Originally posted by dobophile:
See, thinking of Pippen as the 5th best wing of all time is what I'm talking about. No way he's ahead of Drexler and Wade. And I think it's a tossup with guys like Miller and (homer alert) Ginobili. And that's only an off-the-top-of-my-head list of players I've watched after age 10. I bet I could think of more.
What about guys before my time, like Dr. J, Hondo, West, Barry, etc.?
To my recollection, Pippen was rarely double-teamed and typically never drew the other team's best perimeter defender. Jordan did. So Pippen had more room to operate and more opportunities to create.
On defense, though, Pippen was spectacular. One of the most ridiculous absurdities of the Cult of Jordan has been his defensive reputation. The truth is, Jordan benefited tremendously from Pippen on the defensive end. Pippen probably deserved more recognition for that.
Pippen did reasonably well leading the Bulls for one season, though I'm not so sure they could have beaten the Pacers and the Rockets in the playoffs. He screwed the pooch in Houston when he had Barkley and Olajuwon. I remember worrying about that team, and being surprised at their failure in the playoffs. I'm not going to mention the Blazers.
Pippen was great, but I never thought he deserved to be on the Dream Team (he'd had, like, one good season at that point) or on the top 50 all-time team. If Scottie Pippen was ever underrated, it was immediately after Jordan's first retirement; but now he's overrated by most. Just one fan's opinion, I guess.
OK, I was kidding about Ginobili, but I thought of another wing better than Pippen: 'Nique.
My opinion about the guys that you mentioned in comparison with Pippen.
Drexler - I actually think that on the offensive end they were pretty similar players, but Clyde was the #1 option. Both were extremely athletic slashers that had excellent court vision and handles, and dissected teams with it, but weren't great outside shooters. Clyde was better at getting to the hoop, but Pippen was still good. However, Clyde was a bad defender. I feel pretty strongly that Pippen was a better player.
Wade - He was the name I considered throwing in front of Pippen when I listed those guys. Since he's only 7 years into his career, I gave Pippen the nod. Wade's a better distributor and slasher, and a similar help defender. Pippen blows him away in terms of man defense, but Wade has the decided advantage over Pippen on the offensive end. I have no problem if someone put Wade ahead of Pippen.
Manu - I actually don't think it's as homerific as you suggest. He never gets his just due. That being said, I think that Popovich describes him perfectly when he says that he does all the things that the Jordan's, Kobe's, & LeBron's can do, it's just that he doesn't have their athleticism, which does count for something. There are no "easy" buckets with Manu for that reason. I do think Pippen's a superior player, but not by a whole lot. I'd take Manu before I'd take Drexler.
Dr. J - I have no problem with putting him ahead of Pippen either, I think it's just a matter of preference. Erving REALLY dominated in the ABA, but in the NBA he was great, but not as dominant. Defensively...meh. I gravitate toward defensive players, so I prefer Pippen. I think that him, Wade, & Pippen are in the same tier.
West, Hondo, Barry - See Manu.