Former San Antonio Spurs player Steve Kerr, like many others, has a dissenting opinion on Scottie Pippen’s judgement that Miami Heat’s Lebron James could be the greatest player of all time. He also also doesn’t agree in the direct comparison between their styles of play.
He contends James is much more comparable to another all-time great, his former Bulls’ teammate – Scottie Pippen:
“The irony to me is that LeBron is not Michael. LeBron is actually Scottie,” he said. “He’s so similar to Scottie in that defensively he was just a monster, could guard anybody, really more of a point forward than scoring guard. Scottie always loved to distribute the ball. That’s really where LeBron’s preference is.”
Kerr also talked about how Phil Jackson used to call Pippen “a sometimes shooter” and said that you can see James’ “flaws as a basketball player.”
“He doesn’t have an offensive game that he can rely on: no low-post game, no mid-range jump shot so when the game really gets tough he has a hard time finding easy baskets and getting himself going,” Kerr continued. “That’s what Michael did in his sleep so that’s why the comparison is wrong.”
I agree with Kerr that Lebron’s game is much more similar to Pippen’s game than Jordan’s. Though I would say Pippen’s defensive game was probably a tad better. Like Lebron, Pippen had the ability to shut down the opposing team’s best wing player. But Pippen also was a great defender in the post and that’s where Lebron lacks a bit.
I think after the way the 2011 Finals unfolded and Lebron’s role in it, people should cool off on the ”King James” talk, as well as any Jordan comparisons.
(photo: daylife.com)
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