A star retires, a new one emerges

The Chicago Bulls basketball team has been my favourite team for the last 10 years. I have been a loyal follower since year 7 and my support for them has never wavered. Two events occured recently which i have to get off my chest:

1. Scottie Pippen retired

Scottie will always be one of my favourite players. In fact, I still have a poster of him on my wall (the other one is Michael Jordan). To me, Pippen will be enshrined in my mind as one of the greatest players of all time. He was a defensive wizard, capable of disrupting the other team's offense and a deadly slasher to the basket. Pippen was just a great around player. Sam Smith (from the Chicago Tribune) argued that it was Pippen that made Jordan great, not the other way around (that Jordan made Pippen great).

I just think both players complemented each other. Pippen defended the other team's best perimeter player every night and was basically Michael's sidekick, like Batman and Robbin. it was Jordan that gave Pippen that intensity and will to win, and by practising with Jordan, it greatly enhanced his game. Pippen tried to be the man in '95 and did an admirable job, but he never had all the offensive skills that a superstar needed to carry his team to a championship. He needed Jordan badly, much like Kobe needed Shaq to win.

When Pippen left the Bulls, he career went downhill. He just never was the same player again. A combination of new teammates, new offense, and injuries just meant that Pippen wasn't as effective as he once was. However, despite this blip in his career, he will always remain one of all time favourite players. I still remember the Bulls trade for Roy Rogers and a second round pick and was like what?????

2. Eddy Curry asks for a maximum contract extension

When a player asks for a maximum contract extension basically they want all the money they can be possibly entitled to. It means they want a contract in the ranges of at least $10 million a season for prolly 6 years or more. When i think of maximum contracts I think of $100 million contracts. I just think there is no way on this earth that ANYONE would pay Eddy Curry $10 million per season. Quoting dimemag.com this guy must have some balls asking the Bulls for this.

I'm sorry, but this guy has not achieved anything significant in his whole career. He has averaged like 12 points and 6 rebounds last semester. This guy has potential but has only shown brief flashes of brilliance. He has underachieved and I was expecting him to break out last year and average like 18 points and 9 rebounds. This guy has entered the league from high skool with all this hype, they don't do jack all, his overweight but now slimmed down apparently, has a new nickname "E-City", been in the league 3 seasons and all of a sudden is expecting a maximum deal? That's just crazy. he doesn't deserve it.

The NBA has just gone topsy turvy and is handing out money like crazy. E City is only demanding this because guys like Pau Gasol, Carlos Boozer, and Eric Dampier had been able to land pretty sweet deals. None of the above guys has been the playoffs (Gasol has been once). Curry has proven nothing and hasn't even made the all star team. NBA teams has set a dangerous precendent by paying guys like Pau Gasol and Dampier huge money who aren't even proven. Maybe Gasol may be justified but Derek Fisher, Adonal Foyle, Dampier - these guys are merely role players and are getting paid like crazy.

Seriously, I don't think that max deals should be handed out to anyone. i don't even think guys like Baron Davis are worth the max. My criteria to qualify for a max deal would be to be a bona fide franchise player with all star credentials, capable of drawing in huge crowds, be like the top 2 players for your position and be extremely marketable. A guy like Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett would easily qualify.

But you know what Curry much actually get it because they aren't many decent centers in the league, and the bulls have only 4 players under contract. If they sign Curry and Chandler to $10 million deals, they'll still be able to chase premium free agents next year. It will be a shame for basketball fans everywhere if Curry signs a max deal.