Pippen shows some love

From todays Chronicle


Pippen begins to deliberate his retirement
By JONATHAN FEIGEN

Before long, a theme emerged in Scottie Pippen's thinking. Before the past two seasons, Pippen celebrated a new beginning. Before this one, he contemplated the end.

Maybe it was just his return to the stomping grounds of another life, when he was a 6-2 team manager at Central Arkansas. Perhaps the thought of 100 more games (he hopes) in the next eight months seemed more daunting than he was ready to consider. Maybe this just happens after almost 1,200 NBA games.

But with four years and $52 million ($16.4 this season) still due him, Pippen, sounding more envious of Hakeem Olajuwon and his last tour of duty, spoke openly about retirement for the first time.

"I'm winding down I think," he said. "I'll make that decision a little later. But I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It depends what kind of season we have, whether it's a good season, a great season or a bad season. It's a hard decision."

Last Thursday, the Trail Blazers were in Little Rock, Ark. -- about two hours from Pippen's hometown of Hamburg -- to face the Rockets and he kept making references to the idea of quitting.

He said he was delighted with getting a chance to play at home in Arkansas with (his) career winding down.

He said he wouldn't treat the game differently than any other preseason game at this stage of (his) career. Overall, he feels well. "I'm getting the soreness out. I'm older."

Olajuwon has announced that this will be his don't-even-ask last season. But when Pippen was reminded he should have several years left, he said don't be too sure.

"Go compare my minutes to Hakeem's," he said. "This game has been great to me. I don't want to start talking about retirement. It does cross my mind."

At 35, Pippen looked much as he has the past few years, but he's playing a limited preseason role. He had eight points on 4 of 8 shooting last Thursday. His turnover in the last minute clinched the Rockets win, though Pippen said he was fouled.

Despite all that, he said it was "wonderful" to play in Arkansas. He bought 150 tickets for friends and family. About half his 11 siblings and their families made the trip.

After 42,431 career minutes (including playoffs) he is slowing down. But unlike Olajuwon's drastically reduced duties with the Rockets after 46,462 NBA minutes, Pippen's role with the Trail Blazers will remain largely as it has been.

"Scottie doesn't talk about this season being his last season or anything like that," Trail Blazers guard Steve Smith said. "But this team was put together for one goal, to win a championship."

The Rockets with Pippen had the same goal, but that ended in a first-round playoff loss to the Lakers. The marriage lasted only a few months more.

The Rockets were close to completing the trade with the Trail Blazers when the divorce got ugly with Pippen's bitter invective about Charles Barkley.

But Pippen has not erased all memories of his season in a Rockets' uniform.

"There are days I wake up with the (incessant Portland) rain and say, "Damn, where's the sunshine?' " he said. "I enjoyed my time in Houston. I guess I opened my mouth too much. It wasn't as big as Charles' so I ended up getting kicked out of town.

"But it worked out for both sides."

If does retire, he did get to experienced something in Little Rock that had seemed impossible. He played in a Rockets home game and was the most popular player in town.

"No, not at all," Pippen said. "They love me in Houston."



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[This message has been edited by sabirk (edited October 23, 2000).]