Why Scottie Wants a Comeback

I spent most of the weekend taking a hard, whiskey-soaked look at myself in the mirror after suggesting that the Detroit Pistons pick up Scottie Pippen - a player I generally despised throughout his career - for their 2007 playoff run. How could it have come to this? Where had my principles gone?

And maybe Pippen asked himself the same questions while deciding whether or not to run his 41-year-old body onto an NBA court again. In his case, however, this might not be an existential, near-to-midlife crisis. The dude might just really need some money.

According to Saturday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Pippen owes $5 million on a loan he took out to buy an airplane.

Because of all the flights Pippen was chartering with a busy playing and business schedule, one of the pilots convinced him in 2001 that he would be better off owning his own plane, court documents say. Pippen and his wife, Larsa, formed a company, Air Pip, to buy one.

Though he initially refused to pay the loan, claiming "he was a victim of a conspiracy by those he had trusted to put together the deal," a St. Louis County Circuit Judge rejected that notion and ruled that Pippen is still on the hook for the money. Just last week, the Missouri Court of Appeals upheld the ruling. Gee, if only there was a career offering a salary that could pay off such a massive debt. Could it be mere coincidence that Pippen talked about coming out of retirement three days later?

Could Pippen even expect to make that kind of cash in a short-term playoff comeback? Probably not. Of course, if he were to show he could still play, maybe a team would be willing to sign him for next season. And along the way, maybe Pippen could score some cash from endorsing assorted pain relief products, orthopedic shoes, or financial planners. As long as it helps out an NBA playoff contender, of course.