RJ: The Next Scottie Pippen?

By Guichard Cadet


I have often wondered why no player is referred to as “the next Scottie Pippen”. The man has 6 championship rings with the same team and served as the complement to one of the NBA’s greatest of all-time. Perception is the problem; and it states that if Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were a sandwich, they would be a BLT. In that type of setup, Michael is the meat and Scottie can be no more than a complement – a mere vegetable.

Lucky for us, perception is a wide path with various menu options. I prefer to think of Michael and Scottie, or Scottie and Michael, in terms of my new favorite sandwich. The Cuban – no, not Mark – has two meats: Ham and Roast Pork. Same animal but prepared differently!

Does Michael get (6) rings without Scottie? Magic got none without Kareem! Bird got none without McHale and/or Parish! Only two recent superstars have shown the ability to garner a NBA championship without another superstar. Hakeem Olajuwon never had one but had the benefit of keeping the same well-rounded roster to earn his two championships. Tim Duncan had David Robinson for the first one, then an assorted roster for his most recent championship.

So, why “the next Scottie Pippen”, and not the next Robinson, McHale, etc..? Robinson and McHale are universally acknowledged as great, all-time players. The vote on Pippen is split. Depending on whom you engage in a conversation, he is either revered or reviled, underrated or some guy who got lucky to play with MJ. Case in point: though many put Kobe ahead of Scottie in terms of basketball prowess. With the same breath, they will tell you that Kobe is all about his stats and will not win a championship without Shaquille O’Neal.

That last sentence had much to do with why Kobe was ambivalent about teaming up with Shaq for more championships. It also shows why Pippen is more than deserving of superstar status as a great player on his own merit and the consummate team player, even though he balked at playing second bananas to Toni Kukoc.

The Nets’ Richard Jefferson is the new “Scottie Pippen”. He is a player who has taken a backseat to many guys just for the team. In his rookie year he deferred to Kenyon and every other veteran on the team. Now, with Vince Carter on the team, we have seen a glimpse of what made MJ and Scottie so dominant – two wing players with similar athleticism to take you off the dribble, play above the rim and nail a jump shot with consistency.

From what I have seen in pre-season, RJ has improved his playmaking abilities, especially with passing off the dribble.

RJ was groomed in the organization and could have seen Carter’s acquisition as a threat to his tenure. Instead he has carried himself with the quiet confidence of a man who knows there are specialty sandwiches that feature three meats.