Photo courtesy Steve & Barry’sEveryone who claims to know basketball has a theory on what’s wrong with the Bulls. Scottie Pippen shared his thoughts with the Chicago Tribune over the weekend, and I was surprised that Pip went at the players as harshly as he did. You see, as much as us media people say we want sports personalities to be more candid and just be real, we’re so used to the diplomacy, the coach-speak and everyone’s fear of creating bulletin board material, it’s a shock to hear someone being blunt and honest, even if what they’re saying is exactly right.
Here’s an excerpt from that article of Pip speaking on Kirk Hinrich: “He’s guarding Kobe, Tracy McGrady, the best players. He’s not that talented. Let him run the offense. But you can’t have midgets running your backcourt.”
Pippen on Ben Gordon: “You take those bad shots, you’re sitting down. He’s out there shooting for a contract. Offensively, they can be as good as last year. But their shot selection is horrible. [Luol] Deng also is playing for a contract. There’s no flow to their game. … Taking bad shots is a sign of a lack of respect for your teammates.”
Pippen on Ben Wallace: “I’d say I need more effort from him. I need positive numbers in rebounds, deflections, charges. … You don’t pay a rebounder $15 million. OK, they did. He doesn’t know the game like Dennis Rodman did. Dennis knew how and why he got rebounds.”
Pippen on Luol Deng: “He’s solid. But he doesn’t have enough speed. … I think Deng is on the verge of being a star. But all that money talk added pressure. Now he’s trying to show 28, 29 teams what he’s about instead of going out and playing. When the reality is maybe one or two would be looking at him.”
Pippen on Andres Nocioni: “I’d sit down with him and say, ‘Show me you’re a winner and play like it. Not with those crazy antics. Make your hustle work in a positive way.’ He’s turning into Rasheed Wallace with the kinds of things he does on floor. It makes the officials turn on the whole team.”
And finally, Pippen on Tyrus Thomas: “You don’t want him taking those ill-advised shots, jumping and trying to pass the ball. He dribbles better with his left hand than his right. He must have broken his arm when he was a kid. He shouldn’t be dribbling. … I could see why they went for someone like Thomas. He’s athletic, but he doesn’t know how to play the game. He’s great from the neck down.”
Of course I’m wondering what the Bulls players think of all this. If you’re boys with BG or Tyrus or Kirk Hinrich and you read this in the paper, do you show it to them? And I’m guessing that Scottie won’t be a “player’s coach” if he ever gets coaching job.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:06 am
doc says:
Scottie gave them real talk from a legend if they can’t hear that fuck em.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:25 am
Dennis Castro says:
Damn, Scottie put that whole team on blast, one by one. Good for him, he obviously cares enough about the franchise to say these things.
Maybe this is what this team needed, to be called out like this.
I think he’s right on about Gordon and Deng especially. Instead of playing to win, like they were last season, they’re playing for stats, hoping that turns into loot.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:38 am
Brown says:
I like what he said about Thomas. I think he hit the nail on the head, not just about him, but about a trend that’s been going on in the NBA for years now. There are too many players in the league who are just athletes, and don’t know how to play the game.
The NBA is full of athletes these days, who get by on their athleticism instead of their understanding of the game. Just because you can run fast, jump high and dunk the ball does not make you a good player.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:47 am
Captain America says:
Scottie is an adult talkin’ to children. Gil was saying the same thing about Deng and BG. They should have “settled” for the contract offers last summer.
Now each of them is trying to prove he was right to want more money, at the expense of the team’s play.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:50 am
Tux says:
Sounds like sour grapes from a player who, whilst great, has been treated poorly by that franchise on a number of occasions (no payday, no front office job, no last second shots ‘Kukoc for the win, yesssss’). You can now add no chance at being the Bulls next coach.
You can almost hear the jingle jangle of his championship rings whilst he was pulling himself off and feeding that rubbish down the phoneline to some two bit reporter.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:52 am
djKianoosh says:
deeaaaaam boyeeeee.. hey, if scottie feels that way he must be speaking the truth. hard words but these guys are supposedly professionals.
and taking bad shots IS disrespectful of the team. damn straight.
I wonder how often, if at all, this is said to players behind the scenes by either coaches or former team icons like this. it should happen regularly. sometimes it’s just needed.
as for midgets running the backcourt, I wonder how he feels about Tony Parker LOL!
December 31st, 2007 at 10:18 am
Myrie says:
Real Talk. But he does sound kind of bitter. Either, this is what cats need to hear.
Bulls are overrated and have been so for the last few seasons.
They should make a trade to get low post scoring and a steady point. Pippen should tell them to call Larry Bird for a Jermaine O’Neal/Jamaal Tinsley package.
December 31st, 2007 at 10:27 am
Juanito says:
Agree with Tux…Pippen taking some parting shots about a decade too late. Good one, dis everyone on the team and then take a shot at Sheed too? What a turd…I remember the time he showed up at the opening of one of his Chicagoland Toyota dealerships driving a Benz…classy, Scottie, classy.
He’s right about Hinrich though, he sucks…lol.
December 31st, 2007 at 11:59 am
Celts Fan says:
love the honesty. at least he’s being real (and he’s definitely right on, so let’s not call it sour grapes when it’s right!)
December 31st, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Mintellect says:
“Great from the head down” Classic! It’s like Shorty’s line from Tip Drill, “She’s a Butterhead coz everything good but her head.
December 31st, 2007 at 1:35 pm
QQ says:
Haha, Big Ben being compared to Rodman, good one Pip. But I agree, boards are the only thing the Worm can do, but boy, he does it pretty freaking WELL. Wait, who am I kidding? He is the BEST rebounder in the NBA of the past 20 years!
December 31st, 2007 at 4:52 pm
doc says:
What was Pip suppose to pull up in, a Corola. He’s fuckin Scottie Pippen.
December 31st, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Sushi says:
If I’m any of these guys, I read this and start look hard in the mirror. When a guy like Scottie puts you on blast like that, you’ve gotta stop and wonder what the hell you’re doing, or lack there of I guess. lol
Where’s Thabo and Duhon? Are they actually doing good in his eyes or are they just so bad that he couldn’t even talk about them without busting up laughing? lol
January 1st, 2008 at 4:43 am
damn says:
I’m glad he said this, he’s right, and why the hell didn’t they hire him as coach, fuck I know he wouldn’t let the team continue to fuck up if he was coaching them. And fuck Scott Skiles, that fuck can now sit in his basement and smoke blunts while yelling a the tv cuz the Bulls starting to do better without him.
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:00 am
QQ says:
^lol. I can imagine Skiles watching the Bulls in ESPN, then yelling “Set a screen, Thomas, SET A SCREEN!!! F*ck these young bastards!!!” Then realizing “F*ck, I ain’t coaching these young bastards anymore, no?”
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:36 am
jmcglone says:
who is scottie pippen to question heart ?? he sat in chicago when they needed him on the court sulking about–thank god they gave the shot to…Kukoc !! i hated writing that…but pippen is out of league and his opinion is his own, keep to his own thoughts
January 2nd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Joeman says:
Scottie was overrated! Take MJ off the team and what do they do? Two things he said were true though: no midgets running the backcourt(they desparetely need size) and Big Ben being more active. Other than that, Nocioni has been the only one playing with heart consistently this season period!
January 2nd, 2008 at 7:47 pm
dave says:
when mj was gone for two years..scottie held them up well…
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:36 pm
fiyaman says:
scottie just lookin for publicity.. dont he see nothing is working for him since he left the L.. cant get a job and looking for anything to keep his name out there..
He was an a**hole any way.
January 5th, 2008 at 11:59 am
ScoGo says:
Scottie’s giving out what he got from the Chicago media when he rocked a Bulls 33 uni. Without the GOAT, he was any of these guys, too. Couldn’t shoot. Didn’t take the ball to the rack enough. He did some things extrordinarily well — bring the ball up court, run the triangle and play lock-down D. I’m not a big Scottie fan, but he told the straight truth in a very “Consumer Reports” sort of way. Credit him for speaking the truth (and the 6-pack of championship ring is all the credibility he’ll ever need).
January 7th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Steve says:
Pip was harsh, but he is right. The Bulls need to stop taking bad shots, and they will have to work harder.
For anyone who doubts Scottie’s basketball knowledge, the 6 championships speak for themselves. Maybe he should be the coach. You don’t need a coach who is the players’ best buddy, you need a coach who will get things done and tell it like it is. Pippen is that guy and I would seriously consider hiring him if I was looking for a coach.