http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/sf_preview_0304.html <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Bulls welcome back a familiar face with the return of Scottie Pippen (6-8, 228 ? Central Arkansas ?87). Pippen, who recently turned 38, returns to the Bulls after signing as a free agent on July 20. ?It?s interesting because when you bring a veteran in to a team, you always assume that they will want to settle and play less minutes,? said Pippen?s former teammate and new coach, Bill Cartwright. ?But with a guy like Pip, you know he?s going to want his minutes. There will be points throughout this season where we?ll allow him to play those minutes, but obviously we?ll want to monitor him and keep him in good shape to make sure he doesn?t break down. I think that with the personnel we have, we?ll be able to do that.? Pippen returns to Chicago after a playing the last five seasons in Houston and Portland. In 2002.03, he helped lead Portland to the playoffs with regular-season averages of 10.8 ppg, 4.5 apg, 4.3 rpg and 1.64 spg. In the process, he extended his postseason appearance streak to 16 seasons in a row. He missed 18 games due to a sore left knee and eventually had surgery on the knee. Portland was 38-20 in the games in which he started. ?Pip brings a defensive presence that is probably the best one I?ve ever seen, especially on a championship team,? Cartwright stated. ?This guy is phenomenal in how he affects the other team on the defensive end. Now that he?s later on in his career, he really understands the value of team work, team play, and distributing the ball. His assets to this team as far as being on the court are invaluable. He?s a pro. We know he?ll be on time and he?ll talk to the other guys about work ethic. I think that he?s going to be just outstanding for the guys.? Cartwright went on to say that while he feels Pippen?s impact will be felt by all of his teammates, he hopes that he will make an extra effort to show players such as Eddie Robinson and Trenton Hassell ?what it means to be a pro in this league.? Chicago also returns a pair of forwards from last year?s squad: Donyell Marshall (6-9, 230 ? Connecticut ?94) and Eddie Robinson (6-9, 210 ? Central Oklahoma ?99). Marshall, a nine-year veteran, begins his second year with the Bulls. Last season, he appeared in 78 games, making 53 starts, while averaging 13.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.21 spg and 1.09 bpg. His 9.0 rpg led the team and tied him for 10th in the NBA. He also logged a team-high 30 double-doubles (13th in the NBA). He posted two career highs on the year and equaled another: shooting .379 from three-point range, grabbing 699 rebounds and swiping 95 steals (matches career best). </div> How do you think Pippen, Marshall, and Erob will preform this year?
Pippen- He'll be exactly what we need him to be. The only downside I see to him this season is that he'll probably play around 70 games or less. We don't need him to be in there every night, so it'll probably work out ok. Marshall- I think he was the most underrated on last year's roster. He was the most consistent. He's got a great all around game and can play positions 3-5. His long arms will certianly help. He picked so many passes out of the air like it was nothing. Just like MJ and Pip used to. I expect him to have just as good of a season as he did last year. He just might be playing less minutes, but then again, he might not. Robinson- He's crap. Yea, he's got a lot of athleticism. WOOHOO. So does half the league. He sucked last year too, but has more potential than Erob. Robinson's just a waste of money. I'm looking forward to the expansion draft so we can get rid of him.
