Scottie Pippen didn’t have to come here this week.
“Phoenix, L.A.,” Pippen said of this week’s Bulls itinerary. “It’s cold in Chicago. I’m here to support my teammates. I figured this would be a good time to be with them. They’re not playing great basketball and hopefully they can get some road wins. You also don’t want to be out of the loop with your teammates and with what is happening on the court.
“And did I mention it was nice weather? I’m here to watch some games. But I’m not thinking about where I may play after this year.”
Of course, starting any sentence with “Phoenix, L.A.” could be describing the future of the only player who might be voted most valuable without actually having played a game.
That’s how important Pippen is turning out to be to the Bulls, and it’s not going unnoticed around the NBA. That includes Phoenix, where the Bulls open a four-game Western Conference trip Thursday against an aggressive young team that may be one All-Star away from title contention.
An All-Star like Pippen, perhaps?
Four years ago, when the Bulls were without Michael Jordan, Pippen, without much subtlety, was trying on Suns uniforms during a Bulls trip here and noting that purple was one of his favorite colors.
The Lakers wear purple too.
And now, just what do these teams need to be successful?
The Lakers, whom the Bulls miss on this trip, have a very young nucleus of Shaquille O’Neal, Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. They’re said to be just one mature player away from being the next dynasty.
But getting the salary-cap room to sign Pippen would be a huge problem.
Not so in Phoenix, where the Suns are expected to be millions below the salary cap after this season and looking for someone to help direct Jason Kidd and Antonio McDyess.
So Pippen was asked after the Bulls practiced here late Wednesday if the Bulls are broken up, would Phoenix be an attractive destination for him?
“It would be attractive to me if the team were not broken up,” he said.
Pippen was not campaigning to leave, as he was in 1994 and 1995 before Jordan’s return. But the bitter feelings between the team and management, which continue through mostly subtle jabs, clearly have ended Pippen’s long-held dream of finishing his career in Chicago.
Would the Bulls try to trade him before the February deadline? No. Management has ceded to every demand and desire of the players and staff. The bench is better with Joe Kleine and Scott Burrell, and Dennis Rodman was brought back. Management was not about to allow the players and coaches to blame them if the team doesn’t repeat. They’re not about to now.
So Pippen can relax for the season. But he won’t, as shown by his desire to be on this trip while he’s more than a month from playing.
Few players with major injuries travel with their teams on long trips. Jordan didn’t when he broke his foot in 1985. Larry Bird never did. Certainly, Dennis Rodman never has.
But Pippen is special. He has been regarded, to a man, as the favorite teammate on the Bulls. Jordan always has been the fans’ favorite; Pippen always has been the players’ favorite.
That’s simply because he passes the ball. It’s the difference between Batman and Robin.
Batman’s a glory guy, going after the bad guys alone. Robin’s there to help whoever needs him.
And, as has been clear in the first 10 games this season, lots of Bulls players need that help.
“I know what we need on the court,” Pippen said. “Everyone can see we don’t have the energy, the leadership to get us into our sets. We don’t have the same type of rhythm and energy when I’m not on the court. I don’t want to be biased, but I feel I bring a lot of things to this offense it really needs.”
No offense to Jordan, either, but Pippen thinks pass first. You don’t get to be Michael Jordan doing that, but it’s another reason why Pippen, at age 32, remains so valuable around the league.
And why he doesn’t have to rush back as he did a few years ago when he was injured.
Many, knowing Pippen, projected he would return in mid-December, when the Lakers come to Chicago, or on Christmas Day for the first big NBC telecast against Miami. But now the thinking seems to be early January.
Pippen is merely saying between now and the All-Star break, but not denying January estimates.
“No one other than myself can say when I’m going to be back on the court,” Pippen said. “I know my body and when it’s ready to go. I don’t know whether it will be December or January. I know I don’t want to go out and get a recurring injury or compensate and injure myself in another way. So I’m willing to take my time.
“No one wants to sit out. It’s great to know you’re needed and an important part of your team. But I can’t push so hard. You want to take advantage of the rehabilitation and get stronger so when you come back it’s at the right pace.”
Even if it’s not at the same location for very long.
