Cheeks lobbies Pippen to return to Trail Blazers
昨天才在疑惑說怎麼拓荒者都沒人站出來挽留Pippen，
Mo Cheeks馬上就出來講話嚕！！:P
Bulls general manager John Paxson may want Scottie Pippen to return to Chicago,
but Maurice Cheeks would like to see him stay in Portland.
Exactly how heavy a load, minutes-wise, Pippen would carry is unclear. So is
this: Whether he's leaning toward returning to the Blazers next season.
Cheeks isn't sure.
He called Pippen on Tuesday, the first day teams could negotiate with free
agents, and again Wednesday, but did not reach him.
"He'll call back at some point," Cheeks said.
Maybe then the Blazers will get a better read on Pippen's mindset, which has
wavered the last year or two. He has said he would probably retire and that he
would like to play a few more years.
At the end of the season, Pippen said he would like to stay in Portland, and
the Blazers would like to keep him ... for the right price. Under the NBA's
salary cap rules, they can pay him more than any other team, but he won't get
anywhere near the $19.7 million he earned last season.
"He's a high priority," Cheeks said. "We've got to see where his head is at,
see what he's comfortable with."
After the Blazers were eliminated from the playoffs, Cheeks said, "I got a
sense he'd like to come back, but that was at the end of the season."
If he does re-sign, Pippen can expect fewer minutes -- especially early in the
season. Pippen moved into the starting point guard slot, helped to steady a
team that started 10-11, and averaged 29.9 minutes. He also wore down at the
end, a sore left knee forcing him to miss the final 17 games of the regular
season and three in the playoffs.
"I think him coming off the bench would be ideal," Cheeks said. "With him and
Antonio (Daniels), I think we'll see where anyone fits in."
Daniels, like Pippen, is an unrestricted free agent.
A spot starter in San Antonio, the backup guard never found a spot in the
Blazers' rotation last season. He appeared in 67 games, averaging 13.0 minutes.
Daniels never complained publicly about his role, but at 28, he doesn't want to
stay stuck to the bench. He has shown he is a capable player. He averaged about
nine points his last two seasons in San Antonio.
Re-signing with Portland is a possibility. But Boston and Orlando, teams that
would figure to give him more playing time, have shown interest.
"He's a valuable asset," Cheeks said. "He can defend. ... I'm sure he has some
concern about finding a place that has consistent playing time. I think he
wants to go to a team where he's going to find consistent minutes."
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