Kerr disagrees with MJ on Pippen's decision to delay '97 foot surgery

Steve Kerr doesn't share Michael Jordan's disappointment regarding the timing of Scottie Pippen's foot surgery in 1997.

Jordan revealed in episode two of "The Last Dance," which aired Sunday, that he felt Pippen was wrong for delaying the procedure until shortly prior to the 1997-98 campaign, causing Pippen to miss the Chicago Bulls' first 35 games.

However, the Golden State Warriors head coach, who suited up alongside Pippen and Jordan for five seasons in Chicago, insists the rest of the roster didn't harbor those feelings.

"Everyone respected Scottie so much," Kerr said on ESPN's "The Jump," on Tuesday. "We felt his frustration. He probably should have been the second-highest-paid guy in the NBA or definitely top five. So we all felt for him, nobody resented him for having that surgery.

"Later, we all understood, let's give him his space, and he's going to be there for the second stretch of the season for us."

In the same episode, Pippen admitted he pushed the procedure back in order to make the most of his summer that year. Jordan candidly criticized his former teammate for delaying surgery in hopes of improving his contract, which was widely regarded to be a drastic underpay.

"Scottie was wrong in that scenario," Jordan said. "He could've got his surgery done as soon as the season was over and be ready for the season. What Scottie was trying to do was trying to force management to change his contract. And (Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf) was never going to do that."

Pippen's contract was worth $18 million over seven years. When Chicago won its sixth and final NBA championship with Jordan in 1997-98, Pippen was the league's 122nd-highest-paid player despite ranking second on the Bulls in scoring and first in assists and steals.

Jordan retired from basketball that offseason (until his 2001 return with the Washington Wizards), and the Bulls traded Pippen to the Houston Rockets.