ABM

Not to mention, about PA himself - perhaps, Pippen's undoing?

PorterIn2004

Hmm.... perhaps. I'd hope that Allen could take criticism better than that but maybe not.

Schilly

Making Public statements about internal affairs is not reall a very good way to go about things in a lot of cases. Lead from within.

Minstrel

Well, there's nothing wrong with that perspective. I have kind of the twins-but-separated-at-birth-and-one-twin -becomes-a-lawyer-while-the-other-twin-becomes-some-druggie-artist-type-but-they-both-have-like-one-weird-habit-in -common-despite-never-having-seen-each-other-(like-refusing-to-watch-TV-without-a-glass-of-milk-or-something)-type of perspective that is similar to yours but comes at it from the opposite angle.

Which is: Economically, next year (and the year after) is pretty much moot. They won't be under the cap, so they can't sign any free agents. What will it hurt the team to have Pippen around for $4-6 million a year for one or two more years? If it won't hurt their competitiveness, and could be of any benefit...whether that's to keep a fan favourite around, to help the team play better, to teach the younger kids...then it seems like a no-lose proposition.


I think you can play the young guys with Pippen. No one even thinks Outlaw is ready to play much yet, anyway. So it's Woods and Randolph...unless you wanted to play Woods, in his soph season, at point guard, Pippen won't take minutes from him. And clearly, Pippen has no effect on Randolph's minutes.

I don't think the team can significantly cut payroll for a year or two. In the meantime, unless Allen is really feeling the monetary pinch (perhaps he is), a short contract with Pippen wouldn't seem to affect anything negatively.

See, everyone?! Schilly agrees with me and is firmly behind bringing Pippen back for another year or two! Join the bandwagon!

__________________
You'll never live like common people
You'll never do what common people do
You'll never fail like common people
You'll never watch your life slide out of view
And dance and drink and screw
Because there's nothing else to do.

el_Diablo

zach's diplomacy with patterson, lessons from von clausewitz maybe?

I think you might be correct with zach being a good leader for the younger blazers, such as qyntel who must appreciate that punch. but even though patterson possibly "deserved" to be punched, that's really not a way to lead a team IMO. and I'd be surprised if the veterans of the team disagree with me...

barfo

I tend to see Scottie as not so much a leader as a cranky old man, still strong, still a force to be reckoned with, a terror to his kids and grandkids, but not truly central anymore.

The middle generation, now in their prime, doesn't include a true leader. Sheed, Bonzi, DA, Dale, and Damon are all flawed in their own way. The class clown, the hothead, the momma's boy, the silent one, and the wastrel.

The younger generation is yet too green to seize power from their immediate elders. Their time will come.

barfo

Trader Ed

Its is a shame.. we finally get an all star player, all team defensive player and hall of famer again (former not current), and they are flirting with just letting him walk away. and there are fans who will support that as well. While I am all for you having opinions. I just do not understnad why you would let him go.

Other than money... why let him go?

Perhaps the article was not clear... our coach Mo Cheeks hollars from the bench and ask's Pippen if there is anything else to add to the converstion of the game. The coach feels enough confidence in Pippen that he asks his opinion. He respects and honors his advice.

Many other teams are now trying to get his services, and there are those in this forum who say... yes, just let him go. Why do the other teams want him if he is so worthless??? And there are many of those who recognize Pippens PG skills as a definate improvement over our other choices, but still want him to walk.

And let Pippen speak against the management.. its good for them.. It has been ridiculous what they haev done over hte past few years. Whitistt did some horrenndous plunders and escaleted the team salary.. and yes, he did some great things as well... but he should be held accountable. Let players vent through the media... its just another method. Are you so sure Pippen is the opnly player to ever do so in the history of the NBA? . no...

There are those who recognize the above, and yet still question what we are going to do with Damon and McInnis as our only PG's.... and ponder what a stop gap method might provide at it... DA or Bonzi or Q at the PG spot.. rather than using conventional lineups, we once again provide a bandaid solution. We have our PF shoot outside, we have our SF play PG, we have our PF play center.... they then still see no reason to keep Pippen. Some say injuries have slowed him down.. why yes, he is 38.... he is no longer 21... but he is still the best PG we have, so why not keep him? Why not let him teach our youngsters. Let him add advice from the bench when the coach asks... there is no reason to not keep him... does he just grate on some people? Why not keep him? our roster is looking pretty thin anyway with Sabas and Daniels gone..

my gosh.. he is what we want... we have it already... why let it go. Can you think of another player available to us to sign who has those skills? Even Nash was quoted as thinking of 2 players who might do what Scottie does... but you know what.. Scottie does it as 1 person. Sure he gettingg older.. but so is Sabas... he is still a delight to watch play, and he was not worth all he made last year either. But I would do it all again just to see him play another game 7 in Dallas. He (Sabas) was marvelous those last 2 games.

We need more players like Pippen (and Sabas) than we do the others on our team.

Who is gonig to be our PG... Do we need to get Kenny Anderson as PG to play for us?

__________________
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts..."

Heart, desire and hustle! Its the fire within that makes a champion.

Ed O

Pippen is not what we want, IMO. He's a 37-year old (38 in September) who's been complaining about the franchise while struggling to stay healthy down the stretch of the last couple of seasons. He's been the veteran presence and leader on a team that's seen more off the court incidents than just about any other team in recent history.

He's certainly had his moments on the floor, but I think his presence as the PG has marginalized Damon's ability to produce. We saw in the playoffs that Stoudamire is still capable of being a decent offensive player, but he only was getting a chance in 4 or 5 game spurts (whenever Pippen was hurt).

I don't love Damon or his game by any means, but the team will be just as good without Pippen as they will be with him... and while it's possible that Pippen's continued presence would have a good effect on developing young talent, I would say that there's not much history to back that up... no young players in Chicago emerged from Pippen's tenure there, and Wells, in his currently flawed state, is really the only youngster that's done anything for Portland since Scottie's been here.

About Pippen's complaining in the media about the organization: if he had done this judiciously in the past, I would find it less annoying. The fact is that he was often harping about things in the Chicago press, and he even managed to fire some salvos at the Rockets during his short stay there. Considering the incredible success that the Bulls' management, the Rockets' management, and (to a lesser extent, certainly) the Blazers' management has had it seems like he has been consistently barking up the wrong tree, and I think that his criticisms of the way management handled things was more destructive in that it helped fuel the negativity surrounding the franchise and lend some credence to the almost constant Blazers-bashing that went on in Portland newspapers.

Ed O.

__________________
"In the end, it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win -- if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth, and nice guys with no talent finish last."

-- Sandy Koufax

Scinos

Hmm...Although Pip is getting old, he can still be a solid player. He adds a veteran presence to the team and is still a good defender.

Is Damon really the answer ? He played alright in the playoffs...but, then he gets busted again in the off-season... I thought he was in Patterson's dog house. Promoting him to starting PG would be his punishment ?

Losing Pip could free up playing time for Q and Outlaw, but I would rather achieve the same thing by getting rid of RP and using Pip as the PG....

My anyway....

Oldmangrouch

Just watch...if the Blazers do re-sign Pippen, this scumwad will do a 180 and begin attacking them for being fools.