Saturday, August 14, 2010

The Ultimate Sidekick

Scottie Pippen was recently inducted into the hall of fame for his role in forming the most dynamic duo in NBA history. He complimented Michael Jordan like peanut butter compliments jelly. Throughout his career I always thought of Scottie Pippen as Jordan's personal henchman. When he was on his game teams would have to pick their poison. Double Jordan and Scottie would kill you. For all his talents Scottie Pippen was never a franchise player. It is true that Jordan would not have won his 6 championships without him, but Pippen needed Jordan far more than Jordan needed Pippen. He was a complimentary player and not the marquee guy. This became very evident in Portland and Houston when he tried to carry a franchise on his own. It's always different going from 2nd fiddle to the number one guy and it showed in his performance. He let the pressure and expectation get to him and he never excelled the way he did when he was at Jordan's side. Scottie Pippen will be remembered more for playing with Michael Jordan than he will for his own individual accomplishments. Still, not a bad ride.

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