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The Gordon Debate By Christopher Sells
04.21.2009 - Updated on 04.21.2009
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One of the good things about hanging out with friends is the conversation that comes up. Sometimes serious, other times hilarious, but never dull. Not if you have good friends, anyway. But I digress.
Over the course of a few hours this weekend, the topic of Scottie Pippen came up a few times between my friends and I. Many of us (myself included) credit Pippen as being one of the all-time greats. I’d go into the specifics of why, but any self-respecting hoops fan should already be familiar with the man and his career accomplishments. If for some reason you’re unfamiliar, don’t tell anyone. Just head over to Wikipedia and pretend you already knew what you read there.
There was one of my friends who insisted that Pippen was not only undeserving of the praise that he receives as one of the most versatile players on both ends of the court, but that he was "garbage." This was appalling to me. It’s one thing to say that Pippen benefited from playing next to Jordan and never won anything substantial without him, it is another to suggest that he be lumped in with such players as Shawn Bradley and Clarence Weatherspoon.
This friend also went on to say that he would rather have Ben Gordon on his team than Scottie Pippen. Another red flag. I’ve had numerous debates with our resident Bulls fan John Nguyen about Gordon’s usefulness and talent. Most of them do not end amicably. He believes that Gordon is a starter in the league, I question whether he would be better used as a reserve for a number of reasons.
Both sides of that argument were on display in Monday night’s playoff game between Chicago and Boston. Gordon torched the Celtics for 42 points and nearly won the game for them single-handedly down the stretch. This is the Gordon that has a place in the NBA for as long as he wants because few players can catch fire like he can.
There is the other side of the issue though. Gordon and Ray Allen were going back and forth, having their own personal UConn shootout. Allen scored 30 points of his own— more than a few of them with Gordon running to catch up with him— and the Celtics got the W. To be fair, Gordon was not on Allen when he hit the game winner. He was standing on the sideline, subbed out for— you guessed it!— defensive purposes. Also of note was Gordon’s lack of non-scoring productivity. He had one rebound and one steal in 43 minutes to go along with his scoring barrage.
What made this interesting to me was something I said during the debate with my friends. "Sure Gordon will get you 40, but he’ll give up 30." The numbers are a coincidence I’m sure, but the point isn’t. Are Gordon’s size and style working against him as a player or are they just evidence that dynamite comes in small packages?
I’m interested in seeing what you guys think. It would be nice if you supported what you say with evidence of some sort or something to let us in on your thought process. And keep it sensible. I’ll go along with a lot of points of view, just don’t say something silly like "Gordon is better than Pippen."
And for the record, you’re still wrong about that, Rod. Just so you know.
[Image courtesy of Radiospike Photography] |
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Posted by
J.Nguyen
on 04.24.2009 | Ben Gordon is a starter. But he’s no Scottie Pippen.
I’d rather have Pippen 10/10. Gordon is useful as a second or third piece to a superstar. Yes, he’s streaky and couldn’t handle the rock under pressure. But when he’s on, HE’S ON like Kobe. He can reach a level that Vinny Johnson can’t reach. . | Posted by
O.Sandor
on 04.22.2009 | Thanks for read Chris ... Great stuff. Pippen is one of the few players that could dominate without scoring ... These players are rare and special. Scottie could defend the other team’s top perimeter player or pressure the point guard, rebound, pa-------and run the sets himself as a lead guard. Also, one year when Jordan was playing field of dreams, Pip was a legit MVP candidate. The Bulls won over 50 games and he posted a superb 22 points, 5 assists, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals. He was, and still is, a top 50 player of all time. Perhaps, the greatest co-star in NBA history, who peaked and performed during one of the league’s golden eras. To suggest differently is disrespectful. And to suggest a guy with six rings, whether he was The star or second star is meaningless, should be compared to someone with no rings is flat wrong. Gordon is a nice, but one-dimensional player, who has yet to get out of the second round. If it is about winning, then Scottie has a clear an obvious edge. Thanks again. . | Posted by
Will
on 04.21.2009 | I think it would have been more interesting to debate whether gordon or allen is better...it should be a joke that you’re friend thinks gordon is better than pippen...He is a hall of famer hands down...one of the great defensive players of the time...great overall game...great team player....gordon shoots...and thats all he does...if u brought up the gordon, allen debate you could both say they suck at defense cuz they are rarely with each other after they get picked off...allen is a better passer in my opinion with his 5 ast to go along with his 30 and is a better rebounder and finisher cuz he is taller...Does anyone think that its bad defense if you cant stay with gordon or allen if you get picked....or is it just too hard to get around these picks? . | Posted by
Peanut
on 04.21.2009 | Overall Pippen is better. Ben is explosive scorer (at times). When he’s not scoring he’s useless. Pippen was a streaky scorer but u could always count on him on the defensive end. Look at the 91 series he had to guard magic, mike couldnt or didnt do it. In the utah series he guarded stockton. While doin so he scored 15 to 20 and added some steals n rebounds. Defensively Gordon is a liability but he will stick around n the leaugue though cause he can shoot . | Posted by
40inchleaper
on 04.21.2009 | both gordon and pippen have different playing eras. both of them deserves a whole lot of respect. i don’t see both of them carrying a team (in contrast with MJ or Dwade) but the good fact is that as long as they have good players around them, their potentials are good enough to be maximized. i know that Derrick Rose is the "media key factor" in the playoffs but Ben Gordon should not be discounted. He’s playing with a good casts right now that’s why he’s being effective and efficient. I regret that John Paxson didn’t extend his contract soon enough and rather concentrated to a scoring machine that is unproven and a REDUNDANT talent in Luol Deng. . |
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