Kemp Could, Won’t, Learn From Pippen

As Shawn Kemp whined Thursday on ESPN like a Les Paul guitar at the Grand Old Opry, I wished the network’s producers would have shown videotape of Scottie Pippen playing in the NBA Finals.

Chicago’s Pippen blocking Bryon Russell’s jump shot and turning it into a dunk at the other end. Pippen leaving his man, sliding down the lane and blocking Karl Malone’s baseline reverse layup.

Pippen cutting hard to the basket, taking the pass from Michael Jordan and dunking quickly and surely. Pippen doing all of this despite a painful foot injury.

Kemp is upset. He believes life in the NBA isn’t fair, and he’s right. Just ask Pippen.

Pippen, like Kemp, is underpaid. Pippen, like Kemp, was almost traded. In fact, he almost was traded to Seattle for Kemp. Pippen, like Kemp, is an All-Star, but isn’t the only focus of his team’s offense.

But Pippen, unlike Kemp, doesn’t cave in to the inequities of his profession. He doesn’t cry over the unfair boundaries placed on a player by the salary cap. He doesn’t skip practices, or miss planes.

“This season was the first year ever that I played and felt like I didn’t feel like playing,” Kemp told ESPN’s David Aldridge.

This was Kemp with more conspiracy theories than Oliver Stone. Kemp blaming the media, blaming the Sonic organization.

This was Kemp taking no responsibility for his disappointing season.

Kemp conveniently forgetting about the one-month, preseason pout that kept him out of training camp.

Remember the touch-football games Kemp was playing when his teammates were sweating through two-a-days?

This was Kemp making his trade-me demands official, grandstanding on ESPN, instead of talking about his problems privately with team president Wally Walker or coach George Karl.

“I knew once the playoffs were over, I would never, ever, ever put that uniform on again,” Kemp said. “I will not be in training camp. (So what’s new?) I can honestly sit here and tell you, you’ll never see me in that uniform again.”

That decision, of course, belongs to the Sonics, not Kemp. If the Sonics want to, they can hold him to his contract. They can call his bluff. Let him sit out the season back home with his relatives in Indiana.

Or they can entertain trade options.

New Jersey would be the most active suitor. Coach John Calipari is adamant about bringing a big name to the Jersey swamps. He probably would offer Jayson Williams, Kerry Kittles and the Nets’ first pick for Kemp and Hersey Hawkins.

Surely the Boston Celtics would offer their third and sixth first-round picks. Golden State, desperate to shake up its team, probably would give the Sonics Latrell Sprewell and Joe Smith.

I can’t imagine the Sonics making Kemp happy. He is unhappy with his contract. He is unhappy because he believes - incorrectly - that the team belongs to Gary Payton. He believes - incorrectly - that too much of the offense is run through Payton and not enough through him.

Kemp has few friends left on the team. His teammates grew weary of his here-today, gone-tomorrow focus. They never knew if, or when, he was ready to play.

Maybe the signature play of his season was the last play of the season. Down by three, Karl called a play for either Hawkins or Payton. But the inbounds pass went to Kemp.

Nothing happened. He went to the corner, tried to pump fake Hakeem Olajuwon, stumbled and threw up a meaningless air ball from inside the three-point arc.

It was another undisciplined play in the regressive season of Shawn Kemp.

Now Kemp is saying it was the last play he’ll ever make as a Sonic.

I don’t believe he is a bad citizen. I don’t believe he is a bad person. But, in Seattle, Kemp has become a bad teammate. From October through May his attitude cost the Sonics any chance of a championship run.

My guess is, Kemp never will be happy. There will be another demon on another team. There will be another perceived inequity he won’t be able to handle.

“After playing in the NBA for eight years, I would not sit here and say that Shawn Kemp will be in a Seattle SuperSonic uniform,” he told ESPN. “He will not be in a Seattle SuperSonic uniform again.”

He wants to leave Seattle, but you better believe, wherever he goes, Kemp will take his problems with him.