Jordan/Pippen vs. James/Wade

Cowherd's show on Friday was dominated by discussion of a throwaway line from Whitlock's column on the Eastern Conference Finals. Whitlock writes:

"We’ve never seen anything like the pairing of James and Wade. It’s better than Jordan and Pippen."

I tend to agree with the above, only because James and Wade are two of the top 5 players in the NBA, which Pippen never was, IMO. Counterpoint to that would be that Jordan is arguably the greatest of all-time, and the best player will always make the best twosome. It was definitely an interesting discussion to listen to while I was on the road on Friday.

Here's the link:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/LeBron-James-Dwyane-Wade-Chris-Bosh-Miami-Heat-are-no-match-for-Derrick-Rose-Chicago-Bulls-051211

Discuss.

 

Just another obsession with what's shiny and new.

I'll go with the guys who won something and are two of the Top 50 players of all time.

 

Wade and James will be in the top 50 when they retire, possibly pushing Pippen out. Until Wade and James win 4 in row, Jordan and Pippen are better, after that the debate becomes interesting.

 

I love how Pippen is just described by some here as a throwaway who rode Jordan's coattails. He is THE BEST wing defender of all-time. Better than Jordan. He could rebound, block shots, handle the ball, pass and was an above-average scorer. He is a legit top-50 player. Not some scrub at 48 or 49.

 

When Wade and James have won 6 rings together, then we'll talk.

 

Pippen and Jordan were great enough defenders to hamper James and Wade. Who's gonna guard Jordan?

 

If there was $100,000 on the line in that imagined game, whom would you take?

Always good to imaginary bet against the guy considered one of the greatest competitors in sports history. LeBron is an icon after all.

 

I would take Jordan and Secretariat with Jerry Krause on his shoulders over James and Wade.

 

Marketing deals aside, Wade wears the Batman cape in this duo. James is Pippen.

 

If you see LeBron and Jordan as equals, there's no point in continuing the discussion.

 

Fuck. Spinal-fusion surgery, here I come!