Underpaid Pippen: The Anti-Kemp

Talk about close: By the barest of margins - 20 votes - Seattle Times' readers want the Seattle Sonics to ignore Shawn Kemp's request to be traded. Of the 1,460 who responded to a non-scientific phone poll yesterday, 50.7 percent (740 votes) wanted the Sonics to keep Kemp while 49.3 percent (720) voted to trade him.

SALT LAKE CITY - Scottie Pippen has a "tell," one of those revealing quirks poker players look for in opponents.

He has a face that would cost him big money in a poker game. He's holding aces, and everyone knows it. No amount of bluffing can deny it. Yet he tries.

Pippen will say it never gets cold standing in Michael Jordan's shadow. He'll say he's happy playing second fiddle to the best player in NBA history.

Pippen will say he knows he's one of the top five players in the NBA, but his contract says he's No. 6 on the Chicago Bulls and No. 126 in the league.

And then he will smile.

Why the smile? Pippen doesn't reply. He doesn't have to.

With a year remaining on his contract, his time is coming. His multimillion-dollar deal is weeks, maybe months away. Someone will offer him the kind of money Jordan makes. If not Chicago, then Orlando, Philadelphia or Boston.

Still, for the past two years he has been underpaid by NBA standards, and next season he'll earn a paltry $2.8 million. And he doesn't complain. He doesn't pout, miss airplanes or demand to be traded.

He is the anti-Shawn Kemp.

"That's not productive," Pippen said. "All of that stuff draws attention to you. Negative attention. That's never a good thing, and it's something I like to stay away from."

Fans in Chicago haven't forgotten that Pippen complained the loudest when the Bulls acquired Toni Kukoc in 1993. And that Pippen refused to reenter a 1994 playoff game when Chicago's final play had been diagrammed for Kukoc.

Pippen's feelings toward Kukoc were similar to Kemp's toward Sonic center Jim McIlvaine. Their gripes weren't personal. They said they were upset by what the money paid to the newcomers represents.

Kemp told The Times: "I don't just want to be the best player in the NBA, I want to be the highest-paid. People ask how much is enough. If you're going to be considered the best, you want to be up there with the best in every way."

Told of Kemp's comment, Pippen shook his head. "I can't speak on that," he said. "I'm sure he's doing what he feels is right."

Pippen smiled when asked if he ever pushed for a trade. After a long pause, he said no.

"That's maturity," he said. "You grow up. You get older and grow out of things that you thought were important. . . . The money is important, don't get me wrong. But it's not the most important thing."

Winning an NBA championship is more important. Pippen, who has played on four championship teams, is two victories away from winning a fifth. He is considered one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.

"He realizes his place in history is important," ESPN analyst Jack Ramsay said. "He and Michael Jordan can win five, six or seven titles if they want to. Pippen has plenty of time to make his money.

"If the Bulls don't re-sign him to a long-term deal this year, they'll do it next season. . . . And if they don't, there are 20 teams who would pay top dollar for him."

Jordan also is keeping Pippen in Chicago. Had Jordan not returned to the Bulls in 1995 after a 1 1/2-year stint in baseball, "I might not be here," Pippen said.

Kemp doesn't have a similar anchor in Seattle. He and Gary Payton have a strong relationship on the court, but they seldom spend time together away from basketball.

In fact, Kemp hinted that the Sonics have paid too much attention to Payton, referring to his $87 million contract signed last year.

Last week, Kemp told ESPN that he would never wear a Sonic uniform again.

"Money means a lot of respect. It means a lot of accomplishment and a lot of hard work," he said. "I will be Shawn Kemp regardless of whether I have money. The only thing money does is show who you are . . ."

Kemp's current contract, which will pay him $3.5 million next season, makes him no more than the third-highest-paid Sonic.

Pippen understands.

"When you're the guy making the shots at the end of the game or putting in the minutes, you want the compensation," he said. "It's ridiculous what they pay some guys who might not ever get off the bench.

"But that's the league. That's basketball. You can sign a contract, and it may be the richest in basketball, and then three years later, 50 guys are making more than you. What can you do?"

If you're Pippen, you wait until your contract ends.