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Originally Posted by Hakeem
Pippen finished third in MVP voting in '94 with 390 points. Barkley finished 10th, with 5 points. That was Barkley's worst season in years. He only averaged 22/11. Barkley was the better player, but by that season, a lot of people thought Pippen was just as good. And Barkley was 31 and had already peaked. Pippen was 29 and just hitting his prime. I don't recall trade rumors, but it's certainly plausible.
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You have to keep in mind that Barkley missed a bunch of games that year. I think he barely played 60 games. Pippen was also riding the momentum of the 55 wins when the MVP voting came around. In terms of during the midseason and certainly before Jordan retired I don't remember Pippen being held in the same company but by the end of 94'season Pippen was close. Although despite his 3rd place voting few actually regarded him in the top 3 best players in the league. He was certainly top 10 and arguably top 5 but his reputation took a hit after the Bull's poor record the next season and if Jordan had not come back I am not sure what further damage that would have done to his reputation. Basically his top 3 or 5 status was short lived and had Jordan not come back and helped the Bulls return to prominence his top 10 status would be under life control especially with the emergence of young players like Penny and Grant Hill. In fact, I remember quite a few people who considered Hill the best SF over Pippen in the league starting in Hill's 2nd season.