Scottie Pippen – The Best Defensive Forward the NBA has Seen in the Last 25 years

Let’s face it – Scottie Pippen is the best defensive forward the NBA has seen since I was born (1982).

In his Hall of Fame speech, Dennis Rodman said that Jordan and Pippen were the best 1-2 duo ever to play the game. And he played in an amazingly talented era. Better than Isiah and Joe Dumars, Hakeen and Clyde, and Robinson and Duncan. Better than Magic and Kareem, Bird and McHale, or Barkley and KJ. Granted, we all know Jordan is the greatest player this game has ever seen (way better than Kobe for sure) — and that’s why I think Pippen is so underrated; because he played alongside the greatest player on the planet. Sadly, with him playing side by side with Jordan during his prime, we’ll never know what he was capable of offensively if he was the focal point of an offense. That said, when Jordan retired the 1st time in 1993, Pippen averaged 22 points, 8.7 boards, and 5.6 assists per game in the process to leading the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. When you look at their roster, there was no way they should have been able to compete with the Knicks yet they lasted 7 games — largely due to Pippen’s play.

Scottie single handedly dominated games defensively throughout his career. His long arms disrupted passing lane and blocked shots no other forward could touch. Pippen was quick enough to shut down point guards such as John Stockton and Gary Payton yet strong enough to handle the likes of Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing in the paint. He understood passing lanes and angles better than anyone. A 8 time all-defensive first team selection, there simply has never been a better defensive forward I’ve seen play. A large reason he was so good? He had to play against Michael Jordan day in, day out in practice.

I am a bit biased on this — I can truthfully say that Pippen was my favorite player in the NBA growing up. I don’t know what it was about him, but I loved his overall court savviness and dominance on the defensive end. Lastly, being the Seattle native that I am, the Pippen-Olden Polynice trade in 1987 was an epic fail for the city of Seattle. Can you imagine GP, Pippen, and Kemp all on the same team in the mid 90′s? That would have been a dynamite team.

So, do you agree? Is Pippen the best defensive forward in the last 30 years? Who else would you compare him too? Grant Hill (before his injuries)? Dennis Rodman? Bruce Bowen?

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http://baselineJ.com Patrick

Rodman is the best defensive forward of his era. He had no purpose on the floor except defending the other teams best player, gathering 15+ rebounds, and winning championships. Pippen was far more versatile and much better offensively, but from a purely defensive standpoint, the Worm is the best of the 1990′s. It’s really not close.
http://www.drewmeyersinsights.com Drew Meyers

So Pippen was a better offensive player. But there’s not a player in the NBA that played the 2-4 that Pippen could not shut down, and he could probably dominate 90% of 1′s and 5′s. Rodman was the same way, he could shut down every 3 and 4 in the league, 95% of 5′s, 90% of 1′s, and 95% of 2′s.

But we’re talking pure talent here. Rodman expended ALL his effort on the defensive end, Pippen had to split his efforts to score as well. If Pippen did nothing but stand around and chase rebounds on offensive like Rodman, I have no doubt he could have even more dominant than he was already on the defensive end.

They are both amazing defenders, I just think Pippen has the edge. Speaking of defense – Pippen, Jordan, and Rodman on the same team HAS to be the best defensive lineup ever assembled on one team.
http://www.baselinej.com Patrick

Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman may have been the best WING defensive team of all time, but Steve Kerr and Luc Longley were pretty big liabilities at the 1 and 5. I would have to the say Bad Boy era Pistons were the greatest defensive team of all time. They beat you up, literally.

Best defensive guard combo? I go with Gary Payton, Nate McMillan, and Hersey Hawkins all rotating at the top of the key. Maybe I’m being sentimental, but I remember all those George Karl traps at half-court, leading to fast break alley-oops to Kemp.