It’s been an interesting few days since the Miami Heat eliminated the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. While most media outlets have started concentrating on the much anticipated rematch between the Heat and the Dallas Mavericks, former Bulls forward Scottie Pippen gave the basketball world a different topic to ponder: Who is the greatest player of all time?
Pippen had this to say after the series ended…
“Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to ever play in the game. But I may go as far to say Lebron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game” (Scottie Pippen on ESPN Radio Mike & Mike In The Morning).
So before I get into the argument of who is better, let me talk about Pippen for a second.
Pippen is one of the best players to ever play the game. He is on the NBA Top 50 Greatest Players list and revolutionized the point forward position, in my opinion. He was Lamar Odom and maybe even a poor man’s Kevin Durant when those guys were still playing on the jungle gym. He can say whatever he wants and has the right to his opinion. He played with Jordan, and was literally courtside for the entire series in both Miami and the games in Chicago.
The observation he made was that LeBron could one day be better than Jordan, and as crazy as that sounds at first, it could happen. Will it happen; now that is a whole different story.
Michael Jordan is the greatest player to ever play any game, in my opinion. In no other sport have I ever seen a guy with such a determination and a will to win. He’s a guy that hates to lose and that mindset spills over into everything he does. His talent is undeniable, the way he mastered every part of the game – from defense, to his mid-range and three-point shooting, to his leadership ability, and the way he was able to consistently close out games – remains unparalleled since he retired.
LeBron isn’t Michael Jordan, and until this season, I would have argued that he would never be; but something has changed. I think it’s because of the way the league is today that prevents players from maturing in a quicker manner. It takes these guys that come directly from high school or after a year of college four, five, even six seasons to develop the win or die attitude that a player must have to win championships.
Kobe Bryant was lucky. When he came into the league he had Shaquille O’Neal to play second fiddle to. That helped him learn how to win and turned him into the closest thing to MJ I’ve seen in terms of being a killer (basketball wise) late in games. LeBron has never really displayed that quality.
Last season against the Boston Celtics, LeBron allegedly quit on his team, according to Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. While I wouldn’t go that far, he definitely didn’t have that killer mentality and it showed more and more in each loss. You have to understand though, doing everything by yourself is not going to work. Even the greats like MJ, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had help. Pippen was a great player and he took the back seat most of the time to Jordan when it came to scoring, but he was a sensational passer and without his defense, the Bulls probably don’t win three of those six titles.
Getting out of Cleveland is exactly what LeBron needed to take the next step in his career. For as much player moves as the team made while “The King” was there, its inability to get another top player to play alongside LeBron was reason enough for him to take his talents to South Beach. This debate isn’t about “The Decision.” People are going to forget all about that in a few years anyway. It’s about his talent and what he is able to do on the basketball floor.
While LeBron isn’t MJ, he is the only player of his kind to ever play in the NBA. Never has there been a player that combined his size, skills and athleticism. What’s scary is that now he is starting to look like a closer; and ever more so, a leader. He’s playing in Miami with his best friend (Dwyane Wade) and he gets along with his teammates. Everybody giggled when the new “Big 3” pontificated about future championships, saying that four or five rings isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Well, after three rounds in their first season, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, look to be having the last laugh because this team is going to be very good for a very long time.
Will LeBron be as great as Jordan? Who knows; but I do know one thing. He’s on a mission to win that first ring and the next great basketball dynasty looks to be starting. Who cares how they were assembled, what will be remembered is what they are able to do on the court. If other teams don’t like it, do something about it. BEAT THEM!
Email: matthew.parrino@ubspectrum.com
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