HoopsHype.com Fan Mail
Eddie Johnson: "Team USA will struggle again"
by HoopsHype / July 27, 2006
Can you please explain to all those non-believers what Scottie Pippen brought to the Bulls dynasty?
– Osayande Myhand (Chicago, Illinois)
Eddie Johnson: Let's start by saying Jordan did not win a championship until
Scottie Pippen matured.
Scottie just has never gotten his due from the Chicago fans. People don't
realize how he was the glue to those championship teams. He was the one who
made sure the role players got touches and he also was the buffer between
Jordan's wrath and his teammates. Pippen also was the best Bulls defender
for 48 minutes. He definitely deserves top 50 status and his haters should
cool out.
What if Jordan played right now with these new rules? I'm guessing
he'd literally average around 50 points a game. What do you think? I get sick of watching some games, with all
the calls regarding ticky-tack fouls.
– Vincent Low (Naperville, Illinois)
EJ: I agree. Heck, I would average 28-plus in my heyday with these rules. I
can't even imagine turning and facing my defender and he can not put his
hands on me. Are you kidding me? Jordan would have scored 100 points at
least twice with these rules, but they had to be instituted because players
today have no fundamental skills to score consistently. So the league had to
do something.
Given that the Celtics have a roster full of viable NBA talent, what
do you think they can do to bring in another premier NBA talent such as Iverson?
– Jonathan Ulery
EJ: Trade Paul Pierce, which they can't do now. The Celtics will struggle for
the next few years because they are young and inexperienced. I think they
should have traded Pierce because they don't have the valuables to trade and
put a star around him. And Pierce, for as good as he is, will not win a title
without help. So I say they should have looked to rebuild.
I just wanted to know what your thoughts are on the moves the Houston
Rockets have made this offseason.
– Peter Sy
EJ: I really like the addition of Shane Battier. I think a hustling defensive
presence that shoots around 50 percent was a huge pickup. Tracy and Yao should flourish this year.
Do you think that the Pistons can keep their team at the top of the
defensive list with Flip Saunders coaching?
– Michael Morton
EJ: Yes. I have always loved Flip's coaching ability. He is a very good game
coach. People are picking on him because the Pistons struggled these past
playoff, but I blame it on the fact that they were tired at the end.
I know you might say that Flip should have rested them. Well, the problem
with that is the NBA player does not want to come out and the Pistons, with
their short bench, struggled. The Pistons will be right back in the Conference Finals again in 2007. Ben Wallace will be missed, but not as much as one
would think.
Nazr Mohammed is a career backup except for San Antonio. Can he pick up
the slack and become a good replacement?
EJ: Mohammed and McDyess will make up the difference and then some, especially on
the offensive end.
I think Wade is better than LeBron. Which do you think is better?
– Zafar
EJ: It's really like apples and oranges. But if I have to pick, I would take
LeBron. I think LeBron will become one of the best ever, especially if he
comes to see me so I can get rid of that jerky motion on his jump shot.
LeBron will outlast Wade because of his body. Wade might not make it to eight
years if he keeps falling like he does. They both are fantastic to watch.
What do you think of Pat Riley pushing Stan Van Gundy out, especially
in light of his winning the championship?
– Lou Maini
EJ: I think it is obvious that it was the right move. Riley brought a level to
the locker room Van Gundy couldn't do. Sometimes that's the difference. The
Heat players respected him and played like it.
Who's your top 3 for the upcoming World Championship? What does the US
Team need to do to win the gold?
– Franz Smith
EJ: I really can't say who the favorite is, but Team USA will struggle again and
mainly because they still don't have shooters like Michael Redd, Ray
Allen and Kobe Bryant that would force teams out of the zone to free up
LeBron, Carmelo, Elton Brand, etcetera. Hopefully they will overcome the lack of
shooting and defend well to decide games.
Who do you think should be the go-to guy for the US Team?
– Ricardo Rojo (Bilbao, Spain)
EJ: There should not be a go-to guy. The ball should be spread around. Unselfish
play is paramount for a USA win.
How do you feel about my Raps at this very moment. Are they a playoff
team?
– Andrew Williamson
EJ: The Raptors could garner a bottom seed in the weak Eastern Conference. TJ
Ford will be expected to push the ball and find scorers like Bosh and Mo
Peterson. The jury is out.
I don't understand why some great NBA players like Tracy McGrady and
Paul Pierce are not better defensive players. Is it just their
attitude toward defense or does defense require a different physical skill
set?
– Kevin Quinn
EJ: It's very difficult to be a great scorer and then defend with the same
tenacity. And please don't tell me Jordan did it, because that is not true. I
used to love Jordan to start the game guarding me. He loved to help out on
the weak side. Because of the reliance on him to score 35 every night, he
had to pace himself at times and usually it was on defense early in the
game. But when he decided to turn it on when it was time to win, he was
downright nasty.
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Played 17 years in the NBA for the Kings, Suns, SuperSonics, Hornets, Pacers, Nuggets and Rockets.
