Wade-Marion next Jordan-Pippen?

Pat Riley is calling Shawn Marion the perfect compliment to Dwyane Wade as the next Jordan-Pippen duo. What do you think?


***With the trade of Shaquille O'Neal to the Phoenix Suns for forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks formalized, Miami Heat coach Pat Riley spoke of a new outlook for his team, one that will focus on complementing guard Dwyane Wade as the definitive franchise focus.

"We simply looked at the big picture, where we are today, and we need to build around Dwyane," Riley said. "And everything we do now, moving forward is about building around Dwyane,"

Riley went as far as to compare Wade and Marion to Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

"From a standpoint of how I look at it, with Dwyane and with Shawn, it reminds me a little bit of the beginning of Jordan and Pippen," he said. "I think he's going to mesh very well with Dwyane."***


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/...
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JerzDevil - I'm not joking. Here is the actual link that works.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/...

I'm guessing that the person who asked the question isn't comparing Jordan/Pippen's ability to Wade/Marion, but more the styles of play of the respective duos.

Here's my answer based on offense and defense:

Jordan during the first three peat and Wade do have very similar styles of play. Both players rely on their athleticism and extremely quick first steps to get to the rim and both were excellent at drawing fouls. Neither player relies heavily on the three point shot (Jordan averaged about 0.4 made threes during the 1st three peat; Wade averages 0.2 per game).

So, offensively that comparison works.

Marion and Pippen on the other hand, are pretty different players. Marion has trouble creating for himself, and while Pippen struggled with this somewhat earlier on in his career, he was still fairly proficient as a one on one player, at least as far as getting to the rim in the half court. Marion relies more on open set shots such as the three, while Pippen was never that adept a shooter, and relied far more on his dribbling. Both players do excel in the running game, though.

The major difference between the two is that Pippen was a very, very good passer. So, with Jordan and Pippen on the floor, there were two creators- Jordan could weave his way through the defense and Pippen was one of the greatest point forwards the game has seen.

Overall on Offense: The Wade-Jordan comparison is pretty accurate, but since Pippen could do so much more with the ball than Marion, it really was easier on Jordan. Now, everyone talks about how much easier Jordan made the game for Pippen, and that's 100% true. But it worked both ways: Pippen also made the game easier for Jordan, because he made it so that the team had two very good dribblers. Pippen helped reduce the pressure on Jordan and vice versa- offensively, Wade would be able to set up Marion, but not the other way around.

Jordan-Wade: Jordan has always been far better in this category than Wade; Jordan's the better man to man defender- Wade still gambles too much when going for the steal, and isn't as laterally quick as Jordan was. Plus, Jordan's size gave him an advantage.

Pippen-Marion: Marion's an overrated man defender in my opinion. He's solid in that category, but nothing special. However, he is a very good off ball defender, and his versatility should really help Miami out. Pippen on the other hand was an excellent man defender and team defender/off-ball defender.

Overall on defense: Neither Marion or Wade have the on ball defense to contest their opponents like Jordan or Pippen could. Jordan and Pippen often ran a two man full court press that was very effective. Marion and Wade, while not bad defenders, are defintely not comparable to Pippen/Jordan defensive duo.

My Answer: So, I'd have to say no to this question. They are not all that comparable offensively because of how much more Pippen brings to the table than Marion, namely passing and dribbling, which are two essential keys when discussing a duo of guard/small forward. Defensively, as I discussed, Jordan and Pippen were intimidating; Marion and Wade are not.

I guess I could say that they have the ability to mesh together offensively, particularly if Miami runs the floor (which they should when they have players like Ricky Davis). Marion will certainly help Miami because he's a versatile defender and will space the floor nicely on offense.

But, offensively and defensively, Marion and Wade together, will play very differently than Jordan and Pippen.

Edit: I'm not saying that Miami can't be successful- just not in the same style Pippen and Jordan were.

To the person who compared Odom-Wade to Marion-Wade, I don't think that's a fair comparison. Odom is a far better dribbler and creator on offense than Marion has ever been. In that way, Odom's much more similar to Pippen.

Wade isn't that good, and Marion DEFINETLY isn't that good.

uh quite simply uh NO!!! marion isnt even close to being as good as Pippen and Wade is very good but no Jordan,
Pippen is in the NBA's all time top 50 players of all time and when its all said and done Marion wont be close to that.

Heat Fan here to.....

dont overreacted yet. Im as excited as you and with the high draft pick they are going to have I hope they get Kevin Love (UCLA) to play the middle.

Plus they still have to sign Marion long term

Marion isnt as great as the hype. He also has a bad attitude and is more concerned about his success versus a team. He is like a Kobe minus the fact he doesnt compare to him either. I was glad to see him go but not so much with Banks

I hope your joking ..

this is the joke of the century

LOL, thats more like Pippen and Pippen. Neither are on a Jordan level. But I do think this is going to be another great duo. Marion is the perfect role player to compliment a very talented Wade.

wade and marion are'nt even that good to be compared with jordan -pippen.....MIAMI HEAT SUCKS!

i can not believe that wade and marion would even be in the same sentance as jordan and pippen...wow....rileys a loser....he'll say anything to get the attention back to his team...they suck and are losing fans QUICK

GO CELTICS

Sure Marion and Wade are good..but neither are as good as Jordan and Pippen. If you want to make a comparison, I'd compare Jordan/Pippen to Kobe/Gasol. Since Kobe is better than Wade and Gasol is better than Marion.

I don't agree with Riley on that one. I think he is saying that just to hype the rest of the season. Just like he did saying Shaq is here to stay. Shaq should be an all-star this year. We love his point and his rebounds. Now he is saying we are rebuilding. Give me a break. He changes with the wind. He should be a politician. His views changes with whomever he is talking to. I will just tell you what I think you need to hear.

What a joke. Riley has gone insane

As A Heat fan,I can see where you might be coming from.Here's your answer:We have to see. Marion could very well be the Pippen to D.Wade's Jordan. They're still missing a few pieces, but a player like Marion can very well help Wade elevate his game. All you have to look at is his rookie performance with Odom playing his Robin.Take that type of situation with an even better complimentary player and a much improved D Wade, next year could be a great year.

They have a TON of cap room now and they can go after a few other pieces and catapult to the top of the east.

no way, it will never happen. No duo in the league compares.

There will never be another jordan, maybe another pippen but i dont think that is shawn marion.

possibly.

The pair are more like Bibby and Artest.

In fantasy land. D Wade is among the most over rated players in the NBA. He gets Shaq, they get a ring. Shaq gets injured, they drop to the bottom of the NBA and they're in the Eastern Conference!!! I could go grab 4 dudes off the street and we could make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Besides, I like Marion but he isn't nearly as good as the Suns make him look. He can play D and he can grab boards but that ugly shot won't be fallin in Miami with no fast paced offense and no Steve Nash droppin dimes left and right. (12 last night if you're wondering)

1) They need to go 32-4 just to get to the .500 mark (needed to make the playoffs this year) So thats not gonna happen.

no playoffs for 2008

2) The Heat are in full rebuild mode. They have the capspace, they got a couple of draft picks and they have a superstar to build around to. Why would an aging Marion who still has a lot left in his tank want to re-sign with a rebuilding team? He has reached the point in his career where he'd much rather tag along with a superstar and be the no. 2 guy and have a bunch of good role players who could be a title contender...Miami doesn't fit that description

His contract expires this year and he is gone this offseason...unless Pat Riley makes a fool of himself and locks Marion for a max deal (18 million + per year), 5 year deal...that would be dumb, he's not worth it.

Why would Marion stay with Miami instead of signing with a possible contender next year?

Wade-Marion is a new combo, I dunno how they'll work out but they won't be a Jordan-Pippen combo lol

I'm not sure about that. While I heard that quote as well, and I know it's true, the fact is that Marion fit in perfectly into the Suns style of play. A PF who shoots 3s, runs, and does all the little things. I"m curious to see if he's as good in a different system as I really believe the Suns system made him appear better than he might elsewhere. And MJ and Pippen they are not.

Are you kidding me? Jordan is the best ever!!! ( and I'm a big Laker / KOBE fan) and Pippen is one of the best SF ever.
They are not gonna be even close to Jordan / Pippen status.

Hahahaha. He thinks Wade is Jordan?

NO just No