Off the Deep End

I was really hoping that Scottie Pippen would drop a "Just kidding!" this past week on the Mike and Mike morning show when he claimed that although Michael Jordan may be the best scorer in NBA history, LeBron James may be the best overall player. Why go there Scottie?!? There are some statements that there's just no coming back from, and this is one of them. Of all people! First off, just knowing how competitive Jordan is on and off the floor (the examples are endless), you can't tell me that MJ is cool with Pippen, his right hand man for a decade in Chicago, saying that a 26-year old James is a better player than he ever was. I got ten bucks that says their relationship is now severed. But let's forget for just a second who it was speaking and take a brief look at what was actually said. To suggest that Jordan may be the best scorer and LeBron the best player is an indirect way of saying that Jordan wasn't a complete player. Bold. Now I know people throw out a ton of components into the argument, but I think it's unfair to compare the two superstars over their careers because Jordan's playing days are over. All MJ's stats and accolades/awards are final while LeBron is only in his 8th year in the league and has yet to be compiled. So to say "Jordan has 6 championships" isn't really fair if you ask me. The only un-jaded way to compare the two at this point would be comparing LeBron's career of 8 years thus far to Jordan's first 8 seasons in the NBA and see what shakes out. I already did the leg work for you so don't worry about crunching numbers (I know how you hate math). Pippen acknowledged that Jordan was the better scorer because it's undeniable. Through his first 8 seasons Mike averaged a whopping 31.3 points per game compared to LeBron's 27.7. Not close. How about defense? In his first 8 seasons, Jordan was selected by the NBA coaches to the All NBA Defensive team 5 times. How many times has LeBron James been on the All NBA Defensive team through 8 seasons? 3. A clear edge to Jordan. Again. What about defensive statistics like steals and blocks? LeBron surely would have an edge there...right? Wrong. Through their first 8 years Jordan averaged more steals (2.7 compared to 1.7) and more blocks (1.1 compared to 0.8). So what we have here is an apples to apples comparison through 8 seasons, with Michael Jeffrey Jordan coming out with an huge advantage in scoring, a significant advantage in All Defensive honors, and an edge in defensive statistics. Granted, LeBron averages 1 rebound and a little more than 1 assists more than Mike did, but I think the point has been made. And in case you can't read between the lines, the point is that Scottie Pippen had little validity by suggesting that Jordan wasn't the total package, and was out of line for saying so. MJ dominated both ends of the floor, and because of that dynamic dominance he became known as the gold standard for champions. To suggest that Jordan is anything less than that means you're in one of three categories: 1) Drunk. 2) Jealous. 3) A Hater. So which one is Scottie Pippen?