Bullish Blend Working In Chicago
Scottie Pippen and Toni Kukoc, seemingly born to clash on court, are 2-0 - and happy - as running mates on the Chicago Bulls’ forward line.
And Pippen, who a few years ago blasted Kukoc as overrated, now is offering the ultimate compliment: He’s comparing Kukoc to himself.
“Toni has a good sense of basketball, like me. He’s a player, like myself, who can take the ball and create things,” Pippen said. “Me and Toni have mutual respect for one another. People can see that me and Toni work well together. We enjoy being out there together.”
Is that the same Scottie Pippen who two years ago resented the way general manager Jerry Krause chased Kukoc instead of improving Pippen’s contract? The same Pippen who sulked when coach Phil Jackson chose Kukoc to take the winning shot against New York in last year’s playoffs? The same Pippen who bristled when Krause gave Kukoc a six-year, $26 million contract?
It’s even the same Pippen who, as a member of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, held “Europe’s Magic Johnson” to four points and proclaimed: “He’s not as good as people said.”
It seems that, given time, Scottie Pippen has come to appreciate Toni Kukoc.
“People tried to make it seem like he was incredible, but he hadn’t played against guys from the NBA yet,” Pippen said. “It took time for Toni to get experience, and now Toni is doing a good job.”
Kukoc didn’t expect Pippen - or any other Chicago player - to embrace him when he arrived from Croatia before last season.
“Everybody wanted me to prove myself, to show why I was brought here - even the players and coaches,” Kukoc said. “I knew that every time I did something wrong, they would tell me.
“I was thinking, ‘I’m the new guy here, trying to find my spot in the league and on the team, and I don’t have to be always accepted.’ I knew I’d have a hard time at first.”
Knicks sign Kite to one-year deal
Center-forward Greg Kite and the New York Knicks have agreed to a one-year contract.
Kite, 33, spent the previous four seasons with the Orlando Magic. He averaged 2.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in that span, playing a total of 247 games. He was waived by the Magic on Nov. 2, two days before the 1994-95 season opened.
Kite, who went to Brigham Young, takes a spot on the roster that will open today when reserve center Herb Williams is placed on the injured list with a fractured second finger of his left hand.
Kite is a veteran of 11 NBA seasons.
Nets hurt, look to sign Daniels
Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson were both at practice Monday but are questionable for the New Jersey Nets when the Indiana Pacers visit tonight.
Coleman went through the entire practice with the team, but his lacerated left hand still prevents him from holding the basketball with ease.
Anderson rode the bike and made no contact with the basketball because of his sore right shoulder. Coach Butch Beard said the Nets weren’t sure whether Anderson would need to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging test because the injury to his right shoulder is related to bone rather than muscle.
X-rays of Anderson’s shoulder were negative.
Willis Reed, the vice president and general manager, attended practice and confirmed afterward that the Nets were indeed interested in Lloyd Daniels, who leads the Continental Basketball Association in scoring while playing for Fort Wayne.