Pippen Has Had His Fill Of Krause

Scottie Pippen wants out and says he doesn’t care where he ends up.

“No place could be worse than here,” the Chicago Bulls forward said Wednesday night before the Bulls routed the Philadelphia 76ers 115-77.

Pippen, widely considered one of the five best players in the NBA, has made no secret lately of his distaste for Bulls management, especially for general manager Jerry Krause.

Just two weeks ago, he called Krause a liar and said Krause was allowing the team to deteriorate by letting power forward Horace Grant leave for Orlando as a free agent.

Pippen had never demanded to be traded. But Wednesday night, he said, “Trade me or Krause.”

He didn’t get much encouragement from Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who on Thursday night dismissed reports that he had been contacting other teams.

Asked if the Bulls might trade Pippen he replied, “Maybe.”

“I mean, there’s certainly nothing imminent,” Reinsdorf told WGNTV. “But every player, with the exception of Michael Jordan, is tradable.”

Former Bull Horace Grant backed Pippen and took some shots of his own at Krause.

Speaking on TBS on Thursday night, Grant agreed the only way of resolving the differences between Pippen and his general manager was for one of them to go.

“My suggestion is to give Jerry the boot,” Grant said.

Pippen leads the Bulls in all major statistical categories, but his salary is not among the top 40 in the NBA. He won’t become a free agent until he is 32 in the 1997-98 season.

“My relationship with Krause is (beyond) hate,” Pippen said.

“At this stage in my career, I’ve done a lot for the team and the organization. “If I’m deserving of the treatment I’m getting, someone tell me why. If not, get me out of here.”