Phil Jackson on Scottie Pippen's as a leader

[QUOTE=KNOW1EDGE]Great post OP.

Without Pippen the Bulls don't win all those championships. Jordan was a dick on the court, there are some wild stories, ask Bill Cartwright. Anyways, Pip was the emotional leader, MJ verbally directed and is obviously GOAT, but Pip really did a lot for his team as far as uplifting and encouraging teammates, setting the tone defensively and guarding the opposing teams best player every night. Scottie was the glue.[/QUOTE]

:applause:

Cartwright:

[QUOTE]Former teammate and current Bulls coach Bill Cartwright flatly states that [B]Pippen 'was as much a part of winning the championships as MJ. I don't think it would have gotten done without him.'[/B][/QUOTE]

[url]http://20secondtimeout.blogspot.com/...asketball.html[/url]

Yeah Cartwright, Grant, Longley and a few others were not treated well by MJ. Dat leadershiip doe! :bowdown:

[QUOTE]Sam Smith, in ""The Jordan Rules"" wrote that [B]Jordan had no respect for Cartwright, told his teammates to keep the ball away from Cartwright in crucial late-game situations (even if coach Doug Collins called a play involving Cartwright), and bellittled the veteran publicly. Cartwright confronted Jordan:[/B]

Excerpt: He didn't do or say anything to anybody until late that season, when he told Jordan he needed to talk to him.

There was little small talk exchanged. [B]"I don't like the things I've heard you saying about me," Cartwright told Jordan.

Jordan stared at him.

"If Iever hear again that you're telling guys not to pass me the ball," Cartwright continued, "you will never play basketball again." :roll:
[/B]
That was it. But as Cartwright began to move better after surgery following the 1989-90 season, Jordan began to accept him more.

David Halberstam, in "Playing for Keeps," paints a similar picture.

Note: Jordan can be wrong. Very wrong.

Excerpt: [B]Jordan did not respect Cartwright as a man or as a player. He called him Medical Bill because of his past injuries. He thouught Cartwright had bad hands, so sometimes in practice he threw him passes that were unnecessarily hard so that Cartwright would fumble them and prove Jordan's point. [/B]About no other player was Michael Jordan to prove quite so wrong as about Bill Cartwright, both as a man and as a player, but it took him almost two years to realize it and admit it.

Janet Lowe, in ""Michael Jordan Speaks: Lessons from the World's Greatest Champion"," explained how MJ admitted his error, with big-time class:

Excerpt: Jordan acknowledged later that he had been unhappy when the Bulls traded away his friend Charles Oakley in 1988 to bring in Cartwright, a veteran in the waning years of his playing career.

[B]Later, Michael made amends to Cartwright and to management who arranged the trade with a tribute to Cartwright across a two-page spread of Jordan's coffee-table book, For the Love of the Game: My Story. A sprawling headline across the top of pages 40-41 read: "I was wrong about the Charles Oakley-Bill Cartwright trade in 1988." Across the bottom was written, "I loved having Charles on the team, but Bill made the difference."[/B][/QUOTE]

[url]http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=merron/041109%20[/url]

Nice post Roundball, that was exactly what I was referring to with Cartwright :applause:

Some people don't know just how brutal and sometimes down right arrogant and nasty MJ could be on the court

Pip would uplift the team and tone Mike down a bit, he played mediator cuz he had that great relationship with MJ and with the rest of his team, while MJ was GOAT he didn't always have the best relationships with his teammates

[QUOTE]Of course not, they are not good at basketball. They might bring some qualities of leadership to the table. Same reason they wouldn't be a good coach. In my experience as a coach and player the best teams almost always have their best player as leader. Not always vocal, but they follow. [/QUOTE]

I disagree with this. Those guys have been leaders everywhere they have been. I don't see why that would not emerge even if they were scrubs in the NBA.

On Jordan, if I recall correctly MJ didn't really become an engaged leader until 1990 or 1991. He was a one man show early in his career.

[QUOTE]One is from the Lazenby Book, one is from Sacred Hoops and the one about "emotional climate" is from Phil's comparrison of Kobe and MJ last year. [/QUOTE]

Ok. I was curious. I'll have to check out Jackson's books. I've read all the 90's Bulls books (except Smith's second, but that is next on my reading list) but not Jackson's yet. Wennington's book is particularly insightful because it provides a direct window into the team from a player.

[QUOTE]That's because Jordan was a dick. I agree with something you said the other night about "tearing people down" etc. like MJ was known to do. I think it's why he's failed as an executive over and over. Same with Isiah. But if he were winning titles as an executive he could still be a leader with that style. [/QUOTE]


Yeah and it also is why his approach flopped in Washington. The players tuned him out. His approach can only work in perfect circumstances: it is an accepted part of the culture and there are other leaders present to mitigate the worst of his approach.

[QUOTE]Pip is not a guy who was gonna get in your face and Jordan was not a guy who was gonna be your buddy. [/QUOTE]

I am not sure about the former. Harper said Pippen would call you out if you were doing something wrong. I just think he did it in a diplomatic way. Look at what he was doing. He was coaching the defense on the floor, directing the offense. Inevitably he would have to make recommendations to players to improve things. You just don't have to be a jerk about it.

[QUOTE]I do think the fact that guys liked Pippen and that Jordan got so much blame than so much credit for the teams success makes them more likely to stand up for Pippen, a sort of unsung hero on those teams in the moment more often than not. It's pretty clear MJ is an A-Hole, the type of guy who holds a grudge for 30+ years. It stands to reason that guys only compliment the type of player he was[/QUOTE]

I'll defer to you on the final point. I haven't really explored what people have said about MJ as a leader. I just see him hyped as this MLK-caliber leader in the press and, based on what I know about the teams he was on, am skeptical of those depictions but maybe there is some merit to it. I do know in researching quotes on Pippen there were teammates who also mentioned MJ as a leader. What you are saying is MJ was hated by his teammates so they are limited in what they say about him. That may be true. I don't know.

I don't think they are necessarily standing up for Pippen. They simply are gushing about a guy who seemingly was great to work with. One thing I have seen mentioned by a few players is Pippen was a superstar who was down to Earth and helpful. They appreciated that he appreciated and cared for them. They also, which goes to your earlier point about the best player, gave him more weight because he was an elite player. Look at the Wennington quote. He was happy to have a superstar help him despite being a scrub and he noted Pippen did not look down on him.

Where I do think they may be standing up for him is in quotes where they talk about his overall importance to the team, i.e. Cartwright saying he was equal to MJ. The quotes on leadership are more fond remembrances of a colleague who most of them viewed as their favorite teammate.

[QUOTE]Some people don't know just how brutal and sometimes down right arrogant and nasty MJ could be on the court

Pip would uplift the team and tone Mike down a bit, he played mediator cuz he had that great relationship with MJ and with the rest of his team, while MJ was GOAT he didn't always have the best relationships with his teammates[/QUOTE]

Yeah without other leaders MJ's tactics would not have worked as well, which is what happened in D.C.

[QUOTE]Beyond all his physical, mental, and basketball-related talents, [B]w[/B][B]hat made Scottie so special were his intangible qualities as a teammate – ask anyone who ever played with the Bulls in the 90’s, or with the Blazers in the early 2000’s, and they’ll all agree that Scottie was everyone’s favorite teammate.[/B] Just [B]like his on-court existence was predicated on unselfishness, much of Scottie’s success has to do with the galvanizing effect he had on locker rooms and the way he endeared himself to teammates. In particular, the one thing that I feel Scottie never gets enough credit for: the way he made being around and playing with MJ easier for everyone. [/B]Michael Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history, but make no mistake: he was far from the easiest person with whom to deal. Michael’s obsession with winning bordered on pathological, and this greatly affected his people skills; he regularly would tear down his teammates to weed out the ones he deemed to weak. A single mistake at any time could elicit the wrath of MJ – and if you even dared to talk back you were in for a world of hurt (just ask Steve Kerr). [B]Thankfully Scottie was the one who was always there to pat you on the back, to build you back up with encouraging words, to glue your cracked psyche together instead of letting it fall apart into a million little pieces.[/B] See, Scottie had been there before, too many times to count. He had gone through all the toughest courses in Air Jordan’s school of hard knocks and managed to come out alive when almost any other human being would’ve folded. And it was because of that experience that Scottie was able to empathize with everyone else in ways that Michael never could. [B]Michael Jordan led the Bulls by example, but Phil Jackson always said that Pippen was the team’s vocal leader in the locker room and on the court.[/B] Unfortunately all of Scottie’s intangibles are conveniently forgotten by his detractors and instead several myths have been perpetuated about him.[/QUOTE]

[url]http://arjun-allthingssports.blogspot.com/2011/08/scottie-pippen-greatness-in-nutshell_27.html[/url]

Here are some rich quotes from MJ on his teammates. :oldlol: [url]http://blacksportsonline.com/home/2012/10/michael-jordans-quotes-on-teammates-you-might-be-surprised/[/url]

Being "nice" doesn't necessarily make you a winner. Winning is hard, and the saying "nice guys finish last" is often true.

People do this a lot but most of the most successful people are hard asses. Steve Jobs was like that, most hyper-successful people are.

Besides in the initial quote, Phil basically says their leadership was "equal", MJ was just bad cop, while Pippen played good cop.

When the Bulls took on more of MJ's persona -- cold, ruthless, efficient with a dash of swagger, that's when they started whupping ass. You can't "nice" your way to victory when teams like Detroit and New York want to rip your head off.

[QUOTE=KNOW1EDGE]Nice post Roundball, that was exactly what I was referring to with Cartwright :applause:

Some people don't know just how brutal and sometimes down right arrogant and nasty MJ could be on the court

[B]Pip would uplift the team and tone Mike down a bit, he played mediator cuz he had that great relationship with MJ and with the rest of his team[/B], while MJ was GOAT he didn't always have the best relationships with his teammates[/QUOTE]

Exactly. Like I said earlier, Scottie was the grandmother who would be a shoulder to cry on and bake cookies for the boys when their father (MJ) would scold them.

But what happened when dad was away and grandmama was asked by the coach to exhibit that legendary leadership and team spirit?

Jordan proved he was willing to play decoy for teammates on final shots

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnAr4I3-Z48[/url] (MJ Had scored all the Bulls' 4th quarter points until the final shot by Paxson)

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7XCwLHIPLY[/url]

The first time Scottie as the man was asked to do the same, he promptly quit on the team and went to pout and sulk at the end of the bench in crunch time of a key playoff game.

True Story.

Easy to be Mr. Likeable and the Nice Guy when you don't have to [I]actually[/I] lead. A valuable lesson Mr. Pippen learned when he was asked to be that guy. But he said, 'thanks but no thanks'.

[IMG]http://solecollector.com/media/u/images/Listt%205.jpg[/IMG]

And the second 3-peat is History.

[QUOTE=Soundwave]Being "nice" doesn't necessarily make you a winner. Winning is hard, and the saying "nice guys finish last" is often true.

People do this a lot but most of the most successful people are hard asses. Steve Jobs was like that, most hyper-successful people are.

Besides in the initial quote, Phil basically says their leadership was "equal", MJ was just bad cop, while Pippen played good cop.

When the Bulls took on more of MJ's persona -- cold, ruthless, efficient with a dash of swagger, that's when they started whupping ass. You can't "nice" your way to victory when teams like Detroit and New York want to rip your head off.[/QUOTE]
Lol you guys are incredible. So now the Bulls personnel received Jordans personality from Jordan?

[QUOTE=97 bulls]Lol you guys are incredible. So now the Bulls personnel received Jordans personality from Jordan?[/QUOTE]

The best player's personality tends to rub off on his teammates in many situations.

You can't seriously tell me the Bulls didn't walk an inch taller and with a little more swagger when they had Jordan in the lineup.

Gimme a break with this "oh he was just another player in the lineup" nonsense.

He's the greatest player to ever play and perhaps the most ruthless competitor the sport has ever seen. Of course that rubs off on teammates.

You and Roundball have gone full retard with this whole thing to turn it around and try to act like Jordan was just a regular player on the team. He was the best player on the team by a country mile, lets not get it twisted.

If he decided to stay and play baseball, the "97 bulls" would be a .500 team that no one gives two sh*ts about.

[QUOTE=Soundwave]People do this a lot but most of the most successful people are hard asses. Steve Jobs was like that, most hyper-successful people are.
[/QUOTE]

How many successful [I]leaders[/I] are, though? After all, in order to lead you need people willing to follow you. This is especially true if you need people to voluntarily follow you and move in your direction. If you are a supervisor and have the authority to control someone you can get away with it more, but even then it carries risks. People will simply tune you out or begin to resent you, especially if you lack coercive power over them.

Look at great leaders. Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Eisenhower, MLK, Gandhi, Reagan and so on. They not only convinced others within the system to go along with their agenda they also had loyal lieutenants, somewhat analogous to basketball teammates (except they had control over them) willing to help them execute their programs. Off the top of my head the one guy who comes close to the approach you describe is Newt Gingrich. It did work--for a while--but his act wore thing and he went from being the supreme figure in American government in early 95' to being kicked out by his own party just three years later. It was a remarkable rise and fall in a short period--and completely self-inflicted because it was Newt's way or no way and he failed to nurture relationships (compare that to a successful legislative leader like Lyndon Johnson). Remember, when Gingrich ran for president in 2012 very few of his former House colleagues supported him and several publicly denounced him. Didn't Jobs get kicked out from Apple too?

There are no quotes from, say, Alexander Hamilton talking about how G. Washington--the most alpha of alpha's--was derogatory towards him. :oldlol: Look at the results. Hamilton did everything for him based on the bond they created.


[QUOTE]The speaker angrily called a meeting in the Capitol basement after they sunk the bill, bellowing: “The 11 geniuses who thoughts they knew more than the rest of us are going to come and explain their votes.”

Without missing a beat, Rep. Steve Largent, a former pro football player, shot back: “Mr. Speaker, if I wasn’t intimidated by 250 linebackers trying to kill me I’m not going to be intimidated by you.” As silence enveloped the room, the previously bombastic speaker looked chastened[/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/23/how-newt-gingrich-crashed-and-burned-when-he-was-house-speaker.html[/url]

[QUOTE]The best player's personality tends to rub off on his teammates in many situations. [/QUOTE]

It can. It did in some ways with MJ. People keep invoking "best player" but MJ himself was not a leader on the Bulls early in the 80's when he was the best player. Does anyone really think Kevin Durant is the leader in OKC? He may be. I don't know. He just doesn't seem to be that type. Westbrook does.

[QUOTE]If he decided to stay and play baseball, the "97 bulls" would be a .500 team that no one gives two sh*ts about.[/QUOTE]

PF Rodman
SF Pippen
C Longley
SG Harper
PG X

6th man: Kukoc
7th man: Kerr

That team does not contend? :biggums:

You guys know nothing about leadership. Much less leading men. Why do you think Bob Knight never coached in the NBA? Why did PJ Carlisimo get choked by Latrell Sprewell? Why didnt Larry Bird and Bob Knight get along?

Even with Jordan. Why did he get into a fight with Steve Kerr? Why did Robert Parish threaten to kick his ass? Why was Rodman so succesful in Chicago?

Real men don't respond to that kind of leadership.We respond to reapect. Weak minded men and children respond to fear.

I don't see what the problem is with Rocks post. For years hes been touting that Pippen was a leader. And Jordan groupies have said he wasn't. So hes posts actual quotes from Pippens coaches, peers teammates, writers, opposition, even your god Michael Jordan himself. etc. People that had actual inside views on Pippens inpact on basketball.

Are you guys that much in love with Jordan? So much that facts are considered trolling?

[QUOTE=97 bulls]You guys know nothing about leadership. Much less leading men. Why do you think Bob Knight never coached in the NBA? Why did PJ Carlisimo get choked by Latrell Sprewell? Why didnt Larry Bird and Bob Knight get along?

Even with Jordan. Why did he get into a fight with Steve Kerr? Why did Robert Parish threaten to kick his ass? Why was Rodman so succesful in Chicago?

Real men don't respond to that kind of leadership.We respond to reapect. Weak minded men and children respond to fear.[/QUOTE]

For those people who think that approach works, why don't they try it? I actually did...I quickly shifted to a more positive approach--and I got results after I did. While I was respected and admired as the "best player" (on a campaign) who could do things the others couldn't, they tuned me out because of my harshness when people were not performing up to snuff or slacking and a distance developed between me and the others. When I shifted to a more positive, helpful, mentoring approach with some of the same people would walk through a wall for me. Why? They knew I was interested in helping them and frequently went out of my way to help and teach them things. That goes a long way with people. They started to view me as an asset in their life/on their team, not an arrogant, harsh nuisance.

[QUOTE=97_bulls]I don't see what the problem is with Rocks post. [B]For years hes been touting that Pippen was a leader. And Jordan groupies have said he wasn't.[/B] So hes posts actual quotes from Pippens coaches, peers teammates, writers, opposition, even your god Michael Jordan himself. etc. People that had actual inside views on Pippens inpact on basketball.

Are you guys that much in love with Jordan? So much that facts are considered trolling?[/QUOTE]

Exactly. The key word being "years." Even yesterday multiple pro-MJ posters were saying Pippen was a poor leader. So a Pippen fan decides to collect evidence from people who were actually on the team and MJ fans go beserk at the unfairness of it and call it trolling and proceed to rip Pippen throughout the thread. :roll: How many times have you, since you are often in Pippen threads, see MJ stans rip Pippen as not being a good leader?

This thread is about Pippen's leadership. MJ stans are free to post a thread about Mike's leadership. :confusedshrug:

[QUOTE=Soundwave]The best player's personality tends to rub off on his teammates in many situations.

You can't seriously tell me the Bulls didn't walk an inch taller and with a little more swagger when they had Jordan in the lineup.

Gimme a break with this "oh he was just another player in the lineup" nonsense.

He's the greatest player to ever play and perhaps the most ruthless competitor the sport has ever seen. Of course that rubs off on teammates.

Just because Jordan was an asshole does not mean his teammates were. I can't think of any one of the Bulls players that even remotely assumed Jordans personality.

They gained confidence with him on the team. But they werent jerks.
You and Roundball have gone full retard with this whole thing to turn it around and try to act like Jordan was just a regular player on the team. He was the best player on the team by a country mile, lets not get it twisted.

If he decided to stay and play baseball, the "97 bulls" would be a .500 team that no one gives two sh*ts about.[/QUOTE]
Again for the 9 millionth time, and im screaming thus at you.......SCOTTIE PIPPENS GREATNESS IN NO WAY INFRINGES ON JORDANS!!!!!!!!!! DAMNM.

[QUOTE=97 bulls]You guys know nothing about leadership. Much less leading men. Why do you think Bob Knight never coached in the NBA? Why did PJ Carlisimo get choked by Latrell Sprewell? Why didnt Larry Bird and Bob Knight get along?

Even with Jordan. Why did he get into a fight with Steve Kerr? Why did Robert Parish threaten to kick his ass? Why was Rodman so succesful in Chicago?

Real men don't respond to that kind of leadership.We respond to reapect. Weak minded men and children respond to fear.

I don't see what the problem is with Rocks post. For years hes been touting that Pippen was a leader. And Jordan groupies have said he wasn't. So hes posts actual quotes from Pippens coaches, peers teammates, writers, opposition, even your god Michael Jordan himself. etc. People that had actual inside views on Pippens inpact on basketball.

Are you guys that much in love with Jordan? So much that facts are considered trolling?[/QUOTE]

What fact? Also remind me when Jordan ever sat on the bench refusing to go into a game like Scottie did? When did Jordan ever bicker with other star teammates like Pippen did with Barkley and was unable to get his game to work with Hakeem as well? Did a Jordan team ever suffer from a epic playoff choke job like the Blazers in 2000?

That's "real leadership"?

These aren't attributes I equate to "great leader" per se, there are lots of cracks in Scottie's armor. MJ may have had his spats with teammates, but I never saw it manifest itself on the court in meltdowns like that.

And IMO Rodman stayed relatively in check (relatively) in Chicago in large part because he respected Jordan as the best player in the game. MJ commanded respect from everyone. Rodman isn't the type that listens to or gives two sh*ts about "nice speeches", he only respects power.

You guys are cherry picking quotes, there are plenty of quotes that put MJ in a positive light, but you guys hand pick the ones centered about Pippen.

What's the one where Phil or Tex said that Jordan always had the mentality of a hunting wolf whereas Scottie only had that mentality when he knew he had back up?

[QUOTE=97 bulls]Even with Jordan. Why did he get into a fight with Steve Kerr? Why did Robert Parish threaten to kick his ass? [/QUOTE]

All of Jordan's transgressions put together don't equal what Scottie did at the end of that game. I challenge anyone here to find me an example as bad or worse of another player doing something so egregious in so important a moment in NBA History. Hell you can make it any sport you want. Then we'll have a frank discussion what it actually means to be a leader.

If Kukoc had missed that shot...

(But he didn't because he had hit 3 game winners/buzzer beaters that season and Phil reasoned [obviously correctly] that he was the man for the job).

[QUOTE=The_Pharcyde]I mean I could go on and on I have read over 10+ on the dynasty bulls
And Phil Jackson

But why would I talk to a troll who is either trying to prop kobe or lebron through a back channel like all the other ones

Anyone else think it is weird that Pippen all of the sudden has so many supporters

Scottie is my guy, I'll never forget his 1993 ECF and blocking charles smith or the 94 dunk on ewing

[b]But anyone who says he was the leader of the Bulls is just lying to themselves[/b]
Just enjoy the game and all it's players
These young fans are too dumb to realize that yet[/QUOTE]
phil ****in jackson called pippen their leader you dweeb :oldlol: :oldlol:

[QUOTE]And IMO Rodman stayed relatively in check (relatively) in Chicago in part because he respected Jordan as the best player in the game. MJ commanded respect from everyone. [/QUOTE]

Where is Rodman quoted as saying that? He did not even talk to MJ until March of that season.

[QUOTE]You guys are cherry picking quotes, there are plenty of quotes that put MJ in a positive light, but you guys hand pick the ones centered about Pippen. [/QUOTE]

Then put on your Air Jordans and post a pro-Jordan thread about his leadership with those quotes. This thread is not about Mike. We are giving props to Pip in light of unfair attacks on his leadership by MJ stans and a few others.

These quotes are just from Jackson. I'll have another thread with quotes from teammates and others.

[QUOTE]When did Jordan ever bicker with other star teammates[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]Quote:
........................"We're beating a lot of poor teams. So what? We won a lot of games last year, too. Will Horace and Bill still be playing at this level in the playoffs...Can Pip keep it up?"

Quote:[B]
"I hate being out there with those garbagemen.[/B] They don't get you the ball."

Quote:
"They've got no idea what it's all about. [B]The white guys, they work hard, but they don't have the talent.[/B] And [B]the rest of them? Who knows what to expect? They're not good for much of anything."[/B]

Quote:
"I know what's gonna happen. We'll wait until the last minute and then they'll say something like they couldn't get a deal done because of the cap or somebody pulled out at the last minute. It happens here all the time. I don't know why I'm surprised every year."

Quote:
[B]"He can't do anything with the ball. Don't give it to him." - Michael yelling at Paxson who passed the ball to Perdue[/B]

Quote:
"You ever hear of a guy, six-eleven maybe and two hundred sixty pounds, a guy big and fat like that and he can't get but two rebounds, if that many, running all over the damn court and he gets two rebounds? Big guy like that and he gets one rebound.[B] Can't even stick his ass into people and get more than that...Big, fat, fat guy. One rebound in three games. Power forward. Maybe they should call it powerless forward." - Michael ripping Stacey King a new one[/B]

Quote:
[B]"He was scared in there and panicking. He just lost it when Stockton scored." - Michael on B.J. Armstrong's mental fragility[/B]

Quote:
I'll let them stand up and take responsibility for themselves."

Quote:
"We have to do some things. We need to make some changes."

Quote:
"...I call them 'the Looney Tunes.' Physically, they were the best. Mentally, they weren't even close."

Quote:
"He's scared. He's got no heart...Nobody told me that. If I had spoken up, he wouldn't have been here."

Quote:
"I know I can recognize what to do, but I'm not sure they can."

Quote:
[B]"It's a hell of a lot easier to make Earl Monroe look good than it is Brad Sellers."[/B]

Quote:
[B]"I hope there's a jumpshot in there." - Michael to Stacey King who was walking into the locker room with a box[/B]

Quote:
[B]"They don't need a ticket to watch you sitting on the bench. They can go to your house for that." - Michael to Charles Davis who was sorting through his tickets for his family and friends[/B]

Quote:
[B]"Give me the fu*king ball." - Michael to Doug Collins who drew up a play for Dave Corzine (this was in the playoffs I believe--not exactly what the 1.8 second crowd would lead you to believe MJ would do)[/B]

Quote:
"I hate when I have to read that in the papers the next day, that I couldn't do something. It wasn't my fault."

Quote:
[B]"You're an idiot. You've screwed up every play we ever ran. You're too stupid to even remember the plays. We ought to get rid of you." - Michael to Horace Grant[/B]

Quote:
[B]"If you [pass the ball to Bill Cartwright], you'll never get the ball from me."[/B]

Quote:
"We're not winning because of talent. We're just beating bad teams."

Quote:
[B]"Headache tonight, Scottie?" - Michael asks Scottie, while showing him his 2-for-16 line[/B]

Quote:
[B]"It's probably a twelve-day. He needs two days to wake up." - Michael on a ten-day contract teammate[/B]

Quote:
"Five more years and I'm out of here. I'm marking these days on a calendar, like I'm in jail. I'm tired of being used by this organization, by the league, by the writers, by everyone."

Quote:
"They're not interested in winning. They just want to sell tickets, which they can do because of me. They won't make any deals to make us better. And this Kukoc thing. I hate that. They're spending all their time chasing this guy."

Quote:
"If I were a general manager, we'd be a better team."

Quote:
[B]"Will Vanderbilt. He doesn't deserve to be named after a Big Ten school." - Michael on Will Perdue[/B] - AWESOME!

Quote:
"I want to prove the critics wrong...I want to see some serious moves from management, which I really haven't seen that much of yet, and I want to see more serious attitudes from my teammates this year when it comes to the playoffs. In the past, it's been more or less a joking thing, sort of a 'Well, we're here, so let's have a good time.'"..........

Quote:
"I'm sure everything will be fine if we win, but if we start losing, I'm shooting."

Quote:
"I know what I would do if I were coach. I'd determine our strengths and weaknesses and utilize them. And it's pretty clear what our strength is."

Quote:[B]
"Your boy doesn't want to play. I'm tired of bailing his ass out." - Michael yelling at Jim Cleamons about Dennis Hopson[/B]

Quote:
"I don't know about trading a 24 year-old guy for a 34 year-old guy." - Michael questioning the Oakley trade

Quote:
[B]"He's causing me too many turnovers." - Michael on Cartwright's inability to catch[/B]

Quote:[B]
"Why the hell don't you ever set a pick like that in a game?" - Michael yelling at Perdue after also hitting Perdue upside his head (led to the institution of the private curtain for practices)[/B]
[/QUOTE]

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