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But basketball isn't played 4 on 5 so its a moot point.
Actually, they weren't very good as a unit. Even though they had guys that weren't. Considered bad defensively. Reggie Williams wasn't a bad defender. Nor was bryant stith or robert pack.
Reggie Williams and Stith were not very good defenders if, by your standards, B.J. Armstrong and Toni Kukoc weren't. And you also went out and called Luc Longley a bust when you were going off about the defensive talent the Bulls had. And completely ignored that he was a very solid defensive stopper and low-post defender. And you completely ignored Ron Harper- who was always one of the best perimeter players in the NBA. The system in which the team is run under is the most important thing as a whole when it comes to team defense. Look at Tom Thibodeau this year. Would you undermine the changes he brought to the team from last year? Look at what changed in terms of the roster- nothing except the addition of Carlos Boozer (one of the worst defenders at his position), the addition of Kyle Korver (one of the worst defenders at his position), and Ronnie Brewer, Keith Bogans, and Omer Asik (some of the better defenders at their position). The result: Undisputed top 1-4 defense in the NBA last season. Under Vinny Del Negro, they were mediocre on team defense. That should tell you the story about what a coach can do for a team when it comes to defense. The Denver Nuggets had three of them that season...
And you completely missed the point. The point was that the most important place on a basketball court for a team to have at least one defender is under the basket.
That is where teams get the highest percentage baskets. It is more important to have a good defender down-low than it is to have one defender up higher.
There are 3-4 other men who guard up high. There are 1-2 men who always guard down-low. And one of them is always directly under the basket and watching the lane to cut off the penetrator.
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Lol and scottie pippen made his philosophy successfull. And like a coach funneling the opposition to a great center, jackson centered his defense around pippen. And his abilty to be effective at every facet of defense
That statement is not true. And I already discredited this ^above.
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and mutombo played in an era when centers didn't have to worry about the defensive 3 second rule.
That argument is 100% irrelevant and you're actually not realizing this, but you are helping make my case for me. That actually made the center position even MORE valuable/important in that era because of the fact NBA centers could get away with standing in the lane as long as they wanted. That makes it even easier to understand the point I'm making about how much more valuable the center position was defensively than the position Pippen played.
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Based on pippens impact, id rank him right up there with dominant defensive centers. His ability shut down the oppositions PG, trap, help, play man, post defense etc was just that good. And the facts are the stats and results (6 championships) show it. He deserved the dpoy award in 95.
Pippen was one of four other players on the court for the Bulls during those 6 championships. A championship is a team award. Don't be fooled. If Jordan had the supporting cast, and coaching system, of the Charlotte Bobcats for his entire career, he wouldn't have even won one title. So number of rings is a mute point.
And I agree that Pippen is the only non-big man who could be thrown in with the names of the great big men of all-time strictly when it comes to defense. But that doesn't make him the best. You will not find many people, who are non-Bulls' fans, who will claim that Pippen is a better defensive player than Bill Russell, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, David Robinson, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, or Ben Wallace. But his name should probably come right after. And before a lot of other great stoppers in the NBA history. But not the greatest stoppers. There is no perimeter defender who could guard you better than Pippen. But there were some big men who could.
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Lol don't be a fool, andre kirelenko is nowhere near the defender pippen was.
I never said that.
Putting words in my mouth.
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He's a very good defender but not the caliber of pippen.
Duh.
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Id say he's a poor mans pippen defensively.
I wouldn't even go that far.
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And definately not as versitle.
Yes. He is. Andrei Kirilenko can more effectively play all 5 positions on the floor than Pippen can.
PG- Pippen can defend that position like one of the best PGs would. There are only a few number of players that I would have guard a player like Magic Johnson before Pippen. Gary Payton and maybe a small list of others.
PG- Kirilenko would be a mediocre defender of the PG position because he lacks the foot speed. He can make up a lot of that with his length though. He would be able to keep many PGs in front of him.
SG- Pippen is the best defender of the SG position as we've ever seen in the league. Kirilenko would be one of the better ones.
SF- Pippen is the best defender of the SF position as we've ever seen. AK47 would be one of the best ones but nowhere near Pippen.
PF- Pippen has the strength advantage and leaping advantage over AK47 here but I'd give AK47 the slight rebounding and shot-blocking (and height) advantage here.
C- AK47 has a distinct advantage at this position because he is much better at defending the rim than Pippen and has a height advantage in the lane. Neither one would be ideal at all to defend this position because Pippen can't block shots that well at all. And Kirilenko is not even as strong as Pippen and could be backed down easily (like Pippen).
There's a reason guys like Hakeem and Robinson never guarded the perimeter (and they very well could have with Pip and the very best of them). Any coach would laugh at the idea of a guy like Hakeem and Robinson anywhere regularly except under the basket. When you have a shot-blocking/altering force of that magnitude, it is common sense to put them under the basket. Because that is the MOST IMPORTANT SPOT to have effective DEFENSE at on a basketball court!
