The Scottie Pippen Effect
Episode two of the ‘Last Dance’ chronicles Scottie Pippen’s story and effect on the historic Chicago Bulls teams.
Once Michael Jordan joined the Bulls it took just a few short years before Chicago realized Michael needed help.
GM Jerry Krause went to work to make the team better.
His first move was trading up in the 1987 draft to grab Scottie Pippen.
Krause also traded long time Bull Charles Oakley for Bill Cartwright.
This infusion quickly changed the franchise for the better.
Scottie was the glue that held the Bulls together. His defence and his willingness to be the robin to Jordan’s batman set the team up for success.
Undervalued & Underpaid
Episode two shows you just how important Pippen was to the Bulls and why the 1997-98 season was so tough for Chicago.
While the Bulls had won 5 championships in 7 years Pippen remained the 122nd paid player in the NBA.
Pippen who signed a five year extension deal worth just 18 million but Scottie had two years remaining on his old deal for a total of seven years.
While the Bulls were thriving and contracts were growing, Pippen was locked into that low paying contract.
The leagues success and growing popularity meant that other players passed Pippen by in terms of compensation.
The 1997-98 season is where Pippen’s frustration bubbled over.
After attempts to renegotiate his contract to no avail, Pippen delayed getting ankle surgery after the 1996 season meaning he would miss half of the 97-98 season.
This caused much tension between Pippen and the franchise, as well as some tension between Pippen’s teammates and himself.
Looming over the 1997-98 season was Scotties absence, Krause’s attempts to trade Pippen, team tension, as well as the promise that this was Phil Jackson’s last season as coach.
Episode two has set up the drama that will ensue as the audience is taken through the 1997-98 season.
Episode three of the ‘Last Dance’ will show the third member of the Bulls big three, Dennis Rodman.
