't think I can go anymore'

It's a shame he couldn't have left the game on his own terms. Even though Pip's had a great career, one that I feel is worthy of nomination for the Hall of Fame, I can't shake the feeling he's going to get snubbed as soon as he's eligible.

[nublu01]

i really like liked the player when he was on the bulls. its sad that he will always be tagged as "a player who became a superstar when playing with michael but then became nothing when playing without him"

[Vins15]

man i rili think he should play like 1 last game before the end and play the top game he'll play in his life...anywayz...i still wish to see him play...

[Matthew]

There was a time where michael said the bulls were scotties team. I felt pippen was the 96 nba mvp...

"a player who became a superstar when playing with michael but then became nothing when playing without him"

Have a look at his 93/94 season without mj and tell me he was a "nothing"

[nublu01]

well i guess "nothing" is a wrong word to describe him. but what im trying to say is that mj made pippen so great. pippen was still good w/o mj but not the same type of player when he's with him.

[DipSetVC]

Pippen: 'I don't think I can go anymore'

It's a shame he couldn't have left the game on his own terms. Even though Pip's had a great career, one that I feel is worthy of nomination for the Hall of Fame, I can't shake the feeling he's going to get snubbed as soon as he's eligible.

He should have retired over the summer, but he chose to go for more green signing that 2-year deal with tthe Bulls. In my book, he's not Hall of Fame worthy because his numbers really dropped down after his time with MJ.

[Jackal]

So? Even if his numbers did drop after Jordan...for the time he spent with Jordan should be reason enough to add him. Pff...now players are denied the right to decline.

[air gordon]

if pip isn't a first ballot hall of famer, it shouldn't take away anything from his great career.

before people start jumping on this idea that Pip was nothing without MJ...

*remember that Jordan won no titles without Pippen
*see nba fan 23's reference to pip's 93/94 season
*in the last leg of the 2nd 3-peat, the bulls were hovering just above .500 while pippen was out. when he returned, the bulls reverted back to their dominating play

[Jackal]

Jordan & Pippen were a winning duo a la Malone & Stockton...oh wait, those mofo's never won. Ok ok, Robinson & Duncan...well last year Robinson wasnt that great, ok, Shaq & Kobe.

Pippen should retire in style, play one last game, atleast one minute.

[air gordon]

personally, i'd hate to see pip come back this season and a play for the sake of "going out in style".

i think pippen's last hurrah came in portland. he probably was at his healthiest of the year- giving a turn back the clock performance: 17pts, 7rbs, 4asts, including some big 3 pointers in the 2nd half

anyway, the bulls organization should retire pippen's number already. for crying out loud, that fat fuck has a damn banner hanging in the UC

[magius]

20 years from now if the nba is still around, and if pip gets inducted into the hall of fame a lot people will think that pippen wasnt as great as he is and shouldn'tve been inducted because his numbers arent really extraordinary -- and thats sad to me because he is and he should be. pip is by far one of my all time favourites. i hope he starts coaching, but he should probably start at the assistant level.

[Andrew]

if pip isn't a first ballot hall of famer, it shouldn't take away anything from his great career.

Oh, absolutely. I just think that he should be elected to the Hall as soon as he's eligible. After all, James Worthy and Robert Parish were elected to the Hall, and Pip played just as an important role in the Bulls' championships as those two All-Stars did in championship seasons for the Lakers and Celtics respectively.

[Ruff Ryder]

Pip is one of those rare guys who start off with one team and finish with the same (even though he played with a couple of other teams after the departure of MJ.)

[Robby]

People who really know basketball, know just how great of a player Scottie was. As for all those people saying Scottie was nothing without MJ, what was Mike without Scottie? If it wasn't for Scottie, Chicago doesn't win a single title. I'd also be inclined to say that he's probably the one guy in NBA history who could stop Jordan by himself.

More? Michael called Scottie the best player he ever played against.

Andrew, don't worry, Scottie will definitely not be snubbed with regards to the Hall of Fame. There are still enough people who trully know the game and appreciate what Pippen did in his career.

Finally, Scottie in my mind is the best small forward to ever play the game.

[Robby]

Pip is one of those rare guys who start off with one team and finish with the same (even though he played with a couple of other teams after the departure of MJ.)

Actually more players have done that than you might think. John Stockton, David Robinson, Chris Mullin, Dan Majerle , and Kevin Johnson to name a few.

[Bill Russell]

Didn't Kevin Johnson start his career with Cleveland?

[Robby]

Yeah, but he was traded during his rookie year to Phoenix. I counted that the same as I did with other players. Scottie too was drafted by Seattle, although he never played for them.

[magius]

Pippen, the co-MVP in Jordan's mind, had a sore left foot throughout and was basically a non-factor in Game 2 after reinjuring it blocking a shot in the opening minutes. Chicago still won that game handily, 97-85. Pippen shot 44 percent from the field in the Finals but was a menacing presence on defense throughout. "Everybody congratulated me for the job I did on (John) Stockton," Steve Kerr says. "I didn't do anything. I waited for Scottie to leave his man and come over and help me."

"Scottie's defense was a one-man wrecking crew," Jackson says.

just for fun, other players who have played their whole careers for the same team or ended same team as started off top of head:
big country
petit (i think)
isiah thomas!
jerry west
mcadoo
havlicek
willis reed
larry legend
mchale
elgin baylor
paul arizin ( i think)
magic
sammy jones
moses malone
worthy

thats it for now, thats like 20 players out of thousands so its pretty rare still -- its a lot rarer nowadays, but garnett and duncan will probably do it too.

[Andrew]

Andrew, don't worry, Scottie will definitely not be snubbed with regards to the Hall of Fame. There are still enough people who trully know the game and appreciate what Pippen did in his career.

I hope so. I guess we'll find out in five year's time.

Finally, Scottie in my mind is the best small forward to ever play the game.

Even above Larry Bird? Or given his talents do you consider Bird simply a forward rather than a natural small forward or natural power forward?

[fgrep15]

Pippen mulls 1 more year

In classic Scottie Pippen form, the small forward says he not only will try to play again this season but also hasn't ruled out playing next season.

"Next year I still have an opportunity, so it's not like I'm going out yet," Pippen said Thursday. "I still have some hope if I rehab, do all that good stuff."




Pippen, who'll turn 39 on Sept. 25, has a longstanding reputation for changing his mind and sometimes making whimsical comments.

He signed a guaranteed two-year contract worth $10.3 million last summer but has been limited to 23 games because of chronically sore knees. Management has been working under the impression Pippen will retire at season's end, perhaps agreeing to a buyout for the remainder of his deal.

[Robby]

Even above Larry Bird? Or given his talents do you consider Bird simply a forward rather than a natural small forward or natural power forward?

If I was picking an all time team and needed a small forward, I would take Scottie in his prime over anyone, including Bird. Although Bird was a better scorer and shooter, Scottie wasn't that far behind. Defensively, Scottie is the best at his position. He is not only a great one on one defender, but also a great team defender. Bird, on the other hand, was a good one on one defender and a better team defender, but not nearly as good as Scottie. In terms of passing and rebounding, they were both fairly even. So the edge I'd give to Bird would be his ability to come through in the clutch but Scottie's defensive abilities more than make for his slightly above average play in the clutch.

[Andrew]

Pippen mulls 1 more year

If he's able to contribute for at least 60-70 games during the regular season, I would mind seeing him return for a farewell tour. But if it's going to be another frustrating injury-riddled season for him, he should probably bow out now.

Point taken Robby. I suppose if you have another clutch performer in your all time team, you could substitute Pip's stellar defense for Bird's cluch shooting. When picking my all time team or all time starting five, I usually go with either Pippen or Bird - in my mind, they'd be interchangeable on an all-time team.

So basically, I'm going to be boring and agree with you on this one.