MR. PIP 33.......6-Time World CHAMP......the PROTOTYPE at Small FORWARD......Best Wing Defender maybe ever....Top 50 Greatest NBA Players...NBA HOF

If I told you he was a College Equipment MANAGER....what would you say?......If I told you he never played High School Basketball in rural HAMBURG ARKANSAS.......what then?.......The If I told you he would go on to be one of the 50 Best NBA Players of All-Time and a 6-Time World Champion in the 3rd largest Market.......you would say WHO IS THAT...RIGHT?

The UNIVERSITY of CENTRAL ARKANSAS gave him a shot at 6'1"......before the shot he grew......then he grew some more. At the end he would be around 6'8" and a rail thin 195 EL BEES......a WALK-ON turned NAIA All-AMERICAN. Hey DAWG (in SCOTTIE's laid back Southern Tone)......you grab those JERSEYS, Jock Straps, and TOWELS.........I am putting in WORK on the HARD COURT now.

And in 1997 he caught the EYE of one General MANAGER who was once a BASEBALL SCOUT now in the NBA names Jerry KRAUSE aka "CRUMBS"......because he had DONUT Crumbs and Food Crumbs all over his Suit Coat all the time......Thanks Scottie and MIKE and OAK TREE for that one.

The BULLS had #8 and #10 but the BULLS Brain Trust led by Jerry KRAUSE and Sidekick Jim STACK and Clarence GAINES III......wanted to move up and know one team saw it coming.

AT #5 were the SEATTLE SUPERSONICS they were told by the BULLS to take Central Arkansas' SCOTTIE PIPPEN and the BULLS would take Power Forward out of VIRGINIA Charlottesville Olden POLYNICE.

Everyones fate was sealed.....on a both teams, the BULLS and SUPERSONICS, swapped the BULLS get PIP and the SONICS get POLYNICE......and to go with PIP the BULLS draft at #10 Clemson All-American Forward and All-ACC Twin Horace GRANT (Twin Brother HARVEY went to INDEPENDENCE Community College and then OKLAHOMA Norman to play with eventual BULLS 1989 pick Stacey KING......as HARVEY went 1st round in 1989 to the Washington BULLETS).

The VISION was that JORDAN needed a Guy to play with that could do the things Mike Could do but more All-Around (not to say MIKE couldn't do those things but the BULLS wanted MIKE to concentrate on SCORING and DEFENDING)......like Handle the BALL....DEFEND.....Rebound...everything but score the ROCK. And there was growing PAINS under then Coach and SIXERS Head Man Doug COLLINS...but the 6-8 Small Forward was evolving into this unique Guard/Forward.......Jack-of-All TRADES Player that was finding a niche playing with arguably the best Player ever to play in the NBA.

An assistant under Coach Collins by the name of Phil JACKSON, an EX-New York KNICKS Player, who learned under the great late KNICKERBOCKERS Coach Red HOLTZMAN.....took over for Collins in 1989......and this is where the VISION FOR SCOTTIE took off.

The BULLS moved to the TRIANGLE Offense from the Innovator and Creator and BULLS ASSISTANT Tex WINTER. It employs everyone on the court can be an OFFENSIVE Threat.....and this offense really doesn't need a POINT GUARD it just needs Guys that can handle and play on the perimeter.

SCOTTIE took off in the TRIANGLE and in Tex WINTER'S EYES became what we know as TODAY......POINT FORWARD......a PG DUITES in a SMALL Forwards BODY......Scottie PIPPEN aka MR. PIP 33.......Copyrighted and Trademarked.

And from the time SCOTTIE was drafted all the way up to them making their 1st 3-PEAT RUN.....he and 1987 NBA Draft Mate Horace GRANT were inseparable. HORACE'S Game at the PF spot took off as well but it was SCOTTIE and MIKE who made the BULLS now so LETHAL on the PERIMETER.....the NBA and the GOTHAM CITY (NYC) named them BATMAN and ROBIN.

And when JORDAN left BASKETBALL for a 21/2 year TREK unknown......The BULLS were SCOTTIE'S Team and he FLOURISHED taking the BULLS deep into the 1994 NBA PLAYOFFS vs the KNICKS and that same year PIP was 1994 NBA All-Star Game MVP in the TWIN CITIES.

The NBA took notice and the BULLS FANS and Organization took notice......WHO NEEDS MIKE?......Well heck if we had MIKE we would be literally unstoppable.

MIKE came back and joined SCOTTIE an the best BULLS ROSTER EVER.......the 1995-96 BULLS...and the BEST NBA Team ever assembled...at least for an 82 game SEASON.

PIP and MIKE with the likes Toni KUKOC aka the SPIDER from SPLIT aka the WAITER, Dennis RODMAN aka the WORM, Ron HARPER aka HARP, Steve KERR...WHO?....Steve KERR as the U of A TUSCON AZ Student Body used to say, Luc LONGLEY, Bill WENNINGTON, Jud BUESCHLER, Randy BROWN, John SALLEY aka SPDER-MAN, James EDWARDS aka BUDDHA, Jason CAFFEY, Dickie SIMPKINS, and Rodman's CADDY Jack HALEY.

This TEAM went 72 up and 10 DOWN.......repeat........72-10.......and the 2010-11 HEAT or anyone else out there has NO SHOT what so ever of getting that.....what the NEW TEAMS should be shooting for is BANNERS forget that record...it's like WILT CHAMBERLAIN's 20K........and you know what 20K I am talking about and it isn't DUNKS...FOOLS.....LOL.

The LEADER of that TEAM.......WHO ELSE?.......SCOTTIE PIPPEN......and 23. In the BLUEDUDE'S Eyes as I look back the RUN happened so fast that I enjoyed it but I kinda wish I enjoyed and appreciated the GAME SCOTTIE brought to the TABLE an maybe some of HIS GAME was overshadowed by JORDAN......and it was but from a BASKETBALL PUREST like myself......it was the ALL-AROUND GAME of SCOTTIE that stuck out on NIGHT'S like a YELLOW HIGHLIGHTER.

SCOTTIE went on to have a NICE RUN with the PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS as i saw 1st hand working with the MAVERICKS in the 1999-2000 Season......that BLAZERS TEAM, led by SCOTTIE, took the LAKERS to 7 in the WESTERN Conference FINALS.

FROM not playing HOOPS in High School in rural HAMBURG ARKANSAS......to Equipment Manager at 6'1" to PAY for his education.....to growing 6'8" and walking on to dominate at the NAIA Level......to 1987 Top 10 NBA Draft Pick......to an AUTOGRAPH Session at TCBY Yogurt in 1987 in the Fox Valley AREA of AURORA ILLINOIS....I met SCOTTIE THERE me, my older brother TIM, baby brother JUSTIN, and my MOM......to NBA STARDOM and 6 CHAMPIONSHIPS....to playing with the BEST in JORDAN......to being coached by the BEST in COACH PHIL and his STAFF.....to the NAISMITH BASKETBALL Hall Of FAME...he is the PROUD SON of HAMBURG ARKANSAS.....but also the PROUD SON of the CITY with BIG SHOULDERS CHI CITY and GATE 3 1/2 at the CHICAGO STADIUM......Scottie MAURICE PIPPEN....#33......aka MR. PIP 33