Pippen’s MJ/LeBron comments are hardly surprising

Scottie Pippen broke one of the NBA’s unwritten codes: Do NOT compare anyone to Michael Jeffery Jordan.

"Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to play the game," Pippen said on Friday. "But I may go as far as to say LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game because he is so potent offensively that not only can he score at will but he keeps everybody involved.”

If anyone knew this, you’d figure it would be Pippen. As MJ’s wingman, he got a firsthand account of Jordan’s ruthlessness. The man was a cold-blooded killer on the basketball court. Surely, Mr. Jordan will not appreciate one of his guys asserting that LeBron James may be the heir to his throne. Think Michael will just let Pip’s comments slide? Watch his Hall of Fame induction speech again. The man can hold a grudge.

But, really, with a little bit of context, Pippen’s proclamation isn’t that surprising. In what will be a never-ending search for the next MJ, some have pointed at James. But LeBron really is Scottie Pippen 2.0—not because he’s some kind of second banana, but because their games have many similarities. He is Scottie Pippen on steroids. James, like Pippen, is a versatile, lockdown defender with great court vision. Certainly, Pippen appreciates the way LeBron “can dominate the game without scoring.”

Simply, he likes LeBron’s style of play because it’s similar to what he did on the court.

There was also a Rose-y tinge to Pippen’s comments. As a current Bulls broadcaster, Pippen likely was trying to lessen the blow of Chicago’s disappointing series. By touting LeBron’s feats, it creates the narrative that the upstart Bulls were beaten by a dominant possible champion. Right now, Pippen’s loyalties lie with the 2011 Bulls, not the ’91 team. Maybe it’s naive to think Pip was doing a little posturing, but he still works for the organization. He’s gotta keep up the Bulls Way.

Some feel that this may be Pippen’s attempt to give his longtime teammate a little backhanded jab. I seriously doubt it. There professional relationship was symbiotic. Neither would have achieved the things they did without the other one.

In 1993, Scottie said, “I hope [Jordan] leads the league in scoring for the rest of his career. And when it’s all over, I’ll be able to say, ‘I helped him do it. And I played with the greatest player ever.’”

To some, his comments on Friday were sacrilege. How could he compare anyone to MJ? More likely, Pippen was pumping up LeBron because when he watches James he sees himself.

It wouldn’t be too surprising, at least.