Scottie Pippen Six-time NBA champ and one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players If one player best captured the excellence of the versatile, athletic mid-sized player who helped change the face of the NBA in the 20th Century's last decade, that player would be Scottie Pippen. Teaming with Michael Jordan to help the Chicago Bulls win six NBA championships in the '90s, Pippen out of Central Arkansas, was the best defensive player and top passer during those years. Now, 16 years after entering the NBA, his named is scattered across the NBA record books. The eight-time All-NBA Defensive First Team member ranks second in NBA history with 208 playoff appearances behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 237 and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. After spending the first 11 years of his career in Chicago, Pippen also played for the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers before returning to Chicago for one final season before retiring prior to the 2004-05 season.

Joaquin Henson :  Nov 26 Martin comes of age My First Round Surprises It's the Grizzlies in the West, and in the East... Who are the teams that will surprise in the first round? In the Eastern Conference, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the Bulls will be my dark horse. This is a team that can give Miami a lot of trouble. With their intensity, their energy level, and their execution in more of an "up" style of half court offense with a lot of movement, they could be a problem for Miami due to the fact that the Heat aren't a very good defensive team. The Bulls will come in and give them a huge challenge. The fact that they have big guys that can play on the perimeter is another reason why I think that they will give them problems. Shaq again is not moving well and the pick-and-roll has always been a thorn in the side for him. The Bulls are a team that executes and if they can continue to execute, they can cause Miami problems. I think just forcing them to play that half court game, to just play defense will wear them down. What the Bulls really have to do is execute without turning the ball over, especially in the first two games. You're on the road, you don't want to have high turnovers. If they turn the ball over, it makes it very difficult for the Bulls to win because they're not great offensively. They have to have contributions from everybody. Prediction: Bulls in 6 Head out west and I like the Grizzlies taking out Dallas. Dallas doesn't present an inside-out game defensively and that is where Memphis will wear them out. I think Pau Gasol will be dominant in this series. I don't think Dallas has anyone to match up with him and he is going to give them problems. They are a lot better than they are seeded. This is a team that can go in and steal one of the first two games in Dallas. The Mavs haven't shown to me that they are a resilient team and I think if they get down in the series, they are going to find themselves falling out of the playoffs in the first round. The Grizzlies are a real experienced team and they have real good defensive players. Shane Battier will give Dirk Nowitzki a lot of problems. With his size, he is a real good defender. He will definitely get after you, draw charges and make it very difficult. I can see him being a guy who really takes Dirk out of this series. His mission will be to defend Dirk Nowitzki and not worry about his offense. I don't think they are going to double on Dirk. He is a guy who is going to get his numbers. You have to make him work and you have to wear him down. You have to take away his impact in the game at certain times. You are not going to completely shut him down because of the rules of the game. However, I do believe this team will dedicate themselves in the right areas and focus on stopping the Mavericks. Dallas is an offensive driven team and if you're able to shut their offense down in any type of capacity, it will frustrate them. I definitely feel Memphis is a lot better than what they have let on in the regular season. Come postseason we will get a chance to see it. I don't see this going to a seventh game. Prediction: Grizzlies in 6 Posted by Scottie Pippen - Apr 21 2006 1:38PM Hail, Hail to 'Nique, Sir Charles and Joe D. Congrats to my contemporaries Congratulations to all of this year's Hall of Fame inductees, especially Charles, Joe and Dominique, some of the greatest guys that I have had the opportunity to watch and play against. I'm honored to be able to say that I played in the same era with these guys. For Dominique, it's an especially long overdue honor. He scored nearly 27,000 points in his 15-year career and ranks among the top 10 scorers in NBA history and in my mind, should have been a first ballot-guy. What hurt Dominique in his first year of eligibility last year was the fact his teams never won, plain and simple. The Hawks never made it to the Eastern Conference Finals during his 11 1/2 seasons in Atlanta. His talent and competitiveness was showcased at a very high level throughout the regular season, but he never really got to the big stage and that probably hurt him to some degree. Where does Charles rank among the greatest players that I played against? He is probably at the top. Charles was a load to deal with. He was a guy that was probably, as far as height and length wise, when I first came into the league, a guy that played a lot like me. Over the course of his career he put on a little bit more weight, which limited some of the things he did early on in his career, but he was a dominant force. I mean, he changed the game as far as what a power forward could do with the basketball, the ability to be able to dominate the lower block at a size of 6-6 and split double teams and be very effective passing the ball. But the most impressive thing about Charles Barkley was that when he had the ball he possessed the abilities of a guard. He could grab a rebound and then just take your team right into transition, and that was when I felt like he was at the pinnacle of his game. Unfortunately, things never worked out when me, Charles and Dream all teamed up in Houston in 1998-99. I only played one season there, which was the lockout shortened 50-game season. I didn't leave Houston because of Charles, I left Houston because I didn't think we could win. It wasn't anything personal between me and Charles, which was something the media bit on. Charles wasn't the same player and neither was I, having just come off a second back surgery. The 2006 class in an especially great one, highlighted by this group of talented and competitive players. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Apr 3 2006 6:04PM

Can't Compare Kobe and MJ The eras in which they played are completely different Kobe Bryant's 81-point performance the other night against Toronto was certainly incredible, but it is unfair to try and compare what Kobe did to what Michael Jordan did in his playing career or what he could have done for that matter. In the era when Michael played, it was a physical game. Defense was promoted. Guys took pride in it. Today defense is no longer a part of the game. Guys are driving to the basket. There are rules where you can't step in front of them. To me, it is taking away from the game seeing a guy like Tony Parker taking advantage of the rules. He is shooting 55 percent from the field. That says something about the game itself. In the history of the NBA, I'm sure a point guard has never led the league in field goal percentage. It's a different game now. It's really not about being tough and physical because the NBA isn't a physical game anymore. When you talk about how the Knicks and Bulls used to battle in the early '90s, the Oakleys, and Pat Ewings, the Masons, and how they would have the ability to use their hands to put you in a trap position. There is no way you can even triple team a guy now and stop him. Any contact is a foul. I can't compare the two players because I see it as two different games. If I'm guarding Kobe Bryant in today's game, I couldn't be the defender I was known as. The defensive rules, the hand checking, the ability to make contact on a guy in certain areas, the ability to come over in the lane to stop guys from getting to the basket, that's all been taken away from the game. There is no contact up on the floor. The way I played Magic Johnson in the '91 Finals, I would have fouled out the first time down court. To compare how someone would have played Michael Jordan, Chuck Daly would send someone to wear him down. Even though he may get 30 or 40 points, they're going to be a hard 30 points. But in today's game, you can't put that physical wear and tear on a guy. It's a free ball type of game. If you are shooting it well, you can score 80, as you've seen because you are going to get to the foul line. Officials have very quick whistles now because they're promoting scoring. Let's not forget, three years ago, this league was trying to figure out how they could get the scoring back up, how they could drive the fans back into loving the game, and this is what they were building on. They changed the field of rules. Those rules are huge in the game today. They benefit the perimeter guy. Back in the day, you may get one guy to score 40 points in a month. When Michael Jordan scored 40, it was all over the front page of a newspaper. Now you can pretty much have 40 points at halftime. Until the league went and changed the rules and tried to get some of that bully ball out, you couldn't come out and perform like that every night. The game was too physical. You were too sore the next day and you were just tired and physically worn down. The game seems so fun and free now. Guys are making a living just standing out there shooting jumpers. If you want to say that Kobe could get 100, I would say that Michael could get 100. If Kobe could get 81, I think Michael could get 100 in today's game. I think the psychological style that Michael was able to master in the game, puts him far beyond Kobe. But Kobe's youthfulness has put him in a position where it looks like he is overtaking Michael. Kobe has 10 years in this league. That is a lot of experience to have and still be a very youthful player. I would love to see what would have happened the other night if the rules had been the same as in past years. Kobe is as close to being like Mike as anybody, but you can't make the comparisons anymore. Tracy McGrady can probably, from a numbers standpoint, put up the numbers Michael Jordan put up. He has that type of ability. Dirk Nowitzki can put up those kinds of numbers. The game is built for those guys to put those shots up. If they get touched, they get to the foul line. I would say Kobe is the most polished of all of them as far as being able to handle the ball and create his own shot and opportunity. But this is what the game is going to turn into. Guys are going to start to score 40 points regularly. It may become an average. I don't think Kobe will get 100. What he did is what like Wilt did, a once in a lifetime experience. Given the fact that he shot a heck of a percentage it could have been better, but I don't think he still could have gotten to 100. It would almost have to be perfect and the game would have to go to overtime. I think a lot of things would have to come into play for him to get that. With that said, I am sure Phil doesn't want to coach that type of game. It's not his style. I don't expect it to happen again. Phil will probably do everything in his power to make sure it doesn't. I don't think Phil is going to try to promote what Kobe has done more than anything because he has damaged his whole team. You just scored 81 points. Do you need your teammates? Are they going to step up when you need them or are you going to continue to pound them like you've been doing and be selfish just to get some individual accolades? From a leadership perspective I think Kobe has taken a step back. Look at what he has to live up to now. You just scored 81 points. If you scored 81 points, your team should pretty much go out and win at least 75 percent of their games the rest of the year. Is that fair to say? You just compared yourself to Wilt. Can you go out with your team and do that or are you just going to go out and score tons of points every night? Are you going to get back to the point where you are shooting a lot of shots and you're teammates are not shooting and you're losing? Right now, Kobe has willed the Lakers to a 22-19 record. It will be interesting to see what happens the rest of the way. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Jan 24 2006 4:28PM

Bulls-Knicks: A Disappointing Tale of Two Teams The Chicago Bulls are struggling having lost eight in a row and part of the reason is because the Eddy Curry deal that they made prior to the season with the Knicks hasn't worked out in their favor. The Bulls really lost a lot of size in that trade and it shows on a nightly basis. They're just getting pounded by teams coming in and rebounding and shooting over the top of them. At the end of the night it just wears on the Bulls. With Tyson Chandler not being healthy, they just don't have anything to fall back on once he started to play with a lesser intensity from what he started the season with. The fact is that the Bulls don't have much of an inside presence that really draws a double team. I like Michael Sweetney but he's not a proven player. He can do some things in the paint, but the fact that teams are able to play the Bulls straight up right now makes it very difficult for Chicago to score. I didn't think that the Bulls would miss Eddy Curry's size because I didn't think he ever played with a lot of size as far as taking up space. But on the other hand, it's apparent that the Bulls sorely miss that height and presence out on the basketball court. However, the Bulls' struggles haven't been limited to the Curry trade. Ben Gordon's struggles are something he has to fight through. It is the nature of the league that teams are going to figure you out and adjust to your game, which they have in Ben's case. Ben is going to have to bring something better and different to the table. Last year it was all about him coming off the bench and being a sparkplug, providing instant offense. This year it was time for him to show a little bit more of an all-around game, an ability to create opportunities for his teammates and I think the fact that he's really sort of pressing himself to score has forced him to not have the same type of success. He is still trying to play off of what he did last season when he was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year. He needs to build on his game and find other areas to get strong in. With the trade deadline approaching on February 23, Scott Skiles probably wants someone to be brought in to give the Bulls some type of spark. But John Paxson has to really be patient and not lose the opportunity he has in front of him. The Bulls have a lot of cap space this summer and also own the Knicks' first-round pick and based on how they have been performing, that's becoming an increasingly valuable chip. To be able to finish this season off on an upbeat note with the team playing hard is the most important thing for the Chicago Bulls right now, more so than going out and trying to salvage something that is probably not going to mean much at the end of the day. The Bulls most likely won't make the playoffs and if they do, they're probably going to be out in the first round. The Knicks find themselves a little bit of the same situation as the Bulls because of the Curry trade and because there was a certain level of expectation with Larry Brown coming in. Eddy is starting to show some flashes since he returned into the Knicks lineup after suffering a sprained ankle. His numbers ?17 and 10 ? in the last four games are numbers the Knicks need on a nightly basis. For Larry, he probably expected to get a lot more from certain individuals than what he is getting. You had to think that Stephon Marbury would be having an All-Star season under Larry. After all, Steph has one of the greatest coaches in the game on his side teaching him and guiding him. Most assumed that the response from Stephon would have been praising Larry Brown to better his career, and that just hasn't happened. You would think that maybe this would have been an opportunity for some of their players like Jamal Crawford to step up. Larry's relationship with these players hasn't come to fruition. It seems to be going in a bad way, which is not very good when you talk about a coach who just signed a very lucrative contract but also someone who has some physical ailments and can always walk away as opposed to trying to stay and fight it out. When you're in a situation and the honeymoon isn't as sweet as you anticipate and things start to go bad, then everybody goes their separate ways. That is the situation that has happened with the Knicks. Isiah Thomas went out and got a lot of talent, but they don't have any chemistry. Chemistry is what you need at the end of the day. Larry Brown can't bring chemistry. You have to get the right mix of players, not just a whole lot of players that can play the game of basketball, if you expect to achieve results. And the only results the Knicks are showing is an 8-21 record, second worst in the NBA behind Atlanta's 7-22. If I am Larry Brown I am going to do whatever is best for me to win and if that means playing the young players, then that is what you have to do. I think the fact that he is playing those young guys like David Lee, Nate Robinson and Channing Frye is because he is getting better production out of them. He is getting players who are hungry and players he can push. He knows they are out there hustling and working hard and you can live with their mistakes. Obviously you want to continue to let those players get better and develop. Right now, the play of the young guys is giving the Knicks at least some optimism in an otherwise extremely disappointing season. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Jan 6 2006 5:48PM

Two Great Games on Christmas My analysis of the holiday games If you are a basketball fan, there is not much better than the two match-ups on Christmas Day. The Heat-Lakers is going to be a great basketball game. War of words and egos aside, I don't see any type of altercation happening during this game. Officiating is far greater today than it was a year ago. The game has to be played right and it has to be played professionally, and it is going to be about the better team prevailing. There are a bunch of storylines surrounding this game. Obviously, Shaq's recent return is key. Shaq is trying to play himself back into game shape. He's not the Shaq of old, but we all knew that. Shaq is still a big man that takes up a lot of space, but he also does a lot of things on the basketball court that don't show up on the stat sheet. He's done that for many years. His size is definitely a presence out there and makes a difference. A lot of people are going to be focused on the Pat Riley-Phil Jackson coaching matchup. I think Pat has a little something to prove coming back to the bench. It is important to him to have this opportunity to go back and clean up his subpar playoff record with the Heat. This is a team I am sure a lot of coaches around the league would love to have the opportunity to coach. Pat has his hands full, but he is a great coach with a lot of valuable pieces there. Players he actually sought after during the offseason. His greatness may have been forgotten in some ways because he was away from the sideline for two years but he already is letting his presence known. Sunday's game will be a very big showcase for him as a coach to show off his flamboyance of running up and down the sideline once again. Coaching against Phil has always been a challenge for him. From a winning standpoint, they're both the top notch coaches in the game. Earlier on in the '90s as a young coach, it was an opportunity for Phil to show off some of his brilliance. I see it the same way now, though Phil is obviously a little older. The Lakers have moved on without Shaq. They play a different style - the same offense - but they have a lot more quickness and versatility. They've been able to make this offense work due to Phil's continued belief in them. Defensively, the Lakers are getting better. Phil has a touch on the game, and his deal is that guys defend, Tex sort of runs the offense to some degree, but the Lakers are a team that has some very talented, lesser known players. The fact that Phil is starting to tighten up on the screws a little bit, things are starting to form a lot better. Kobe Bryant's 62-point, three-quarter performance was unbelievable. I'm not going to say Kobe still isn't shooting the ball a lot, because he is at a high volume, but the other guys are learning the offense a lot more and still finding their way in. If the Heat aren't careful, L.A. is going to be able to come in and steal a game. Spurs-Pistons As for the Pistons and Spurs, this is another great game between the two best teams in the league. I think the Pistons need to try and make a statement. The fact that it is a nationally televised game, only serves as additional motivation especially against a team that they went toe to toe with in the NBA Finals. However, the Pistons have played with a lackadaisical attitude at times. They're much better than the teams that have beaten them (see Utah, Minnesota, Dallas). Still, this team at full throttle going into the second half of the season, I don't think anyone can compete with them, including San Antonio. I think the Pistons are playing with more passion and a freer style of play instead of having pressure on them by a coach that is really yanking and pulling all the time. They've gotten into a mode now where they play in a comfortable offense and Flip Saunders is a big reason for that. The main thing that they have to continue to do is not lose focus. As great as they are, they have to continue to play hard, and that is something I don't see in that team a lot of times. Because they are such a good team, they are able to turn it on and off, but they find themselves having to play hard in the fourth quarters in a lot of games as a result. They're a team that should be able to dominate teams in three quarters and rest in the fourth. That's what I would like to see out of them. With all of Detroit's great players, the Spurs are going to have to focus on Chauncey Billups, who is having a superb season. A lot of what Larry Brown has taught him over his career has remained with him in the way that he carries himself and leads the team, and he is the one that has to keep that sort of leadership out there on the court for the Pistons to be successful. You don't want them to get to where they are just free flowing a little bit too much. Larry's presence is still being felt with Detroit, but they are playing a lot more of a freelance type of basketball under Flip, which has allowed Chauncey to blossom. San Antonio is similar to Detroit in that they're very solid. They are a team that is capable of cruising and they can afford to do so. They are ready and loaded to go into the playoffs. Getting their guys healthy is going to be key for them as the season unfolds. Manu Ginobili is banged up and Duncan probably is also a little banged up. They have to prepare themselves for the long haul. I don't anticipate this team trying to make a great regular season push as they have done in the past. I think Popovich feels very comfortable with this team and the weapons that he is able to pull out. As the season starts to wind down going into the second half, they will step it up. They're a very consistent team, they're very competitive and they're going to come out and beat you repetitiously. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Dec 22 2005 6:24PM

Van Gundy Heard Riley Footsteps Pressure, Rumors Was Reason for VG Exit The stepping down of Stan Van Gundy and the return of Pat Riley to the bench is definitely a surprise coming when it did, but I don't think it is a shock to anyone around the team or the league. Despite what Van Gundy said in the press conference, this move was probably something that was a result of the pressure that he faced from the media, as well as the players towards him. I just think Van Gundy didn't handle the pressure well, instead choosing to walk out the way he did. Obviously, he heard the rumors, I'm sure from a reliable source, that Pat Riley wanted to get back into coaching. Stan has been hearing footsteps for the last year and a half. He didn't want to be fired, no one does, and what is a better excuse to use than your family? A lot of people were looking at the return of Shaq as also being the return of Pat Riley, which is what it has turned out to be. I'm sure Van Gundy was feeling that pressure, that when Shaq comes back, Pat wants to make a run with this team that he assembled. Pat Riley feels he can play this hand a lot better than Van Gundy can. Now that he is back on the bench, Riley will certainly make a difference. He is one of those coaches that play the game from the sideline. He puts in a lot of energy and works the sideline on every possession. The respect that he receives will no doubt help him on the sidelines. He will get better results than Van Gundy has. I expect the team to make a full turnaround. I won't say that they're going to be on the top of the mountain before the All-Star break, but they will be a team that you can now consider a contender because of Pat Riley's style and his drive as a coach. The Heat players have to be happy. They see more opportunity and Pat will maximize their abilities. When you talk about Pat Riley, you talk about one of the great coaches in the game. You don't have an opportunity to play with a Shaquille O'Neal every day. Some of these guys like Gary Payton and Antoine Walker are looking for bigger success in the game. They've already achieved the individual accolades. Now they want an opportunity to see what it feels like to be crowned the champion. Pat Riley is the one that can get them there. They are going to embrace the fact that they have a powerful coach on their side who can be compared to all the great coaches in the game. What Pat brings to the defensive side of the ball will be a huge area for them. He gears his team to play a certain way on the defensive end, and if they play with that intensity level night in and night out, it will become a part of who they are. Conditioning may be a huge problem in Pat Riley's eyes. Riley is going to need a little time to get these guys in tip top shape and to get them playing under his system. But he will get this team ready for a much more successful run in the second half of the season. I think Riley can take the Heat to the Finals, largely because of Shaq. Anytime you see Shaquille on a basketball floor, you have to put him among the top players because there is no one that can defend him when he is at his best. Not to say that Shaq hasn't lost a little bit, but he is still the most dominant center in the game and Pat Riley will use that to his advantage. He coached a great center in the past in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaq gives him a big advantage in making a championship run. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Dec 12 2005 1:30PM

Very Scary Bears Don't hibernate on the Grizzlies ... they'll get ya Flying under the radar this season is the impressive play of the Memphis Grizzlies. Only the Spurs have more victories than the Grizz, who are tied with the Pistons and the Mavericks with 13 apiece. What has been the key to their success? Defense. Tuesday night's victory over the Hornets provided a great snapshot of how they're getting it done. Riding a six-game winning streak, the NBA's No. 1 defensive team held the Hornets to 73 points, 19 below their regular-season average. They also held the league's hottest rookie, Chris Paul, to two points on 1-for-8 shooting and he was averaging 17 going into the game. You have to go back to nearly two weeks ago to find the last team to score more than 80 points (answer: Mavericks on Nov. 26). Mike Fratello deserves a lot of credit for not only implementing a good defensive game plan but also having them prepared every night. Jerry West and the front office made some nice offseason moves that flew under the radar but have paid off. The Grizzlies have some solid performers, more role players, guys that aren't going to hurt you night in and night out. You look at James Posey who's now in Miami. He's very athletic, but with a very high volume in turnovers, very unpredictable, very inconsistent. You make that comparison to an Eddie Jones, who's a little more consistent, a guy that isn't going to turn the ball over. They have some solid play at the point guard position. in Damon Stoudamire, who isn't a flashy player but a consistent one. These players are better to coach for Fratello. You're not dealing with some young guys that you're trying to develop while also getting your ball club to play well. Another reason for their success is the improved play of Pau Gasol who has also developed and matured into a much better player which has ultimately given them a bit of an advantage because he's having a superb season so far. He's responded very well to the added pressure and expectations placed on him by teammates and fans. He just studied how he had played in the past and changed tremendously. Here is a guy who did a lot of flopping around, and now he seems to be adding a lot more toughness to his game. He appears much more assertive. You also saw it in his comments after the game last night, how he said he made a point to be more aggressive going to the hoop. I think the Grizzlies are a sleeper team. They're a lot better team than people give them credit for and will only improve as the season progresses. Throw in the fact that they have guys coming off the bench (Mike Miller, Bobby Jackson) that can fill it up and play well overall, and they're a team to watch out for come playoff time. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Dec 7 2005 3:09PM

Glove Doesn't Fit On Van Gundy Criticism Payton needs to be patient I read an article today in which Gary Payton openly questioned Stan Van Gundy's offensive game plan in Saturday's loss versus Milwaukee. It's criticism that is detrimental to the team and shouldn't be carried too far. I don't think Gary Payton knows the nature of this team. He doesn't know how they play, what got them to the position that they got to last year, and that they did it without Gary Payton. Gary is speaking a little prematurely. This team did make it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season. They were a little wounded, probably could have gotten a little further, so I don't think that now is the time to start testing the coaching ability of Stan Van Gundy. Gary has to look at the fact that he has to play a different role at this stage of his career. He has to be with the coach, not against him. Gary is a veteran player, he has been moving along in his career to different teams, and I think it is time for him to try and settle in and finish off his career with some of the class and some charisma that he has always shown on the basketball court. Three games into the season is too premature to be going after your head coach. Van Gundy certainly has his hands full. It began back in the summer when speculation swirled around that Pat Riley was going to replace him. The next challenge is trying to find the right chemistry with a revamped roster and then Shaq, the most dominant player in the game, is sidelined. Gary calling him out only adds to the pressure of the situation. Realistically, it's going to take the Heat two months to get rolling. Now, that they don't have Shaq for the short term, they have to establish some type of identity. The thing is, they are comfortable with Shaq in the lineup, which is very easy to do, but now, it is sort of a panic situation, because they are starting to see their team without him, and they don't know exactly when he is coming back. Rather than criticizing, finding a way to defeat the Nets, whom they face tonight in Miami, should be the goal. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Nov 7 2005 3:38PM

Phil Makes Kobe Better Phil is going to be great for the Lakers because of his familiarity with the team and the players. It is actually less of a risk for Phil coming in and dealing with Kobe because they have both been there before. If you bring someone new in, who knows what is going to happen? They both respect each other and they have won three championships together. I have no doubt that this will work again for both of them. Unfortunately, they do not have Shaquille there, but Phil will be able to maximize the talent that they have right now. They will be a little more competitive going forward. I am not surprised that Phil is back because he is one of the greatest coaches to ever set foot on a basketball court in the present era. He has a lot of love and passion for teaching the game. In talking to him during this season, he did not have a lot of respect for a lot of the organizations out there because of how they structure and coach their teams. He believes his philosophy brings instant success in this league. That is one of the main things that drove him back. His philosophy will continue to work in this league until he sees something different. He has definitely evaluated the fact that the Lakers are not the same team that he left. They still have Kobe but they do not have that big anchor that they need in the middle that really stabilizes things night in and night out. It is going to take them two or three years to get that team back to a really competitive level. There are a lot of good teams out West. Phil has a lot of work ahead him. I am sure he feels that there are some Lakers who are undeveloped at this point in their career. Lamar Odom and Caron Butler are two young talents that Phil can get to play a bigger role than they did last year. I think Kobe has already bought into this. I do not think the Lakers would have allowed themselves to sign Phil unless they truly got Kobe to agree upon it. At the end of the day, Kobe wants to win and he knows that Phil is the best person to put in that position to give him instant success. He has played with a lot of coaches and I am sure he has weighed the option that Phil is the best coach he has played for. After this tough season, I am sure he has even more respect for Phil. This team will be run completely differently from this point forward. He is not like any other coach and I am sure Kobe knows that, now. I believe this is a great for Phil, the Lakes and everybody. A year from now we will all be looking back and saying, "That was a great deal for the Lakers and, more so, for Kobe because now he understands Phil makes him better." Posted by Scottie Pippen - Jun 15 2005 10:26AM

Brown Rumors A Distraction for Pistons You can't talk about the Miami-Detroit series without touching on the questions surrounding the future of Larry Brown. First of all, I have a lot of respect for Larry Brown and what he has done as coach. But I do not respect the way that he is handling this particular situation. It is inappropriate that he feels he can stop on a dime and go pick up any job out there or even show interest in a job. It shows disrespect to his organization and it is also definitely a bit of a distraction to the players and the team. Those are questions that players do not really care for and they do not want to have to deal with them. It can be very detrimental to bring that kind of issue around your team at this point in the season. It is just something to distract them and it causes them to lose their focus. I have seen it happen in the past. I think he is a great coach, but he has driven himself out of a lot of championships because these types of distractions always come around. It seems like whenever he has a chance to win a title there is always talk, "Will Larry Brown take this job?" Instead of just saying, "My focus is here," he seems to give in to these distractions. Why don't they give players the same rights they give Larry Brown? So that every time an opportunity comes up they can just say, "Well, I'm going to get out of my contract." I just think it is wrong for the business and it is a distraction for the team. He should just tell Joe Dumars, "Joe, I have spoken with them and I told them I will speak to them after the season." Instead he is sitting there and going behind everybody's back. That is just unprofessional. At the end of the day, he is caught in the whole media hoopla. And who is going to have to deal with the questions, more so? Him, or his players? Despite these distractions, I think Detroit can bounce back and protect their home court in Game 6. It will be a tough game for them, though. Miami has the mental edge and Shaq is dominating the series. Even though it does not look like he is dominating, he is still making things happen for everyone around him when he gets the basketball. It is not just about scoring, like it was in the past. He is more of a distributor, now. He is ailing a little bit, but he is still physically healthy enough to dominate anybody who tries to play him one-on-one. I do not think that playing him straight-up is working for Detroit. It had worked in the past, but Shaq knows this team, now. Last year, Detroit won out in the end, but now Shaq is more aware of it and he is handling the situation a lot better. Shaq is knowledgeable of how Brown is going to play him and he is making it very tough for Detroit. When they double him, the supporting cast -- Eddie Jones, Udonis Haslem, Damon Jones, Rasual Butler -- has been answering the bell. When those guys are playing well, that makes them a very difficult team to guard. I feel like this is going to be a seven-game series, but Detroit is on their heels right now. Miami can very easily go in there and take them clean out. But I just see Detroit having a little more pride than that. Larry Brown has been able to get his teams to bounce back and much respect to that. But Miami has gained confidence in this series. Early on, when Detroit came in and won the first game, I felt like they got satisfied and they have yet to play up to their potential. You could even say this about their whole season. Part of the reason is the change in personnel. When you lose a guy like Mike James that really hurts you. He brings a lot of toughness and intensity to a team. Losing Mehmet Okur hurt, as well. That really takes a lot away from their bench. They have lost some outside and defensive depth. Those two guys played a huge role in their success last year. Six or seven games, I still like Miami to advance to their first ever Finals. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Jun 3 2005 11:22AM

Suns Shine on Rebounding and D The momentum has totally shifted after last night's game. I don't know if Dallas can respond in Game 6. The Suns dominated in every aspect of the game, especially in the paint. Amare came back after a tough Game 4 and scored 33 points, but more importantly he came through with 18 huge rebounds, 5 of them offensive. Shawn Marion and Quentin Richardson also came through with some huge boards. And, of course, Steve Nash, who had a triple double, was at the top of his game. Phoenix just clicked on all cylinders last night and it will be hard for Dallas to come back. Mike D'Antoni has to be pleased that his guys came up with such a strong defensive effort and shut down Dallas' potent offense, especially in the fourth quarter. Containing guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and even Josh Howard is no small task. Stackhouse continues to come up with big games, but it was just not enough in the end. We all know defense wins championships and the Suns seem to finally be taking this to heart and it's not a moment too soon. The Mavericks are such an explosive and deep team, though, that you cannot count them out in Game 6, especially because they will be playing on their home court. But Phoenix really put a hurting on them last night and I wouldn't be surprised to see them close out the series on Friday night. If the Suns keep coming up with defensive efforts like they did last night, they will go far in this postseason. Posted by Scottie Pippen - May 19 2005 11:39AM

Suns Need Joe Johnson to Advance I like the way Dallas came out in Game 2. In Game 1, they were still recovering from their seven-game series against Houston. I do not think they anticipated such a tough series against Houston. In saying that, that did not allow much time to prepare for Phoenix. The Suns came in a little more energized and focused. They had a game plan and they were able to carry it out. I do not think Dallas had much of a game plan. Last night, Dallas' game plan was a lot different. Defensively, they looked like a different team. They were able to make some adjustments and Phoenix did not respond to them very well. They did a much better job of guarding Stoudemire last night plus Erick Dampier responded after not scoring in Game 1. The Mavs forced Stoudmire to make decisions and make plays. I think they will continue to double-team him and make him kick the ball out and not allow him to be so dominant. But it will not be enough to win the series unless Phoenix loses Joe Johnson, who went down hard last night and fractured a bone in his face. He is a huge part of the Suns. Phoenix cannot replace his ability to get into the paint and shoot from the outside. They have nobody on the bench who can fill that void. Johnson has been so big for them this season. But, if he comes back, I do not see Dallas having an answer. I think the Mavericks found a pot of gold last night as the Suns shot poorly. I do not see that happening again and I still like Phoenix to win the series. Pistons Take the Night Off Indiana came in last night and really tried to find their tempo. They went into the series thinking they were strong enough to compete but Detroit jumped out with a good start. They pretty much played a perfect game in Game 1. Last night's game was an even game at the start, but Indy seemed to find a couple hot hands in Jermaine O'Neal and Reggie. They distributed the ball a lot better offensively than they did in Game 1, but Jeff Foster and his hustle plays were the difference in the ballgame. That really opened the game up for the Pacers and gave them the confidence they needed to win on the road. If nothing else, Indiana has been able to extend this series at least one more game. Now, Game 3 will be a very pivotal game for both teams. The Pistons have to bounce back and regain home-court advantage back by coming out and winning in Detroit and I think they will take care of that. I expect them to stop Indy from gaining more confidence in this series. Last night was really a huge turning point in this series. In Game 1, Detroit looked like they were head-and-shoulders above the Pacers. Last night really gave them a reality check. I still like Detroit in this series, though. They have too many weapons, including Antonio McDyess, who came out last night and had a great game off the bench. But if he continues to come up big, the Pacers will not be able to find an answer. Indiana will also have trouble matching up with Detroit's starting frontline of Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace. They only have a chance if Foster continues to have exceptional games, like he did last night with 20 rebounds. Win or lose, though, the Pacers have proven themselves an incredibly resilient team. They have set goals of where they want to be. Remembering last season, this is the team that challenged Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals and their goals and ambitions have not changed even though they have lost one of their great players in Ron Artest. This team's focus is to get back to the NBA Finals. They are dedicating this whole season to Reggie Miller and they are trying to send him out in the best way possible. They are just doing it by putting forth the effort against all odds. But it would surprise me if the Pacers pushed the Pistons to seven games. Even though they are one of the most experienced teams in the playoffs?Reggie and Dale Davis are two guys, in particular, who have a lot of playoff experience?they just do not have enough athletic ability and talent to match up with a championship-caliber team like Detroit. The Pistons have all the tools they need to win a championship. No matter what obstacles they run into, they can match up with any frontline and they have McDyess coming off the bench. Last night was one of those games where they took the night off. They came out in the first quarter and felt like it was too easy and they tried to coast in. Indiana just gained momentum and they took over. Posted by Scottie Pippen - May 12 2005 4:17PM

This Won't Be Reggie's Farewell Pacers-Celtics Game 7 .. I think Indiana has the edge. They are a much better road team and with their experience and depth, I think they will prevail in this series. There is going to be a lot of pressure on Boston because they have to defend their home court. Indiana is under-manned. They are without one of their All-Stars in Ron Artest and Jamaal Tinsley has not been 100 percent in this series. Even though he is working himself back into the rhythm of things and getting minutes, he is not the same player. But Indiana has more big-game experience. They have Reggie Miller, Anthony Johnson, Dale Davis, Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson, you could just run down the list. I know Boston has experienced players, but when it comes down to going to your bench in Game 7, that is where the mistakes are going to be magnified. I cannot see Doc Rivers having a lot of confidence in playing those young players in the final 48 minutes of the series. I would rank Reggie as one of my top five all-time great competitors. He could even be No.1. We were both members of the NBA Draft in '87 and I watched him for three or four years before. I knew he would challenge me as a player. He comes to play every night. You want him on your side in a Game 7. I have played with him in the Olympics and All-Star Games and he is the ultimate competitor. If he is going to go out, I expect him to put up some big numbers. I do not see him going down, though. Reggie has made such a name for himself playing big on the road and Saturday won't be any different. He lives for these moments. All of the great ones do. He has thrived in big pressure games whether it's at Madison Square Garden, Chicago Stadium, Conseco Fieldhouse or at Staples during the 2000 Finals. This Game 7 in Boston is a chance to add to his legacy. The FleetCenter may not be the Garden, but you still feel that old Boston tradition so I am sure Reggie will make this a very enjoyable game. I think the Pacers will win this series and the big series everyone is waiting for, Detroit against Indiana, will finally come alive. Game 7 ---Rockets-Mavericks ... I like Dallas. They have not really shown that they are playing their best basketball in the playoffs. That is really why I like them. Dirk Nowitzki can go off for 40-50 points and I expect him to have a breakout game on Saturday. McGrady has done a great job of defending him, while still bringing his offensive game. But I just do not think Houston can continue to keep his scoring down and I do not see the Rockets bringing it on the road again. I know they won two games on the road this series, but I think they are kind of content and satisfied with what they have done thus far. They have not shown a killer instinct in this series. They jumped up 2-0 and since then, Dallas has come back and won three out of the last four. All the momentum is on Dallas' side. Also, in a Game 7, you have to lean towards the home team. That is really what it is all about. You work all season to try to get home-court advantage, at least in the first round. For Dallas, this is their meat and potatoes. This is what they worked all season for. Hopefully, they can make this home-court advantage fruitful for them. Yao Ming is always the X-factor for Houston in order for them to consistently succeed. Tracy McGrady is always going to bring it, but Yao has to play well for Houston to win on Saturday. He just has not shown any consistency yet, and I do not see him coming up big. If he can have a big game, it will be a deciding factor in the series. But he just has not been able to dominate this series the way we anticipated he would. Erick Dampier has done a decent job on him, for the most part. Yao had a great Game 2, but since then, he just has not dominated. You would think he should be as dominant in the West as Shaq is in the East, but he is still a young player and he is still learning and developing. Overall, he is very limited in playoff experience and he is learning so you really cannot expect him to dominate or do something that he hasn't been able to do all season long. Posted by Scottie Pippen - May 6 2005 4:08PM

Momentum Carrying Wizards, Mavs .... It's a good thing for the Bulls that the series is shifting to Chicago for Game 5. The home crowd should be a big plus for them plus the Bulls are a better team at home than they are on the road. I expect Washington to make an all-out charge to go up in this series. The momentum has definitely shifted in their favor. Chicago has not shown they can win on the road, but neither has Washington. The Wizards do have the edge, though. The Bulls are really starting to miss Luol Deng and Eddy Curry and Chris Duhon was not able to play in Monday's game. Those injuries are catching up with them. Guys are getting a little fatigued from having to do a little more than they are accustomed to. I think the Bulls still have a chance, though. I am not quite sure they can win on Washington's floor, but I think they can win another game on their home court to push this series to seven games. Washington has been able to tie this season in large part due to their bench play. The Bulls know that the trio of Arenas, Hughes and Jamison will contribute the majority of the scoring but the play of Etan Thomas, Michael Ruffin and Juan Dixon has been huge for the Wizards and that has been the difference. Plus, Arenas is playing with better poise than he did earlier in the series. Washington's bench has really given that team a spark. That is an area where the Bulls are really hurting. Their bench is their starters right now. They are not able to get any support from their bench. It is very important for the Bulls to win Game Five on their home court. They were able to draw energy from the crowd in Chicago in Games 1 and 2, but they couldn't sustain it in Washington. This game will determine who will win the series. Dallas-Houston Thoughts Looking at the all-Texas first round matchup, the Rockets, down 3-2, are in a tough spot. After losing three straight to Dallas, I do not think Houston can respond. They are too far back on their heels right now to be able to bounce back. They had a lot of momentum in the first two games and proved that they can be road warriors. They were not able to defend their home court, though, and the Mavericks were able to fine-tune their game in those wins. Then they came back to Dallas and got a big win. I see the Mavericks feeling real good about themselves because they were able to win in Houston. Their mindset is that they are going to go to Houston on Thursday and close that series out. I am still expecting a huge game from Dirk Nowitzki somewhere in this series and I expect to see it in Game 6. It is hard to say that Avery Johnson is outcoaching Jeff Van Gundy but, in reality, he is. First of all, he just has the better team. Dallas has players that understand the game and they have better athletes than Houston. Dallas is also taking advantage of Yao's immaturity and inexperience. They are more accustomed to playing a wide-open game and this is not a comfortable style for Yao. They create different matchup problems and Yao is out there guarding a Josh Howard or someone else and is totally out of position. He is not comfortable in this setting. This strategy has taken him and Dikembe out on the floor. Avery Johnson is putting the Rockets in a position where their superstar, Yao Ming, is not a factor. He is forcing Tracy McGrady to beat them and I just think Dallas is too good for one individual to beat them. Posted by Scottie Pippen - May 4 2005 7:44AM

Wizards & Nuggets Facing Long Odds Wizards-Bulls .. The Wizards are down 0-2 and in order for them to get back into this series, they must do a better job on the defensive end. They need to flip the switch and take a page out of the Bulls book. They're not putting any pressure on Chicago's perimeter people. Actually, they're not putting any pressure of any of their players. They're just laying back and relying on the Bulls to make mistakes hoping that unforced turnovers come their way in order to keep them in the game. That's simply not going to get it done, especially not in the playoffs. The Bulls, who are known for their defense and not offense, have now scored 100 points in back-to-back games. They averaged 94.5 during the regular season. They've scored 100 points on back-to-back occasions only 5 times during the regular season. Getting the Wizards to become more dedicated on defense will be a key for them to turn this series should turn around. The Wizards will also benefit from a more balanced scoring attack. A lot of their field goal attempts are top heavy. In Game 2, Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes and Antawn Jamison combined for 57 field goal attempts while Brendan Haywood, Jared Jeffries and Kwame Brown combined for only 7 shots. All of the momentum is in Chicago's favor. Let's see if a little home cooking at the MCI Center will help the Wizards .. Spurs-Nuggets ..After a tough loss to the Nuggets in Game 1, San Antonio definitely came back and made Game 2 a statement game. They left the Nuggets wondering if they're going to face the team from Game 1 or if they're going to face the team from Game 2 as they head into the third game of the series. I think you can expect the Spurs team that showed up in Game 2 to be the team that Denver is going to have to beat to get through this series. Game 1 for San Antonio was sort of a testing-out game for Tim Duncan after being out for 3 weeks. They didn't have a good rhythm as we've seen with the San Antonio Spurs. I didn't think their spacing was very good. But the Spurs came back in Game 2 and erased those doubts. Gregg Popovich wasn't shy in making the necessary adjustments and even had Manu Ginobili, a starter throughout the regular season, come off the bench as Brent Barry received the starting nod. It's going to be very interesting to see how the Nuggets play on their home court in front of their fans in sort of a mini-five-game series, now. They have been on a roll at home, winning 20 out of their last 21 games. Carmelo Anthony needs to snap out of his mini slump, combining for 24 points in the first two games and they'll need better production out of Kenyon Martin's Game 2 performance of 7 points and 3 rebounds. Although the Spurs are only 21-20 on the road this season, they're a very experienced team that has two world championships under their belt. Even though Denver has won on San Antonio's court, they haven't shown that they're going to be able to beat the Spurs in this series because of how they lost in Game 2, which was really a golden opportunity for them. San Antonio has the momentum and their road record aside, they're one of those teams that know how to go out on the road and bond together as a team and win. They've proven it and I think they'll prove it in Denver this weekend. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Apr 29 2005 3:48PM

First Annual Pip Awards ..... You asked for them, you got 'em .. I am proud to present the first annual Pip Awards, my choices for the various NBA Awards that are issued throughout the playoffs ... The envelope, please .... NBA MVP And the winner is .. Shaquille O'Neal. He's simply the Most Valuable Player in the game. He transcends the game. He's such a difficult player to defend and he keeps you trying to figure things out about him as a player. This isn't a guy who's been in the league for three years. He has been a dominant player for more than a decade and he cannot be stopped. Period. He's come in to Miami and made the Heat one of the top five most popular teams in the game. I can't take any skin off guys like Dwyane Wade and Eddie Jones. They have some other great players on their team but Shaq has the city buzzing and excited. They feel a championship and this is a city that has won a couple World Series with the Marlins. It's an exciting time for them and there's no comparison when you talk about what Shaq has been able to do in this game. If I was to say that there was anyone else who's deserving of it, it would probably be Dwyane Wade. I like how his game has expanded. I would throw Steve Nash into the discussion as well, but a guy who plays on offense and doesn't have an impact on the other end of the court doesn't really turn me on. I know people have said things about him and I like his tenacity. But I wouldn't even say he was my third pick. If he played a different style of game, like John Stockton, at the other end of the court, then, yeah, he's probably my pick. But you're talking about a guy who doesn't even make an impact to any degree on the defensive end of the court. Now you wanna say he's the most valuable player? What is it about him that shows that he's valuable on the other end of the court? I would look at Amaré Stoudemire before I look at Nash, to be honest. Not taking anything away from Nash, but if I take Stoudemire out of that mix on that team, I think that's where they really fall off. Steve Nash can get you wins, but he's not going to get you there. I would throw Tim Duncan into the mix as well. He's a very valuable piece to this league, the game and his team. When you talk about a valuable player, he's definitely at the top along with Shaq. But there can only be one winner. Give it to the Diesel. NBA Coach of the Year And the winner .. Scott Skiles. I'm a little biased because I've been able to watch Chicago all season long along with Skiles and I have a good understanding of how this team has transformed itself. I was in the mix when the Bulls were losing and couldn't win 20 games. Yes, I still feel like I'm a part of that team even though I'm not physically there. The Nuggets are a new team under George Karl and he deserves a lot of credit for putting them back on track. He's proven he's a great coach. But don't forget, the Nuggets played well last season and made the playoffs. Skiles deserves the award. Has any team started from a lower place on the ladder than the Bulls before the season started and achieve success 82 games later? Plus, don't forget, the Bulls started out 0-9. Skiles has them playing defense and playing hard all season and they are a true team in every sense of the word. NBA Rookie of the Year And the winner is .. It's a tie! Co-Rookies of the Year: Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor. I know, I know. You're a little surprised. Probably even shocked. After all, a few weeks ago I was pushing that Ben should win the award out right. But after watching Emeka play some more and comparing the stats, which are very similar, I've come to the conclusion that they're both doing great things for their teams. They're both having very exciting years. I don't want to take anything from either one of them. They're both very deserving in my eyes. They've pushed themselves to the limit and they've proven they can play at this level. More so, they've told their teams, "This is the player I'm gonna be and you can build around me because this is what you're gonna get from me every night." They did it for 82 games and that's an amazing feat for a rookie. Most Improved Player And the winner is .. Amaré Stoudemire. Even though he's made a tremendous leap this year, this isn't an award for LeBron James. He won Rookie of the Year last year and he's already proven he's a great player. You can't come back and prove you're the most improved after that. He's just the best in his class. I like Kirk Hinrich of the Bulls as a candidate for Most Improved. He's been tremendous. I like Tayshaun Prince, but he's on a really good team, a real good team. But Amaré Stoudemire would probably be my pick for Most Improved Player. He has made such strides in his game and I believe he's the total key to the Phoenix Suns. He obviously has the ability to go to the basket and finish as big and as dominant as any player in the game, but he's also developed a jump shot in his third year in the league. That is not normal for a kid coming out of high school. Defensive Player of the Year And the winner is .. Allen Iverson. With the way the game's being called now, I don't see a lot of defense in the league. They don't physically give you a chance to challenge a guy. The way I played Magic in the '91 Finals, you'll never see that again. That was fun. It was entertainment. The Rules Committee has taken all that out of that game and they're promoting scoring. It's hard to find a defensive player in the game. A lot of people mention Bruce Bowen as a candidate, but he's not a defensive player and he's never been a defensive player. He's got a seven-footer behind him who can block shots. What's his defense? Run you at the seven-footer? You put a seven-footer like Tim Duncan behind me, who's gonna get defensive player of the year, me or Tim Duncan? The deal with Bowen is he's 6-7 and there's not many people who can shoot over a 6-7 person. He never received the Defensive Player of the Year Award when he played in Miami, did he? Allen Iverson gets my vote because of his ability to steal the basketball. He's expends so much energy on the offensive end, carrying the load for the Sixers while leading the league in scoring yet he also brings it on the defensive end. Judging on how the game is being played, he's done an amazing job. Executive of the Year And the winner is ... John Paxson, Chicago Bulls. In the short amount of time he's been in Chicago, there isn't any doubt that John has made all of the right moves, including getting rid of my old behind. Unfortunately, right when you're seeing this team really start to take off, the injury bug bit hits them. That just comes from being young and not physically strong, growing pains, really. Sometimes it hits your hard, sometimes it hits you subtle, just enough to wake you up. But I think John Paxson has done a tremendous job and really cleaned up the whole image of the team. He's gotten guys that come from winning organizations and desires nothing but to be the best. Thanks to his moves, not only is the present bright but so is the future. Sixth Man of the Year And the winner is ... Ben Gordon. Ben is a big part of the reason why the Bulls are where they are and heading into the playoffs. He's a rookie and he's coming in during situations that he's not familiar with yet responds and lights a spark under the team with his scoring ability. His ability to score when the game in on the line in the fourth quarter has been particularly impressive. Ricky Davis is another strong candidate, but he's been playing off and on the bench his whole career. He should be adjusted to different situations to understand them. I'm not sure if Boston would be affected if they didn't have Davis coming off the bench. They're still going to be OK without him. Whereas if the Bulls don't have Gordon, they're going to be back where they were a year ago. I'm a Chicago Bulls fan and he's made such an impact and he's gotten a lot of fans to jump back on the Bulls bandwagon. That's the type of Sixth Man of the Year impact he's been able to bring. This kid is so good in this role he may play off the bench for the rest of his career. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Apr 22 2005 2:06PM

Mile High Rebound The Denver Nuggets might be the hottest team going into the playoffs. They have the best record since the All-Star Break and the hiring of George Karl has really brought the best out of this team. He's someone who knows players and he gets instant respect. He's the right person for the job. He's gotten the team to play more focused on the basketball court and, maybe most importantly, he's helped Carmelo Anthony rebound from a tough start to the season. Anthony's a very young player who gained a lot of notoriety after a terrific first year in the league. So, it was disappointing to see him struggle during the first couple months of the season. There was a lot of pressure on him to be a superstar at such a young age and he was doing things out of the context and character of him as a player. George Karl has made a tremendous difference, though. It was really great for Carmelo to have George come in and say, "You are still a young player. We're not expecting such-and-such out of you but we do want to get better and grow and work on the team getting better, not just you, as an individual." I think that allowed the kid to be more efficient, especially on the offensive end. The mentality of George Karl has also allowed the team to evolve and do well on the defensive end. He had a great opportunity to observe this team from afar and I think he realized why some of the problems were happening. Being a coach with experience, he went in and immediately put some things out on the table that were not helping the team to grow in the right direction. These are all reasons why George Karl is a strong candidate for NBA Coach of the Year honors. Scott Skiles can also be looked at as a very high candidate. He's coaching a team with four rookies and a second-year player playing key roles. He and George Karl would definitely be at the top of my list. I think they've both done outstanding jobs. Nate McMillan was the early favorite for the award. The Seattle SuperSonics had a great start to their season, but they've fallen off a little bit. The last month or two of the season is when you can really tell whose team is prepared for the long haul and the Nuggets definitely look ready for the postseason. No team wants to face the Nuggets in the first round. They might be the most dangerous team right now because they've only lost two games since the All-Star break. They're probably playing with the highest confidence level of any team out there and they probably feel like a one-seed, especially on their home court. But let's keep in mind that a lot of the players, Carmelo Anthony included, lack enough real playoff experience to really do well in the postseason. Because the team made the playoffs last season, I don't think Carmelo and some of the other younger guys will be in awe. But I still don't think you can call him or Andre Miller or Nene seasoned vets who are 100 percent prepared for the pressure of the playoffs. They got a little taste of it last season and they're hungry for some wins, but every year brings more and more pressure and expectations. They're gonna be expected to get further than the first round because they've been playing so well in the second half of the season. But their lack of postseason experience will make it tough for them. Even though they have Kenyon Martin, who has been to two NBA Finals with the Nets, it's gonna be a different challenge than what they've faced in the last couple months and those younger players won't be as effective. They will do well, though. George Karl will prepare them. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Apr 15 2005 4:51PM

Back Up the Truck in Minny Has there been a more disappointing team this season than the Timberwolves? Here was a team that was primed to take the next step this season and in a 12-month period went from championship contender to rebuilding pretender. Western Conference Finalist to Lottery Team? We'll know less than two weeks but it's sure headed that way. One of the many problems with this team is that they gave a lot of guys a comfort zone and all they've tried to do is prove their point that they're very valuable to the team. Their stance is, "You need me." Instead of keeping hungry players around, all their guys are in too comfortable of an environment. They didn't stay hungry this year. Some guys got their contracts, some didn't. It's very disappointing. You can look from the center position all the way out there to the wing players. Kevin Garnett does a lot, but, if there's not two guys carrying the load, it's very hard to be successful. Wally Szczerbiak is a guy they kind of wanted to put in that position, but, unfortunately, he hasn't panned out. He's gotten too comfortable in his environment and he doesn't have the hunger any more. This is a team that suffered from a myriad of problems dating back to last Fall when the subject of contracts came up regarding Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell. I don't mean to bash those two guys but in a season when the team needed them to emerge as leaders, they didn't step up. If they're leaders, they don't travel the path they've traveled. Cassell's had a wonderful career, he's got championship rings, but, still, he hasn't found a home. You can make the same point with Latrell Sprewell. You can't ask them to be leaders because they haven't shown that they can lead by example. I think their concern over their contracts came back to bite them. Once you say something like that, you really have to go out and put your money where your mouth is. They also brought in Ervin Johnson and Michael Olowokandi, who both are giving you the same thing. Nothing. It's pretty disappointing to watch Kevin Garnett play around guys that are not as motivated and energized as he is on a night-in, night-out basis. This is a guy who puts up MVP numbers every single season. That organization has to get some players that are hungry and that are willing to lay it on the line, night and night out. They've taken the excitement away from watching them play. KG also has to look at himself to some degree for this disappointing season. What type of a leader is he going to be moving forward in his career? Whatever he's tried in the past, hasn't worked. He has to get himself and his team deeper into the playoffs every year. He has to solidify his career on a higher level, other than 82 regular-season games. He has to get to the bigger stage. I think he has to look at himself and ask, "What else can I do? Can I be a better leader? Can I be a little tougher on my teammates? Is there something in my game I need to work on to make us better? Should I be a better defender? Should I be playing a three instead of a four? Have I gotten too comfortable?" He has to find a way to make his quality play more productive. At the rate he's going now, that's going to be the one thing that's left out of his career. He never really played any games at a high level that people can really judge him as a player. Was Flip Saunders a scape goat when the team let him go? No, not really. He was the head coach and was certainly accountable for the underachieving season. I think he had done a great job there, but when a team starts to falter, the coach is the first one to go. I think Flip has had numerous opportunities to be a lot more successful than he's been. The organization has to say, "Do we want to get better? Do we feel like this guy can carry us any further?" I'm sure they asked themselves these questions and decided this was as far as Flip Saunders could take him. He'll rebound nicely during the offseason with the number of coaching vacancies around the league. He's a good coach. Even if the Timberwolves were to get into the playoffs at this point, they would only be hurting themselves. I don't think that they can allow these guys who disappointed them all season to now come out, have a few games, honeymoon a little bit into the playoffs, and mask the problems that have plagued this team and franchise for the last six months. They really have to consider going in another direction, but it's going to be hard for them. I don't know if they can do anything with a lot of the players they have. They haven't really shown that they have a lot of value around the league. They couldn't move any one of them at the All-Star break. Plus, they're going to need a new coach since Kevin McHale said he won't be coaching beyond this season. The Timberwolves have to back up the truck and they're going to have to try to make some deals. They may end up eating some deals just to clean up some of the chatter. Because I don't know how much a lot of those guys they have left in the tank. It's hard to stay consistent in this league. Any great team I've played on, you're only an ankle turn away from being knocked back from a No.1 seed to a sixth or seventh seed. If San Antonio isn't a great team and they lose Duncan, they can fall to fourth, fifth seed. Great teams are able to overcome a lot of different adversity. That's what makes a difference. Minnesota is that type of team. They basically have to start over and the sooner, the better for them and their loyal fans. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Apr 6 2005 1:41PM

No T.D., No Problem Tim Duncan goes down with a severe sprain ankle and what happens? The Spurs initially stumble but then regain their footing and now they're on a roll. Winners of three out of their last four games, it's really amazing that they're playing this type of basketball without one of the best players in the game. You wouldn't expect them to be able to put it together. They've been beating teams. Last Sunday they defeat a Houston team that had won 8, 9 games in a row. They went in there and Manu Ginobili just dominated the game. I'm not seeing why there are teams that are playing down to San Antonio. Because of what they've done in years past, there should be instant respect any time this team is on the basketball court. They're gonna come at you. Seattle and Houston allowed this team to come in without Duncan in the middle and beat them. That says a lot for Coach Popovich. He has this team prepared and really playing some of the best basketball at this stage of the season. It doesn't matter who's on the floor. Even though Popovich earned NBA Coach of the Year honors two years ago, it still seems he gets either gets overlooked or people just take the job he does for granted. Whenever a team has two All-Stars, it's very difficult to give the coach a lot of credit. But Pop deserves all the credit in the world for setting that team up and putting them in the right direction. They weren't always a big-time contender. With his guidance and his preparation, he's developed such a strong attitude in this team. They're one of the most fun teams to watch because they're going to be consistent and play with intensity. That says a lot for Pop as a coach. A lot of times a team will take a little dip if they lose their superstar player or they may get out of rhythm and other guys may try to take too many shots. But on this team, it looks like every player gets just as much respect with the basketball and feels just as comfortable making decisions as Tim Duncan does. I think that has a lot to do with the way Popovich coaches his team. Tony Parker is also a big reason why this team is winning. He fills the numbers up across the board with scoring, assists, steals. He does a great job of getting his teammates involved and pushing the ball up the court. He's also a great pick-and-roll guy. He's still a young player, but he's going to be effective and he's going to continue to get better and build confidence as he goes. I think Tony Parker is capable of being an All-Star player in this league. It's very difficult for him right now because of some of the other players in the league. Guys like Steve Nash, Mike Bibby and Kobe and others keep him from being an All-Star player. But his performance on the basketball court is quality and it's definitely All-Star, superstar-type basketball. I'm sure that San Antonio appreciates having him. There was talk about Jason Kidd signing there a couple years ago, but this kid has a lot more upside right now. The Spurs are playing great right now and you have to say they're going to play better when Duncan returns. Phoenix is another team out there now that is really feeling good, comfortable and confident about the way they're playing. They feel like they can be the offensive team that can win a championship. We all preached that defense wins championships, but I think the Suns want to prove everybody wrong. They feel like they got guys that can put the ball in the basket as well as defend. I think Phoenix just keeps getting better. They're not at San Antonio's level, but they're gonna get there. Who knows where they're gonna be in the next three weeks? They may end up with the best record and have homecourt advantage. That would be huge for them because they need some home cookin' but they're a strong road team, too. Homecourt advantage would really give them a leg up going into the playoffs. I think people will start to give them a little more credit for the type of basketball they play. Their style could work in the playoffs if they're able to get homecourt advantage. Still, I think the Spurs have to be looked at as one of the top contenders. They got guys who come off the bench and can put up numbers and I think if they get back healthy and get Duncan back on the court, I think we will see them march right through to the championship. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Apr 1 2005 12:05AM

Sorry Emeka: Ben Gets My ROY Vote The ballots aren't due until the end of the season but I'm casting mine right now .... Ben Gordon for NBA Rookie of the Year. I know, I know ..... a former Bull voting for a fellow Bull, right? Well, the numbers back up my case. We'll get to that in a second, though. I think Ben deserves the honor over Emeka Okafor of the Bobcats because he's been much more productive while playing less minutes. Plus, the Bulls are winning. Gordon's production in a limited amount of time means a lot more than Okafor's, who plays a lot of minutes and speads his numbers over four four quarters for an expansion team. Gordon's proving that he can come in and do it in just in the fourth quarter for a winning team. At last check, Ben has recorded 18 double figure scoring fourth quarters this season. Where does that rank in the NBA? No. 1. Think about that. That's ahead of such great scorers as Iverson, Kobe and T-Mac. Now, check out the numbers between Ben and Emeka: Ben --- Points-- 14.9; Minutes Per Game: 23.8, FG -- 42.5%; FT -- .847%; Rebounds -- 2.6; Assists -- 1.8; Team Victories = 35 Emeka ---Points -- 14.8; Minutes Per Game: 35.7; FG -- .44%; FT -- .575%; Rebounds -- 10.7; Assists -- .9; Team Victories = 13 As you can see, Emeka is playing 12 minutes more per game yet they are neck and neck in terms of scoring averages. Naturally, Emeka is going to pull down more rebounds than Ben but their shooting percentages are close and Ben doesn't take nearly as many high percentage shots as Emeka does. Plus, Ben has the advantage from the free throw line -- .847% compared to .575%. Not only do I think Ben is deserving of top rookie honors, I also think he should win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award as well. I know it would be the first time for any rookie to achieve this double double but nobody expected the Bulls to be in the playoffs this season and Gordon's play off the bench is a big reason why. This kid has been expected to come in and play a huge role down the stretch of games and is delivering time and time again. I think Scott Skiles' strategy of inserting him in the game off the bench is great because Gordon is a huge spark for the team. If you put Ben out there as a starter, the Bulls would lose some of their bench strength. Plus, other teams haven't been able to figure Gordon out because he's not out on the floor a whole lot. These young kids on the Bulls have really worked hard. A year ago, they were at the bottom of the barrel. But now, with the development of Kirk Hinrich and the coaching of Skiles, this is a very scary team going into the playoffs. In my mind, Hinrich should merit All-NBA Third Team honors for what he is doing in only his second season. The Bulls have primarily being doing it with their defense -- strong defensive rebounding while eliminating most teams to only one shot per trip down the floor. Skiles is really doing a great job of rotating the young players. If you put five of them out there at one time, you really don't give yourself a lot of room for coaching any one individual. Skiles will pull Tyson Chandler out and say "Look, you're going to have to play behind Eddy Curry and earn your minutes. Andres Nocioni, you gotta play behind Luol Deng, and Ben Gordon, you have to earn your minutes behind Kirk Hinrich and Chris Duhon." This way, the younger players can learn a lot watching from the bench and Skiles is always gonna have fresh meat out there. Bottom Line: Ben is doing more with less minutes for a winning team. And isn't that what really counts -- the rookie making the most impact in helping his team win? Posted by Scottie Pippen - Mar 24 2005 12:28PM

Shaq-Kobe: The Sequel; Rockets In Orbit Hello everyone ...... the playoffs are only a month away and teams are trying to improve their playoff positioning ....or just trying to get in ... The Lakers, who visit Miami Thursday night, are one of the teams trying to make the playoffs, desperately fighting for the eighth spot in the West. I think it's going to be an exciting game to watch and I plan on being there. Any time the Lakers visit Miami, it's always a big game. Now, factor in the Kobe-Shaq storyline and it's going to bring a little energy to the game. If the Lakers aren't careful, this game could one sided. Hopefully the Heat don't go into the game with that mindset, but the Lakers don't have any size to match up with the Heat's frontline. Plus, Kobe is the only one that's consistently giving them any offense. They're a team fighting to hang on as the season winds down. The Lakers are a franchise that is accustome to always making the postseason. Meanwhile, the Heat are on such a roll, winning their 10th game in a row and clinching homecourt throughout the playoffs. That's pretty big for a team that brought in several new additions. They've been able to gel and they are peaking with 15 or so games left in the season. The most obvious reason for the team's success is Shaquille O'Neal. His presence out there makes the game so much easier for the other guys. He's a seasoned vet and he has a great understanding for the game. Yet despite the enormous talent, what a lot of people don't understand about Shaq is his intelligence and his ability to pass the ball. He has so much more knowledge of the game than most people think. We always look at him and say when he gets the ball, he's always going to dunk it. But he has a good feel for the game and he can make the guys around him great. I think it's amazing that he and Dwyane Wade have developed such a wonderful chemistry in such a short period of time. They have a really good understanding of each other. I think Wade does a great job of keeping Shaq, as well as his other teammates, involved in the game. You also have to say it was probably a good move for Shaq to sort of pull back a little bit and let this kid continue to blossom throughout the season Even though Wade is a second-year player, he's playing like a seasoned vet. He's won a few games this year with last-second shots. He just has such a thrust about his game, about getting to the basket. He keeps that pressure on your defense for 48 minutes and in the latter part of the game he's really able to shoot the basketball with a lot of confidence and a lot of comfort. He's playing some of the best basketball of any individual player in the game. He should be really looked at as an NBA MVP candidate. You can even make the case he's been the MVP of the Heat this season. He has a little Michael Jordan in his style. He's a very exciting player to watch. While the Heat are rolling through the competition in the East, the Houston Rockets are orbiting in the West. They're coming off a four game road trip in which they won 3 games and seem to be peaking at the right time. As much as I like Seattle, you have to like Houston's upside, especially come playoff time. The Rockets are a team that made a lot of moves during the season and so far, they seem like the right ones. I think Bobby Sura, first of all, really sets the tone for the Rockets. He's a heck of a defender. He really gets after guards and he just works for 48 minutes. And now you bring in a guy like Mike James who has the same type of mentality, they really set the tone for Houston. Anytime you can get those kinds of guys getting up the court and playing well and getting out there, it really has a huge effect. It allows a guy like Tracy McGrady to step up his defense and Yao has become a much bigger presence for them on the inside. Juwan Howard, too. Things just tend to go well for you when you play hard on both ends of the court. The most important reason why Houston is playing so well, though, is their offense is clicking so well that teams are not able to get out and get easy baskets on them. If you want to play your best basketball, you really want your offense to be clicking. It really helps you on the defensive end because it allows you time to get back and set your defense. No one is going to want to face the Rockets in the postseason. They have two of the most dominant offensive players in the game in T-Mac and Yao. When you look at the numbers that McGrady is capable of putting up and when you look at the fact that a lot of teams cannot match up with Yao, they're just a team that presents matchup problems. The Rockets are currently the 6th seed in the West. The Kings, who are in fifth place by 2 games better watch out. The Rockets are on the move. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Mar 16 2005 4:18PM

Philly and Boston: Tale of Two Teams Great expectations greeted the Chris Webber arrival in Philly seven games ago. How has it worked out? It hasn't. Philly is still winless since they acquired five-time All-Star. Why hasn't it worked? Because Chris Webber is not a good fit for Allen Iverson. Iverson is a guy that plays with a lot of focus on him in getting him the ball on offense and Chris Webber is just the total opposite. He's a guy that plays with the ball and makes all the guys around him better. The way Iverson plays within a lot of traffic is not a very comfortable situation for Chris because every time he catches the ball he's never in a comfortable position where he knows where every defender is out on the court. That's a problem that I see that he's dealing with right now. It also doesn't help that Chris isn't the healthiest I've seen him. For it to work in Philly, I think you have to find some way to get Chris out on the court and make him valuable when Iverson is not out on the court, which may be tough because Iverson's a guy that carries a lot of minutes. He ranks No. 1 in minutes per game, averaging 42.5. I think Chris can create more outside shooting for their guys probably on that first unit to give them some balanced offense. Plus, Webber can really bring them some offense as well. In order for him to be effective, he has to have the ball in his hands and he has to be able to make decisions. Also, Iverson has to pull back. He has to sit back and allow himself to be a spot-up shooter. He has to allow himself to work off of Webber for his cutting, put the ball more in his hands and allow him to be more of a playmaker out there similar to what he was doing in Sacramento. The coaching staff has to make some real adjustments and fast to allow Webber's talent to flourish. Right now they've tried to bring Webber in and implement him in a position that they had Kenny Thomas playing and you're talking about two totally different players. Chris is never going to be comfortable playing a role similar to Kenny's role. On the flip side in the Atlantic, you have to like Boston right now and the fact that they reacquired their floor general in Gary Payton. He's a leader who's been to the playoffs numerous times. Glove has a great reputation and understanding of what it takes to win in the playoffs. Plus, he an excellent leader for Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, two guys who have very strong personalities. Playing alongside Gary in a few All-Star Games and the Olympics, I know he's going to demand his team to play hard on the defensive end of the court because something he hangs his hat on at the end of the day is being able to shut people down. I think that's going to be important for this team going to playoffs, because they can score. In looking at the overall playoff picture, there aren't many teams out there that you can say that has to completely rely on their perimeter players offensively as well as defensively. I think that's why Boston could cause a lot of problems for a lot of teams come playoff time. Plus, they are a team that will play hard on both ends of the court. Also, Antoine is playing well back in Boston. Why? Well, I don't think he's been in a comfortable situation since he left Boston. In Dallas, that wasn't a comfortable situation because it forced him to be more of a big man than what he is accustomed to playing. He prefers the role of being a perimeter type of a big man that can force guys on the outside and be able to utilize his ability. I think playing alongside a guy like Dirk Nowitzki really took a lot of that away from his game. When he went to Atlanta, he was wasting his talent with a team that wasn't going anywhere. You continually saw Antoine's talent but you knew, at the end of the day, that this was not a playoff team. Having an opportunity to get him back to Boston has rejuvenated him a lot and it's put him in a situation where he can win and he can be back on that stage again. Of course, he's back in a comfortable situation as far as the fans and teammates and probably, the offensive system that he's accustomed to running. In looking at Philly and Boston right now, it's a tale of two teams going in the opposite direction. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Mar 10 2005 11:58AM

No. 33 Is Checking In Hello out there in cyber land. I want to thank NBA.com for making me a proud member of the NBA Blog Squad where I'll be checking in periodically with my thoughts and analysis on the league as we enter the home stretch of the season with less than 30 games remaining. First off, many of you may be wondering what I have been up to since I retired from the NBA several months ago. Well, for the first time in some 20-plus odd years, I've been able to enjoy the winter months. I've been doing some traveling but mainly have been spending some quality time with my family. One of my post-playing career goals is to break into the broadcasting field. I am now regularly appearing on NBA Matchup, which is shown on ESPN Sunday mornings. I've been enjoying the work and learning a lot. When you're on that side of the camera, it's important to get your thoughts across as accurately and as fast as you can. I'm hoping this experience will set me up for a career in broadcasting games down the road plus some live studio work as well. Being an NBA fan and now with my role on NBA Matchup, I obviously follow the league closely. Here are some post-trading deadline observations: Philly: The acquisition of Chris Webber not only makes Philly a better team but now allows them to match up better against teams possessing a strong inside game. Webber gives the Sixers another viable offensive threat and even though A.I. is still the man there, it's been a long time since he's had a teammate that is a threat to score 25-plus points on any given night Spurs: A move that didn't grab nearly the amount of headlines as the Webber deal but falls along the line of a sleeper deal is the pick up of Nazr Mohammed in San Antonio. It's a great fit for him. Mohammed is a very solid player, he's not going to hurt you plus he understands his role. Look at his track record, he's been able to fit in with every team he's played on. What I also like about the move is that not only can he play alongside Duncan but he can also spell T.D. as well. Not only does Nazr help the Spurs in their championship pursuit this season but in the long haul as well. Ever since Tim has entered the league, he has played heavy minutes -- nearly 40 a night. The team can't expect MVP kind of production on a nightly basis down the road if they continue to play him that much. Nazr will help give him a breather. Nets: No, they didn't make a blockbuster deal on draft day. Their major move happened well before that but it's worth highlighting again, given how well Vince Carter is playing. He's rejuvenated his career in Jersey. He's now on a team where he isn't expected to be the leader, a role that I don't know if he ever was comfortable with in Toronto. He's a very talented player and I think the Nets have the capability of making some noise come playoff time, even without Richard Jefferson. When R.J. does come back, they'll be even more exciting to watch. East musings: As we enter the homestretch of the season, you have to give the edge to the Pistons to return to the Finals Why? They have so much in their favor: Familiarity, championship experience and they're now playing with a purpose. Miami is a team that really came out hot with Shaq but I think the honeymoon period has ended in South Beach a little bit. The Heat aren't as far ahead of other teams as you once thought, especially after their great start. It's up to Miami to put pressure on the Pistons to knock them off. East sleeper: Forget East sleeper -- I think the Bulls are the sleeper team in the NBA. When you look at some of the teams out West such as the Phoenix and San Antonio who are playing well, other than Tuesday's loss to Houston, Chicago is playing some of the best basketball in the NBA plus they are playing four rookies as well. Give Scott Skiles and his coaching staff a lot of credit. They're playing well on the offensive end but they're playing great on the defensive end. You're talking about the No. 1 defensive team in the league in terms of limiting teams to one shot. That's a pretty good stat for a young team. A team that probably doesn't really understand how much that has played in their success of where they are right now compared to the first month of the season when they started out with an 0-9 record. If they can hold on to No. 6 seed, they can certainly advance past the first round and if they do, it's their defense that will take them there. West musings: A lot of people are in love with Phoenix and their exciting style of play but it's not the type of play that wins championships. Unless, of course, they can prove everyone wrong. Amare Stoudemire is one of my favorite players to watch. He plays both ends of the floor, rebounds and has made huge strides in his game this season. He's now emerging as the Baby Shaq of the West and the league for that matter. There is nothing this kid is lacking other than piling some years of experience in this league. I'm just not sure that at this stage of his career, he is quite mature enough to lead and elevate the play of his teammates in the postseason. Because he'll need to do that if this team wants to be successful come playoff time. Well, I had fun. I could talk about the league all day. Thanks for hearing me out. Catch you soon. Posted by Scottie Pippen - Mar 3 2005 1:58PM