Boilermaker Rick wrote:
The problem with this point is that most people either already think Lebron is a better player than Scottie or will in the future. Unless he develops a serious drug problem in Miami I don't see how he isn't at least considered one of the top 20 players in NBA history. While there is a case to be made for Scottie being in the top twenty he's more than likely not.
What Lebron did was take himself out of the Jordan discussion since no on is going to view Dwayne Wade as Scottie in this analogy. In fact, many people made the analogy that Lebron James was becoming this generations version of Pippen by going to a team where Wade has already won a title and is likely going to have the ball in his hands at the end of games.
So I guess we agree JORR. Scottie and Lebron have a lot of similarities.
Well, Rick, I don't really believe that anyone thinks Scottie was the player LeBron is. And I'm certainly not going to declare LeBron the "second banana" to Wade before I've ever seen the way their team plays. I really don't think that's the way it's going to be.
People don't know or they forget or whatever. I wouldn't dream of calling DJ a Top 20 player of all-time and I'm not sure if he even made that NBA's 50 greatest list, but he's a guy who is similar to Pippen. There was a guy named Gus Johnson in the 60s who was just a killer. He could easily be on that Top 50 list. Then there are the guys from the "Drug League" era that probably weren't considered for the list just because the NBA would like to forget them. Guys like Bernard King and John Drew.
Anyway, this is good fodder for argument. There isn't a correct answer. But to me, some of the Scottie love in light of his well-deserved Hall of Fame induction is pure HOOTERVILLE®. He's somehow gone from the level of Dennis Johnson to the level of Magic Johnson without ever having played a game.