Friday, June 17, 2011

Scottie Pippen: Without MJ, Would He Have Been Considered an All-Time Great?

Scottie Pippen shocked the sports world a few weeks ago when he claimed Michael Jordan is the greatest scorer, but LeBron James is the greatest player.

NBA fans and experts everywhere where puzzled by those words, since most believe that Pippen wouldn't have six championship rings if it wasn't for Jordan.

During his days with the Chicago Bulls, Pippen was considered by many as nothing more than Jordan's sidekick and a star that Jordan "made."

Several people feel that Pippen is vastly overrated and wouldn't have been anything special if he hadn't played alongside Jordan in Chicago.

Nonetheless, Pippen enjoyed a remarkable 17-year career on the hardwood with the Bulls, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers. The seven-time All-Star forward was named to the All-NBA First Team three times, the Second Team twice and the Third Team twice. 

He was also selected to play for both U.S. Olympic "Dream Teams" in 1992 and 1996, and was named one of the NBA's 50 greatest players in '97.

Pippen was mostly known for his lockdown defense. He earned a spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team eight consecutive years form '92-'99 and was named to the Second Team twice.

He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in '10, which was his first year of eligibility.

If Pippen never played with Jordan, would he still have been a star or would he have been a flat-out bust or just an ordinary player?   

This slideshow will take you on a realistic journey of Pippen's career if he and MJ didn't cross paths.

Begin Slideshow

Springfield Demize Fort Wayne Fever Cleveland Internationals West Michigan Edge Carolina Dynamo

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