Another Hall of Famer
in Rockets' Mix
by Chris Ekstrand
Hoop Magazine Staff Writer
Michael Jordan had many ways of saying it: one day he called them Batman and Robin, another day, ham and eggs. No matter what the colorful appellation of the day was, it was clear that the greatest player of his generation knew he needed the vast skills of Scottie Pippen to complement his own galactic talents in order to win a championship.
Now Batman has gone on to other pursuits, golfing and parenting among them. And Robin has left the Bat Cave for humid Houston.
Friday night, the Houston Rockets acquired Pippen from the Bulls in a sign-and-trade arrangement that sent forward Roy Rogers and a conditional draft choice to Chicago.
For 11 seasons, Pippen was Chicago's second most famous personage in short pants, helping Jordan and the Bulls to a pair of threepeats. For the less than two years during Jordan's first retirement, Pippen was able to spread his wings and show all of his abilities. It was during this time it became apparent to every basketball fan with eyes that Pippen had his own greatness, that he too would someday travel to Springfield, Massachusetts, to hear his name called to join Russell, Chamberlain, West, Baylor and Mikan, Abdul-Jabbar and Robertson. Many called him the best all-around player in the game, or the best non-center in the game.
But the second three-peat is history now, and it is left for Chicagoans to carry the debate forward where their achievement falls, likely somewhere between Russell's Celtics and Mikan's Minneapolis Lakers.
In Houston, all they are thinking about today is the chance to close the 1990s with a championship to add the ones the franchise captured in 1994 and 1995. If the Rockets succeed, they will keep the club of 1990s champions an exclusive one indeed: six for Chicago, three for Houston and one (in 1990) for Detroit.
By all indications, Pippen is ready to mesh his considerable talents with Houston's other first-name-only-please superstars, Hakeem and Sir Charles. Where future Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler exits, future Hall of Famer Pippen enters.
The 33-year-old Pippen slides into the position vacated by Drexler, who retired after 15 glorious seasons to become the head coach at his alma mater, the University of Houston. Pippen is a seven-time All-Star who has been named First, Second or Third Team All-NBA every season since 1992.
It is not without irony that Pippen will replace Drexler in the Houston lineup, since no player in NBA history more closely mirrors Drexler's versatile package of abilities. Like Drexler, Pippen is not a true point guard, but he often led his team in assists. Like Drexler, Pippen is wont to grab a rebound at one end and provide an instant fastbreak to the other end. And like Drexler, Pippen is comfortable shooting from the perimeter or posting up close to the basket.
For his career, Pippen is averaging 18 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, compared to Drexler's career averages of 20.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. When Drexler came to Houston in February 1995, ultimately teaming with Hakeem Olajuwon to bring Houston the 1995 NBA title, he was 32 and still one of the best players in the NBA. Pippen, 33 years old and likewise in the prime of his career, also replaces Drexler as the third member of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History on the Rockets, joining Olajuwon and Barkley.
While it is common to point out that Pippen did not win a championship in his one full NBA season without Michael Jordan in 1993-94, it's wise to remember that without Jordan, Pippen was a First Team All-NBA selection who was also named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team that season. He was named MVP of the 1994 NBA All-Star Game after scoring 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, and finished third in the NBA MVP balloting behind Olajuwon and David Robinson.
If the 36-year-old Olajuwon, the soon-to-be 36-year-old Barkley and Pippen stay healthy through the concentrated schedule of game that await them and enter the playoffs on a high note, there is little question that Houston will be challenging Utah and the Los Angeles Lakers for Western Conference supremacy.
