Karl Malone says he would start a team with Scottie Pippen over Michael Jordan

Has the Mailman lost his mind? In anticipation of the “Dream Team” documentary that is set to air on NBA TV Wednesday night, a few basketball Hall of Famers and members of the 1992 US men’s Olympic team appeared on the Dan Patrick Show Wednesday to discuss various topics. Karl Malone was one of the guests, and he was asked which member of the Dream Team he would take if he was starting his own team. I bet you couldn’t guess his answer if we gave you ten tries.

“I would have to start my team with Scottie Pippen,” Malone said according to CSNChicago.com. “This is why I would take Scottie: Do you remember the time that Michael retired? I watched Scottie Pippen when the Chicago Bulls weren’t really good and Scottie led that team in every statistical category, and I just remembered that. Plus, he’s a guy who could care less about scoring. He wants to stop the best player on the other team. That would have been pretty cool, to see Scottie guarding Michael.”

Do you remember that time Jordan won three championships, left the Bulls for season and came back and won three more? We do too. Do you remember those times M.J. won five NBA MVPs and 10 scoring titles? Us too.

I get that Pippen held down the fort when Jordan left and Malone was probably making a reference to how great of a teammate Pippen was, but we’re talking about Michael Jordan. Jordan probably wouldn’t have won six titles without Scottie. However when His Airness is a part of the discussion, nobody’s going to criticize you for giving the obvious response.

H/T Pro Basketball Talk
Photo credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

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Anonymous

Remember that time Scottie sat on the bench and sulked because Kukoc was supposed to take that game winning shot rather than pull the defenders? Me too.
Anonymous

I remember when Jordon left and Scottie and the bull could get job done it Micheal came out retirement won back to back titles because Scottie was no finisher when he was gone
http://www.facebook.com/brian.moyer.58 Brian Moyer

He’s just bitter at Mike for taking his only chance at winning a championship if he wouldve stay retired the mailman might of had his ring
Anonymous

Mailman couldn’t deleiver his own asz. All he was, was a pea brain in a big mo fo body fo.
Anonymous

THE FIRST GUY i TAKE ON THAT TEAM IS MAGIC! NO KNOCK ON JORDAN,TAKE HIM SECOND! NEVER BEEN A PLAYER LIKE MAGIC IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME !!! CAN PLAY ALL 5 SPOTS! I START WITH MAGIC THEN THE REST!!! MAILMAN CHOKED IN THE BIG SPOT! HE SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE TWO SERIES!!!
http://openid.aol.com/bdb0131 Bruce Broer

No knock on Scottie,an excellent all around player and a willing and athletic defender,but he was on a very good Portland team that lost a playoff to one of the Laker title teams . The Blazers had a 15 point lead in the fourth quarter of the seventh game and blew it. Of course maybe that was the game that Steve Javie didn’t like the way Rasheed Wallace looked at him after a bad call and hit ‘Sheed with a technical at a key juncture in the game.
Maybe history would have been changed had Scottie gotten that 7th ring. None of that takes anything away from Michael, a shooting guard who averaged 50% from the field (unheard of territory for a shooting guard) before or since, during the running of the Bulls, and without a high quality center in any of those title runs.
   Do keep in mind that Scottie always defended the best perimeter player on the opposing team and freed Michael to play offense without the main defensive responsibilities,even though he was an excellent defender too.
   In addition Scottie was an excellent passer and rebounder and capable of defending any position one through four. Scottie did all of that with a minimum of ego(though it did pop up every once in a while).
   My memory may be a bit foggy on this,but didn’t Scottie also play on a pretty good Phoenix team with Charles Barkley(although to be fair,Charles was at the end of his career and at a stage where his offense consisted of backing down whoever was guarding him,a process that wasted much of the 24 second clock,rather than moving the ball). They had at least one other talented player(I can’t remember who) and enough talent to contend,so Scottie did have other chances without Mike.
http://www.facebook.com/jeremy.hawn Jeremy Hawn

It was Houston, not Phoenix, with Barkley and Hakeem. Only lasted a year because he couldn’t stand Barkley’s lack of work ethic. Then got himself traded to Portland where the refs robbed his team of a championship in game 7 against the Lakers just like the refs robbed him at a chance to advance to the finals in 94 on a bad call. I get Malone’s point. Pippen was the ultimate teammate, a guy who could do anything on the court, whatever needed to be done to win. Need someone to score 40 points? Scottie’s on it. Need someone to defend your point guard or your power forward? Scottie’s gonna shut him down. Want someone to play point forward and handle the ball and distribute it? Scottie’s got ya. He was the best perimeter defender the league has ever seen and one of the best scorers, passers, and rebounders of his era. If you managed to draft one other star on your team along with Scottie, you had a chance at winning a title, even if they weren’t the caliber of Jordan. Pick Michael or someone else, and you need to build a team around them. Pick Pippen first, and you have all of the support staff you could ever need, now you just need one other guy. Bird is the only player I can think of who you could say had that much of an impact on the game with their all-around skill. And he wasn’t nearly the defender Pippen was. Magic couldn’t defend at all. Pippen was the most well-rounded and all-around-talented player to ever play the game. Picking him first is a smart pick.
http://openid.aol.com/bdb0131 Bruce Broer

Whoops,checked my facts. The year Scottie played with Charles was 1998-99 in Houston. Hakeem Olajuwon was also on that team. At the time Scottie was 33,Charles was 35 and Hakeem was 36. Charles and Hakeem had decent seasons in scoring and rebounding(although of course,not their best by far). Scottie’s field goal percentage was .436,below par for him.
That was the 50 game season. When I say decent seasons for Hakeem and Charles it is on a per game basis with both scoring and rebounding. I think Hakeem was about 12 rpg and 18 ppg. Charles something like 9 or 10 rebounds and close to 17 points. Neither was exactly chopped liver,but of course neither was in his prime either. Charles hit over 47% of his field goals and Hakeem about 51% of his.
My memory was a bit gone,as Scottie never played for Phoenix.
Anonymous

OF COUSE, SCREW THE GUYS THAT CRUSHED YOUR DREAMS OF WINNING TITLES…UUMM BOTH MJ’S…OH BUT CHOKING ON THE LINE DID THAT FOR YOU IN 97….COME ON MAN
Anonymous

Karl Malone Should STFU…Without the best pure PG ever in John Stockton, Karl wold be half the player. Charles Barkley > Karl Malone. Barkley was better rebounder, ballhandler, playmaker and much more skilled…

Pippen was not a franchise player. Not a guy you build a team around. When we talk all time greats, we talk about guys who are super-stars. Pippen was an excellent COMPLIEMNTARY player. Pippen was not a great shooter nor ball handler..No post game…Was a good defender and finisher. Not nearly the player Michael was..Pippen was a joke when he got to Houston. He was horrible. Barkley carried team in playoffs againist a younger better laker team!
Anonymous

Your a clown…Pippen was a great complimentary player not a guy you build a team around. He was not a great scorer..Decent outside shooter at best, not much of a post up game..He was an excellent defender ill give him that..

Pippen came to Houston and was a joke..Suppose to be player to bring them over the top. Barkley was only guy who came to play in playoffs againist houston when he was in the twilight of his career..

Pippen did nothing with a portland team that was extremely talented. When we talk all time greats we talk franchise players. Pippen was not one. To mention him in the same breath of larry bird is a joke. Bird would never cry and take himself out of a playoff game..How many ‘big shots’ did pippen attempt or make in his career..NONE
Anonymous

M.J is the greatest BB player to ever play the game. Malone picked Pippen because MJ would have been the main man. Karl should not have gotten the MVP award he did. MJ should have gotten it. MJ out played him all year and in the playoffs. Good try Malone. You big baby.

G.C