Even though Michael Jordan was standing behind Scottie Pippen's left shoulder, it was immediately obvious that Jordan had no input in the writing of Pippen's speech as he accepted enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Unlike Jordan's aggressive speech from a year ago, an emotional Pippen was humble and spent much of his eight-minute speech thanking everyone from his family to his teammates to his coaches to Nike -- that's right, his shoe company -- for helping him achieve the honor.

Not surprisingly, Jordan, who was onstage as Pippen's presenter, received the most praise.

"It was so valuable to me as a player to see someone who had the same desire, determination, passion and love for the game," Pippen said. "Who knew that No. 23 would be here 23 years later presenting me to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

"MJ, you have touched so many people's lives but none like mine. Thank you for being the best teammate. I will always cherish that experience and I will cherish our relationship forever."

Scottie Pippen was in a great mood and mostly had only kind things to say during the news conference at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in advance of his induction tonight.

But the exception was when the recent comments by former NBA coach Jeff Gundy were brought up. Speaking last week to a Miami newspaper, Van Gundy said that the Miami Heat with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would top the Bulls' record of 72 victories in a season.

"I don't want to elaborate on what Jeff Van Gundy said," Pippen said. "Really, I mean, who is he to say that they're gonna break the record? He coached numerous years in this league and he hasn't been able to break it, so we'll wait and see.

"I think those guys' biggest goal is to win a championship and not try to win 72 games. But if Jeff Van Gundy wants to take a bet, I will bet him that they won't break it."

It was almost as if the heated rivalry between the Bulls and New York Knicks of the 1990s had been revisited. Pippen also took a mild shot at the Heat, or at least questioned whether Miami would be as good as advertised.

"You can put a lot of great players together, but it's about building chemistry," he said. "There's been a lot of great teams put together, but that doesn't really seal the deal. Me personally, I think that Boston is still probably the best team in the East. [But] Miami has improved itself. "

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- I caught up with Scottie Pippen for a couple of minutes before he entered the dinner Thursday night at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Here are a few of his comments.

On his state of mind as Friday night's induction ceremony approaches:

"I'm not nervous. It's a little bit emotional for me at times, but I think I'll manage to get through it. Basketball has done a lot for me and to be at this point, I can truly say I've reached the pinnacle."

About being the third member of the Bulls' championship team being inducted following coach Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan:

"It's a huge honor. Knowing I was part of something, such a great legacy of teammates, players, coaches ... you don't realize what you're going through when you're out there and you're having fun. It's a great feeling to look back and breath it all in. It was a very special moment, very special team."

On going in with the "Dream team":

"I think that makes it even more special, going in with the '92 Dream Team. Individually, is obviously a huge honor and I'm thankful for what I was able to achieve. I'm happy. It's a great day for me and I'm looking forward to all the festivities."

On sacrificing a part of his game to form a successful tandem with Jordan:

"I realized I was in a great situation playing in Chicago along side Michael. But I also know that it could have been different for me. I enjoyed the path that I took playing along side one of the greatest players to play the game. I was able to share that spotlight with him. That's the way I wanted it to be. That's how I enjoyed it and that's how I saw my success in the game - two great players being able, to some degree, dominate the game in the '90s."

The Bulls released their schedule for the 2010-11 season on Tuesday.

After opening the season on Wednesday, Oct. 27 on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Bulls are off until Saturday, Oct. 30 when they return to the United Center for the home opener against the Detroit Pistons.

Some other highlights of the schedule:

-- The Bulls get their first look at the revamped Miami Heat on Saturday, Jan. 15 when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and company visit the UC. The Heat makes a return visit to the UC on Thursday, Feb. 24 before the Bulls travel to Miami on Sunday, Mar. 6.

-- The Bulls will play six of their first eight games at home before heading out on a seven-game road trip when the circus takes over the UC in November. After beginning the trip with the Texas triangle (Houston, San Antonio and Dallas), the Bulls then head West following a four-day break for games against the Lakers, Suns, Nuggets and Kings.

-- The champion Lakers will make their lone appearance at the UC on Friday, Dec. 10.

-- The Bulls have a six-game homestand in late January, but have three road trips of at least five games.

-- In a sign that the experts believe the Bulls will make a major step up this season, they will make two appearances on ABC this season. The Bulls' games at Miami on Mar. 6 and at Orlando on Apr. 10 will be featured on ABC. Only nine NBA teams will appear on ABC's 15-game schedule.

-- The Bulls will make a total of 18 national TV appearances on ABC (two), ESPN (nine) and TNT (seven).

The Bulls continued their summer shopping spree on Friday night by signing free agent guard Keith Bogans to a two-year contract. According to a source, the contract totals $2.5 million and only the first year is guaranteed.

Bogans, 30, will be the fifth guard in the Bulls' rotation and figures to see much of his time at shooting guard playing behind Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver.

Bogans has played on six teams during his seven seasons in the NBA. He averaged 4.4 points in 79 games last season for the San Antonio Spurs during the regular season, but averaged less than a point in limited action in the playoffs. For his career, Bogans has averaged 7.1 points and is a career 35.1 percent shooter from three-point range.

The Bulls will open the season on the road Oct. 27 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN at 7 p.m.

The NBA announced its schedule for nationally-televised games during the opening week and holidays during the 2010-11 season on Tuesday night.

The Bulls will participate in one of five Christmas Day games when they visit the New York Knicks for an 11 a.m. start televised by ESPN.

The Bulls also will have an early start when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, Jan. 17 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day). The noon start will be televised by ESPN.

The complete Bulls schedule will be released on Aug. 10.