Pippen wants to coach the Bulls (and he really hates Skiles)

All I can say is dayuuuuuuuuum. He really hates Skiles. Quit the team in 2003 because Skiles was coach.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Larry Bird never coached before he led the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals.

Pat Riley was briefly a Lakers assistant but primarily a broadcaster before becoming one of the most decorated coaches in NBA history.

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Isiah Thomas had never had coached, and while it's not going well for him now in New York, he had three productive seasons in his first coaching job with the Indiana Pacers.

Don Nelson was an assistant coach in Milwaukee for two months before beginning what should be a Hall of Fame career.

Doug Collins was briefly an Arizona State recruiting assistant before coming to the Bulls. Doc Rivers never coached before being named NBA Coach of the Year in his rookie season in Orlando. Avery Johnson was on Nelson's staff less than one season before taking over as head coach and taking the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals and being named Coach of the Year.

So why not Scottie Pippen as the next coach of the Bulls?

"What's my disadvantage?" Pippen asked. "No NBA coaching experience? [Scott] Skiles' record with the Bulls wasn't that great. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do what you've done your whole life. I've played basketball, run teams and won.

"They didn't put me at point guard because I could dribble good. They put me there because I could run a team. I wasn't the best dribbler, the best shooter. I wasn't a point guard. But I knew how to run a team."

Pippen, who is living in Ft. Lauderdale and dabbling in a few business ventures, has clearly given this some thought.

"With a guy who loved to touch it and shoot all the time, I was able to keep him under control," Pippen said, referring, of course, to Michael Jordan. "That didn't come from the bench, it came from making the right decisions. You try to make the game fun for everyone and then we were able to find Mike. The games I felt he was getting off too much, I'd find a way to get other guys off. And then guys weren't running at him all the time and he could take off in the right place."

Pippen wonders why he hasn't been approached about getting into coaching.

"What's the key to this good ol' boy system they have?" he asked. "You've got to go to Europe and coach two years? Sit next to someone for a year? And then looking at someone like me and trying to figure out how your team did it, how you got there every time? Guys like Skiles have never been there. Can he give a motivation speech like someone who's been in those games? I've played for championships.

"What experience do you need? You have assistants who have been there. If I made a mistake, I wouldn't be the first coach to make a mistake. I'd love the opportunity to be part of the organization now that Skiles is gone. I've won championships with this organization and been in the competition when everything was on the line. I was a coach on the floor. Why isn't that experience?"

Jim Boylan is the Bulls' coach for the rest of the season and could catch lightning in a bottle and earn the job. Veterans who have been NBA Coach of the Year, like Larry Brown and Rick Carlisle, are lining up. Around the NBA, coaching the Bulls is considered the best job available with a solid, if not great, core, management that's willing to pay for players, a loyal fan base and first-class facilities.

But Pippen? The guy who had the migraine headache, the 1.8-seconds-left strike, the sundry embarrassing episodes? Yes, Pippen, the player Phil Jackson entrusted to run the triangle offense. Teammates regarded him as one of the smartest players in the league, and trusted him to involve them in the game.

As Pippen likes to say, "How many titles did Jordan win without me?"

Their fierce rivalry and competition fueled those championship Bulls teams. No one could slack off watching the two go at one another in practice the way they did. The games became the easy part.

I recall Steve Kerr remarking that Pippen was the one who'd know when you needed a shot to find your rhythm and where you felt comfortable getting the ball. Pippen would consult with Jackson on defensive strategy, and it was he who suggested he take Magic Johnson in the 1991 Finals, which proved decisive.

Playing the point forward role that might have been invented with him in mind, Pippen brought a dysfunctional Trail Blazers team to the brink of the 2000 NBA Finals. But injuries got the best of him afterward. General manager John Paxson signed Pippen in 2003 for leadership, but Pippen was injured and says he mostly backed off after Bill Cartwright was fired.

"I didn't come there to play for Skiles," Pippen said. "I didn't like him, didn't like him as a player."

One question about Pippen is whether he'd put in the necessary work, but he seems eager. He's leaving for Sweden and Finland this week to play in some exhibition games with club teams.

Why?

"They wanted to see the best," he said with a laugh. "Who else would they ask?"

But Pippen says he's serious about coaching, and if there is an opening in Chicago, be believes he's perfect. He has been watching the Bulls. And one thing we know about Pippen is he's not afraid to say what he thinks. And he certainly doesn't worry about what anyone thinks about him.</div>

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...bulls-headlines

 

It be cool to see Pippen coaching.

 

And his Thesis on why he'd make a horrible coach for the Bulls.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Scottie Pippen says he has been watching the Bulls. Here are some of his observations:

• On Tyrus Thomas: "He can be a defender and a shotblocker. You don't want him taking those ill-advised shots, jumping and trying to pass the ball. He dribbles better with his left hand than his right. He must have broken his arm when he was a kid. He shouldn't be dribbling. He should be a fetcher. Like Ben Wallace, [Joakim] Noah, go get the ball. They don't have enough athletes. I could see why they went for someone like Thomas. He's athletic, but he doesn't know how to play the game. He's great from the neck down. What can he do? Have him do that."

On Ben Wallace: "I'd say I need more effort from him. I need positive numbers in rebounds, deflections, charges. He's not playing with four All-Stars anymore. He plays defense every night or Tyrus Thomas is out there playing. You don't pay a rebounder $15 million. OK, they did. He doesn't know the game like Dennis Rodman did. Dennis knew how and why he got rebounds. So you keep on him or he doesn't play."

• On Ben Gordon: "It's his shot selection. You take those bad shots, you're sitting down. He's out there shooting for a contract. Offensively, they can be as good as last year. But their shot selection is horrible. [Luol] Deng also is playing for a contract. There's no flow to their game. Gordon has to make plays. If there's two, three guys running at him, he still wants to make a shot. Those shots are out of position, your teammates don't expect them, you are not in position to rebound and get back. Taking bad shots is a sign of a lack of respect for your teammates. You think I'm going to run back if I know B.J. Armstrong is jacking it up? My shot is just as good as his. That's what players think."

• On Kirk Hinrich: "He just needs direction. He's guarding Kobe, Tracy McGrady, the best players. He's not that talented. Let him run the offense. But you can't have midgets running your backcourt. Little guards always put you in a vulnerable position. You've got to send help. It puts too much pressure on the defense. I'd tell Kirk to try to control the game, don't force shots, but late in the game be ready. Early, I'd have him off the ball."

• On Luol Deng: "He's solid. But he doesn't have enough speed. He plays more upright, so it's tough for him to go out and guard smaller guys. I think Deng is on the verge of being a star. But all that money talk added pressure. Now he's trying to show 28, 29 teams what he's about instead of going out and playing. When the reality is maybe one or two would be looking at him."

• On Andres Nocioni: "I'd sit down with him and say, 'Show me you're a winner and play like it. Not with those crazy antics. Make your hustle work in a positive way.' He's turning into Rasheed Wallace with the kinds of things he does on floor. It makes the officials turn on the whole team. And you stop getting calls. Don't shoot those ill-advised shots. Don't look to get bailed out by the refs."</div>

I agree with his points on Tyrus (being dumb), Wallace (not trying hard enough), and Nocioni (being an overall cancer to the team).

But he is way off on Gordon, Hinrich, and Deng. Not enough respect for those three. Who the hell does Pippen think he is? Sounds like the makings of a horrible coach. No wonder why he isn't getting called up by Paxson. He hates Skiles for doing that to him, holding him accountable for being a piece of shit in 2003, then he wants to turnaround and wants to be the most vicious coach in NBA History? Paxson would have to trade the entire team because the word on the street is that the players all love how Boylan is laid back. Pippen's methods of coaching seem like they will lead to him having a losing season, fired, and never getting a second shot at coaching. Maybe he'll get his chance in New York. He can tell Curry and Randolph and Marbury about all what they are doing wrong. Then when they all stop trying, he will put up a worst record than Isiah.

For a guy who claims to be one of the smartest players to play the game, he sure talks like an idiot.

 

Pippen needs to shut his mouth.

 

Political correctness be damned

He's right in most everything he has said and I guess the truth can be an inconvienent thing

When he was a player he was the player that every player on those teams valued the most as the best team man ..he was without a doubt the glue of those teams

Yes Po boy Pip has some socio economic scars in who he is , where he came from and how he grew up that engender a chronic insecurity and gives rise to the us and them type of chip on his shoulder he has always carried around with him

He's Arkansas poor , can be combustible , hasn't a clue of self censure or diplomacy , has a huge ego and chronically insecure at the same time ....but goddamit he doesknow the game like nobody's business and as a player and a teammate he has been the ultimate selfless warrior - which in the irony of it all , heavily contradicts a lot of other churlish elements of who he is

I trust who he is in the context of the game and knowing what needs to be done in order to get it done

On a practical level there is just too much history there and you know that ultimately , lines in the sand are going to be drawn , and Papa Reinsdorf will end up having to cut him a cheque for the balance of a contract when differences become irreconciable

And Jerry's already done that

If Scottie were prepared to do it on an annually negotiated basis so that there was no sting in the term of a deal ..that would test his bona fides as to whether he is fair dinkum . And I reckon he is

I would love to see this happen

Not the Bulls way however ...Skiles was a bit of a reach for them in terms of the person that you have to deal with and was the first "lifeforce" of a personality you had after Phil Jackson

I expect the Bulls will go for a coaching eunuch ..with the man's nuts kept in a jar on the Chairman's desk

 

Why is Pippen talking about Gordon's shot selection. Gordon hardly ever takes a shot outside of an offense. His shots are just the results of Skiles' wacky offense. Thats taking the shots he's supposed to take, not going outside of the offense just jacking everything up like Pippen is trying to say. When have we seen him shoot with three guys coming at him? I think Pippen is talking about the poor shot selection during the shooting stars competition. Scotty "I make idiotic financial decisions" Pippen is still sour about losing that little extra cash.

I agree with him about Nocioni. I really do think Nocioni is a cancer. I don't know what he's trying to do on the court, but he is just out there for himself on offense. On defense, he doesn't play any, and instead of playing man's defense (standing there with your hands up with a firm base) he is just flopping everywhere. Come on, when you stand up with a strong base you are a much stronger defender. I've played a lot of basketball, and when someone runs into you if your holding your position, you don't fall down. You rarely ever see someone fall down in a pickup game when setting for position like that. If they do, they would have been pretty much steamrolled. Nocioni is just being a little bitch and not taking the hit like a man.

 

Wow. Would anyone have batted an eyelash if they'd replaced the word "Pippen" with the word "Skiles" in that article?

Actually, that's probably a little unfair to Scott Skiles, who probably only thinks most of that stuff didn't actually say it.

 

I think Pippen is right. He's pretty blunt in the way he puts things, but i dont see anything wrong with what he's saying. Alot of what he's saying is what we've gathered from Skiles only he's not sugar coating anything.

 

Pippen does know the game and is accurate with his comments. However, I wouldn't trust a poor tipper to run my team.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Gordon responds to Pippen's critique
'I don't really care what Scottie has to say'

By K.C. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter

December 31, 2007, 2:06 PM CST

Scottie Pippen's scorched-earth assessment of current Bulls players and his stated desire to coach in the organization spread through the locker room quickly on Monday.

"I don't really care what Scottie has to say," Ben Gordon said.

In Monday's Tribune, NBA reporter Sam Smith quoted Pippen offering one of his harsher critiques when dissecting Gordon's game, claiming he selfishly takes bad shots.

"Everybody's entitled to their own opinion but it doesn't have anything to do with anything," Gordon said. "When I see him, I say 'Hi' out of respect. He's a top-50 player. That's the extent (of our relationship) really."

Pippen also bluntly assessed Kirk Hinrich's game, claiming "you can't have midgets running your backcourt." The two had a strong relationship as teammates during Hinrich's rookie season of 2003-04.

"I always liked Pip, and we got along great," Hinrich said. "I don't think he's ever been afraid to speak his mind, even when he was here. I never felt like it was anything too crazy."

Interim coach Jim Boylan defended his players.

"It's Scottie's opinion on our players," Boylan said. "I don't necessarily agree."

As for Pippen's desire to coach, Boylan took a philosophical approach to any and all possibilities general manager John Paxson considers next off-season. Boylan's interim contract runs through this season.

"Right now I'm standing here," Boylan said. "I've always been someone who wasn't afraid of a challenge. The challenge for me right now is to do a great job and make the Bulls hire me long-term. That's my goal. That's what I'm setting out to do."

Paxson has admitted considering adding an assistant to Boylan's staff. Hinrich said Pippen would make a good one, although his public comments couldn't have sat well with Paxson.

"When he was out there, he was a leader on the floor," Hinrich said. "He was always directing things. I felt like I learned some things from him when he was here."

But players also quickly defended Boylan in light of Pippen stating he wanted to be a head coach.

"Give the guy a chance, you know?" Gordon said.</div>

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...bulls-headlines

Nice job Pippen! You got the best player (arguably) on our team as a staunch supporter of the anti-Pippen movement now. I'd assume the only real guy on the team that would want Pippen is Hinrich, who is the only one who got a chance to play with Pippen (before he quit the team like a bitch because Skiles was holding him accountable).

This is coming from Gordon, who did the Shooting Stars competition with him; Pippen must have rubbed him the wrong way during that, probably bitched over Gordon for that inadvertent made shot from the corner (which wouldn't have mattered if that chick made it!). Pippen just wants to get in this for the money.

Hopefully Kukoc is part of the shooting stars competition (and an assistant coach) above Pippen in the future.

 

He needs to stfu.