Jan. 19 -- One day after catching his resurgent Bulls at Madison Square Garden with former Knicks nemesis and current ESPN analyst Greg Anthony, NBA great Scottie Pippen was making the rounds yesterday at the NBA Entertainment studios in New Jersey. Pippen popped in on NBA TV's NBA Talk with Rick Kamla, and then took a few moments to speak with NBA.com about how retirement is treating him, what he thinks of the streaking Bulls team and whether or not he would want to coach in the NBA. Also, NBA TV's Fred Carter was hanging around the set and makes a special appearance in our conversation with Pippen, one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players.

NBA.COM: "So, how's retirement treating you?"

Last season, Pippen imparted NBA wisdom to Kirk Hinrich. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images/NBAE

PIPPEN: "I'm enjoying it. Playing golf, enjoying my kids and my family."

NBA.COM: "What do you miss most about the game?"

PIPPEN: "Probably the camaraderie of being around the players. The locker room talk. The flights. I don't want to say that I miss it, but I think you realize when you leave the game that most of your friends are in the game. That's it, missing the camaraderie of it all."

NBA.COM: "What is the one thing you don't miss about it?"

PIPPEN: "I don't miss the fact that I have to get up every day and play. And I don't miss having to work out every day like I used to. There were days where you didn't want to do it but you still had to do it and you try to look at longevity for your career and being healthy."

NBA.COM: "So, how's the golf game?"

PIPPEN: "My golf game ain't that good. I just started playing five years ago."

NBA.COM: "It's not Charles Barkley bad, is it?"

PIPPEN: "I'm better than him."

NBA.COM: "So, you play a lot?"

PIPPEN: "Yeah, quite a bit."

NBA.COM: "What is the reaction you get when you see today's players, like when you were at the Bulls-Knicks game on Monday?"

PIPPEN: "I think they respect me..."

NBA.COM: "As a kid, did you ever think you could become a player where people would call you a 'living legend?'"

PIPPEN: "No. As a kid, you just play for the opportunity to play some more, for getting that one shot. Once you get there, the hard work doesn't stop. It's just the beginning. To be called a living legend, it's the greatest compliment. I guess I could say that's what I wanted to be, one of the best."

NBA.COM: "Speaking of young, the young Bulls have been playing well lately. What do you think of them?"

PIPPEN: "I like them. I think John Paxson has put together a group that he thinks can go forward and play together and some day compete for a championship. He had a lot of ... trash ... he had to get rid of. He's been able to do that. I don't know if he's quite where he wants them to be yet ... John has done a great job of putting together a group of guys who can compete and get the fans in Chicago excited about the Chicago Bulls."

NBA.COM: "What impresses you most about this Bulls team?"

PIPPEN: "I think the fact their young players are stepping up and developing a lot faster. I think the guys are responding well and they enjoy playing with each other."

NBA.COM: "Chemistry is always important ..."

PIPPEN: "It is. Looking at the Bulls last season when I was there, I played with a lot of teams, but that team had no chemistry. There was no way they were going to win games because everyone had a different agenda. This year, I think they're on the same page."

NBA.COM: "Right now, they're the eighth seed in the East if the season were to end today. What would they find out about the playoffs that's different than the regular season?"

PIPPEN: "I think they're going to find out that the possession of the ball is very important."

CARTER: "I love your team, " Carter told Pippen. "But one thing they don't do is take care of the ball.""

PIPPEN: "Taking care of the ball is important. Now, they don't see it, but in the playoffs, every possession becomes important. That could hurt them down the road because they don't handle the ball well and they are young. Young guys want to shoot it."

NBA.COM: "I noticed in a newspaper report that you and Tyson Chandler discussed a defensive scheme when you were at the game at the Garden on Monday. Is that something you'd like to do? Coach?"

PIPPEN: "Not at this moment. I kind of wanted to get away from that side of the game."

While Jordan was always at the forefront of the Bulls championship drives, Pippen was always in the middle of the action. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/NBAE

NBA.COM: "Do you think you could coach?"

PIPPEN: "I think I could coach."

CARTER: "Hell yeah, he could coach."

NBA.COM: "What would be a good situation for you to coach?"

PIPPEN: "I'd rather be in a position where I could jump in as a head coach. Knowing the game, understanding it."

NBA.COM: "Being a former player, do you think that would help you?"

PIPPEN: "I think it would help me. A lot of great players, they say, don't make great coaches. I'm a little different. I'm a guy who never rode my teammates, I just expected the same effort from my teammates."

NBA.COM: "When Michael Jordan retired the first time, what was it like for you to become the focal point and what do you think it's like for a guy like Kobe Bryant to become a focal point?"

PIPPEN: "For me, it was great, because I think a lot of people doubted my place in the game and because of Michael, I never had the opportunity to take the last shot or do the things they ask of players like that."

NBA.COM: "Who do you think will win the title?"

PIPPEN: "I think Detroit will take it again. They're not where they were last year, but they have the package. It's hard to say a lot of things about teams in the first half of the season, because a lot of what they're doing now is cosmetic."

NBA.COM: "How tough is it to repeat?"

PIPPEN: "It's very tough. I think that you have to have a focus and I don't think they have that focus. With a good coach like Larry Brown, he can bring them back together."

NBA.COM: "You mentioned before that you think Seattle will come out of the West. Why do you think that?"

PIPPEN: "I think they're playing the best ball right now, and they have depth. They have everything you need to win and they're shooting the ball well right now. They have bodies they can throw at Tim Duncan. At the end of the day, they can shoot the ball, and they'll be the team you'll need to deal with."

NBA.COM: "What do you think of LeBron James and what do you think he could possibly be down the road?"

PIPPEN: "I think he's a great player. I think down the road, he'll be a player people will see as contending for titles. In about two years, he'll be the icon, megastar of the league, which he's working his way up to now. At least his salary is up there. (Laughs) ... With all due respect, he's earned it and he's showing people he's deserving of the accolades. He's continuing to get better and you have to respect him for that."