Before they built the rest of a team around him, the Bulls’ game plan was “Give the ball to Michael and get the hell out of the way.” You can’t win championships that way. In the Bulls’ championship years, it was “Give the ball to Michael if you can, but if you can’t or if he gives it back, you better know what to do with it.” It still doesn’t work without Jordan, and everyone else is “supporting cast” (using the words of the Bulls’ own website). Pippen may have chafed against that, but it worked. And when he was called upon to take the leading role, he couldn’t hack it.
Jordan made Pippen a Hall-of-Famer, but he also made Phil Jackson a “genius.” What Jackson did was figure out what part each player needed to play, and made sure they played it. Hell, he even made a team player out of Dennis Rodman. And Jackson of course went on to coach the Lakers to three straight championships.
Jordan was tearing up the league for 7 years before the Bulls’ first championship, and Pippen was there 4 years before the first ring, and Jackson figured out how to make the pieces fit. Still, without His Airness, they wouldn’t have jack.
Before they built the rest of a team around him, the Bulls’ game plan was “Give the ball to Michael and get the hell out of the way.” You can’t win championships that way. In the Bulls’ championship years, it was “Give the ball to Michael if you can, but if you can’t or if he gives it back, you better know what to do with it.” It still doesn’t work without Jordan, and everyone else is “supporting cast” (using the words of the Bulls’ own website). Pippen may have chafed against that, but it worked. And when he was called upon to take the leading role, he couldn’t hack it.
Jordan made Pippen a Hall-of-Famer, but he also made Phil Jackson a “genius.” What Jackson did was figure out what part each player needed to play, and made sure they played it. Hell, he even made a team player out of Dennis Rodman. And Jackson of course went on to coach the Lakers to three straight championships.
Jordan was tearing up the league for 7 years before the Bulls’ first championship, and Pippen was there 4 years before the first ring, and Jackson figured out how to make the pieces fit. Still, without His Airness, they wouldn’t have jack.