Before the knee injuries, Ron Harper was the REAL comparison to Michael Jordan.
Before the media started the list of “The next” Michael Jordan, there was a player that they called “The poor man’s Michael Jordan. That guy was Ron Harper. When he was Cleveland, Harper was a bad dude with evil intentions. When he matched up against Jordan, sure he would get the 40 point treatment like everyone else. However, he would give out a few business cards to him too.
Then he caught the “Clipper Curse” and signed a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers before Steve Ballmer bought the team. In other words, things didn’t go well. Harper blew out his ACL in his knee and his athleticism waned (In the game he got injured, he scored 27 points like in the first half!).
Chicago’s Ron Harper:
People forget that Ron Harper played his way down to the last guy on the bench in his first year in Chicago. Of course, this was before Michael Jordan came back and brought some “accountability” to the roster.
Since he had the respect of Jordan, Harper was part of the morning workout group called “The Breakfast Club” along with Scottie Pippen. After getting a better understanding of the triangle offense, his confidence skyrocketed. Plus he was the locker room liaison connecting the stars with the role players.
Harper revolutionized his game to become a better defender and demonize the opponent’s passing lanes with Pippen and Jordan. Plus he actually developed a reliable jumper considering after his knee injuries he really had to if he wanted to stay in the NBA.
Los Angeles Lakers’ Ron Harper:
When Phil Jackson took over the reins of the Lakers, naturally he had to start winning ASAP. The Triangle offense brings some dynamics to an NBA team. They are listed below.
- Most star players hate it (Remember Jordan!) because it can be meticulous and boring!
- It takes about one year for new players to get a full understanding.
- To sell it, Phil Jackson brought in former Bulls players, Ron Harper and Horace Grant to shorten the learning curve and help sell it to Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers players that weren’t thrilled with it.
By this time, Ron Harper’s knees had to be a mess. Think about all those long seasons playing in those NBA Finals in Chicago. That three-peat team had Harper chasing Gary Payton and John Stockton. Makes your knees hurt just thinking about it huh?
But his presence on the team probably kept everyone from stringing Phil Jackson up in the beginning showing that there was a method to his madness can’t be overlooked.
But those knees in Los Angeles had to have extra ice after games. Plus, Father Time is still undefeated. Both versions of Ron Harper had bad knees. The Lakers version was worse. That gives Chicago the edge.
Shaquille O’Neal said that he would kill the Chicago Bulls centers. So?