HoopsHype.com Rumors

More often than not, Brian Scalabrine and Omer Asik will be locked into a sweaty game of one-on-one following a practice at the Berto Center or long before a game at the United Center. While the sight might be common, the friendship is not, an unlikely pairing of a veteran NBA role player from Seattle and a rookie center from Turkey who often claims he can't speak English well enough to conduct interviews. "He says that," Scalabrine says, his voice rising and a smile forming, "but he's been talking smack since Day One. "I got a bad haircut one time. And he was like, 'Hey, Scal, where'd you get your haircut?' I was like, 'Oh, my guy hooked me up.' He was like, 'Let me give you some advice. You shouldn't go back there anymore.' I was like, 'Dude, you only been here for like four weeks. You don't even say anything all day and that's what you're coming to me with?' He knows a lot more than he leads people to believe." Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, Brian Scalabrine, Omer Asik 

Rivers campaigned for former assistant Tom Thibodeau to get a head-coaching job, and now Thibodeau is considered a Coach of the Year favorite with the Bulls. One of Thibodeau’s players also has a bright coaching future, according to Rivers, who was visiting ESPN 1000 studios on Tuesday and took a call from Bulls reserve and former Celtics back-up Brian Scalabrine. “Scal is going to be a hell of a coach,” Rivers said. “He’s in the same spot I was in at the same point in his career, and all he says is, ‘No I’m going to do TV. I’m going to do radio.’ And I just shake my head, sure Scal. ESPN.com

Chicago Bulls, Brian Scalabrine, Coaching 

Scalabrine said he has mixed feelings about hearing fans call for him at the end of games. "I don't like it," he said, "but I embrace it. I don't love the individualism in basketball. I think it takes away … for instance, when I go into the game and a guy like Lu (Luol Deng) comes out, they cheer for me. But what about what Lu just did? His effort out there is really causing us to win games. "On the other hand, it is entertainment. And if they want to be entertained, then let them be entertained." Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, Brian Scalabrine 

Do you look at some of these fake Twitter accounts with your name on them? Brian Scalabrine: No, I don't. I don't. I know there's a lot of them. Everyone says I should set the record straight, set my own account up. But I don't. It's hard. The thing about the Twitter and Facebook is, it's so permanent. And like, a lot of things, for me, to talk, it's like a lot of things are a big, long story. I got burned earlier by ESPN. I painted a nice picture of where I feel like we were as a team, where I thought we were going as a team ... I said we're not a championship team right now. NBA.com

Brian Scalabrine 

So you're going to coach when you're done? Brian Scalabrine: No, I don't think so. Their life is, it's a grind. It's very, very, very long hours, 16 hours a day, watching film, breaking it down, working with players, emotional highs and lows, away from your family, no job security whatsoever. It's not like something I worked my whole life to do. I thought at one time I would love to be a coach. But when you see our guys, the blood, sweat and tears they put into coaching each game, and each preparation, each possession, I don't think that's something that I want to move toward. I want to help Tom Thibodeau as a player, to help the guys do what he wants them to do. I'm not trying to be some head coach or assistant coach. I don't think that's in my future. NBA.com

Brian Scalabrine, Coaching 

So what will you do? Brian Scalabrine: I tell you, it's pretty clear cut what I want to do. Whether I get a chance to do it or not is up in the air. I want to do color, color commentate NBA games. I want to paint the picture for the fans to see. Because I really feel like there's a group of fans out there that, well, put it this way. I break it up into three categories. One, there's the fans that go to the game, and they know what's really going on. And one, that's a small percentage. Maybe not small. Give them 30 percent. And then there's this group, they're there to see just the entertainment of the game. And that's a big percentage of what we've got going. They look at the end result -- the ball here, the ball there, just the score on this guy. NBA.com

Brian Scalabrine 

Alex Raskin: Brian Scalabrine told me that #Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin will be a head coach in the NBA. I asked, "Seton Hall?" Scal repeated, "NBA." Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Brian Scalabrine, Coaching, Adrian Griffin 

Old friend Rasheed Wallace visited the Garden for Friday's game and made a couple of appearances in the Chicago locker room to see old friends Tom Thibodeau and Brian Scalabrine. First Wallace crashed Thibodeau's postgame press conference, shouting, "I need a job!" Soon after, he peeked into the Bulls' locker room and mimicked the often-heard chant of "Scal-a-bri-ne!" to his former teammate. Did Thibodeau think he was serious? "I don't know," he said with a chuckle. "He's a good player." ESPN.com

Chicago Bulls, Rasheed Wallace, Brian Scalabrine, Tom Thibodeau, Coaching 

Then he explained how he landed in Chicago. “We were talking to Chicago the whole time,” Scalabrine said. “I was talking to [Bulls GM] Gar Forman, and what the holdup was was that I wanted a statue right next to Jordan’s and he was like, ‘There’s been a lot of good players in Chicago and I don’t know if I can’t guarantee we can do that. So I said, “Well, I’m going to hold out until you promise me you can do that.’ At the end of the day I said, ‘Fine, you don’t have to put the statue up.” Then I signed with them.” Boston Globe

Chicago Bulls, Brian Scalabrine 

Scalabrine thought that had the Celtics beaten the Lakers, he would have been re-signed. But given the fact the C's had to make improvements, especially down low to replace the injured Kendrick Perkins, he understood the team's decisions. "I think Danny [Ainge] was really up front with what he was trying to do," Scalabrine said. "He never led me astray or anything like that. He wasn't lying to me, he was being really honest with me. The Celtics have always been a great, upfront, straight organization. They tell you what it's going to be and they do it. He wasn't trying to hide anything, so I really respect him for that and I appreciate him treating me that way." CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Brian Scalabrine 

"I don't think it ever makes sense not to have a Scal on your team," Doc Rivers told CSNNE.com. "The Scalabrines of the world are rare. They are not a dime-a-dozen. When you get one, you do what you can to keep one. Once we made all those moves, we knew we couldn't. But we would love to. He's just a terrific guy." CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Brian Scalabrine 

It's the least you would do to accommodate a new coach. He's not guaranteed to make it as they'll also take a look at young John Lucas, who by the way doesn't have any guarantee despite previous reports. And then they'll see who makes it, but none will be guaranteed until January to leave flexibility for a deal once the new players are eligible to be dealt in December. Though I personally don't see much change and see this group, assuming good health, being the team for this season. NBA.com

Chicago Bulls, Brian Scalabrine, John Lucas 

After five seasons with the Boston Celtics, forward Brian Scalabrine has agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Chicago Bulls, a league source told Yahoo! Sports. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau wanted Scalabrine as part of his first season in Chicago and pushed hard for him with general manager Gar Forman and vice president John Paxson, sources said. Yahoo! Sports

Chicago Bulls, Brian Scalabrine 

Brian Scalabrine has agreed to a non-guaranteed deal with Chicago, a league source tells Y! He's considered a good bet to make roster. Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Brian Scalabrine 

I think Finley is too old at this point, but Scalabrine is a guy the Bulls have talked with a lot this summer and especially with Thibodeau I can see him as possible depending on what goes on regarding Fernandez. NBA.com

Chicago Bulls, Brian Scalabrine 

The other guys who might be decent stopgaps are coming off surgeries – specifically Brian Scalabrine (shoulder) and Ike Diogu (ACL), so you’re not going to invest there, either. Josh Boone? Definitely in the been-there-done-that-forget-it category. Newark Star-Ledger

Brian Scalabrine, Ike Diogu, Josh Boone 

Scalabrine wants to play in the NBA next season, but offers to remain in the league aren't overflowing for the affable veteran, prompting Scalabrine to contemplate his immediate future. "I don't know what my plans are," he said outside of Holland Community Center in Dorchester. "I'm just keeping it wide open. I've got good offers overseas, but my goal is to play in the States for one more year and see what comes from it." Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Free Agency, Brian Scalabrine 

Scalabrine said he has had some conversations with the Celtics, but the club has been busy retooling its bench and is running out of roster spots. "The thing you have to realize is I don't sweat things out of my control," he said. "I am not doing this (community event) to get signed. I am not feeding children to be signed. I am feeding children because children need to be fed. "Based on this year, I knew I would have to be patient. If I had to go to Europe and play I will go do Europe and play. My kids are going to go to great schools in Europe and they are going to learn the culture over there and take it as a learning experience and 10 years from now, I am going to call back and say, 'remember when we lived in Barcelona for three years?'" Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Free Agency, Brian Scalabrine 

With Perkins out indefinitely due to the long rehabilitation, that might leave room for Scalabrine, a career reserve who has never averaged more than four points per game in green. But the 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward continues to hear the nagging rumors that Boston is interested an another noted wide body, Shaquille O’Neal. In limbo and awaiting the domino effect, Scalabrine hasn’t lost his sense of humor. “Me and Shaq’s games are really quite similar. He’s an inside player. I’m an inside player. He’s 360. I’m 250,” said Scalabrine, the expression on his face hardly changing. “I don’t know, if they had to make that choice that there’s only going be room for one 360-pound center, I feel like they could do both. They could have me and him.” The Sun Journal

Scalabrine, who spent his first four seasons with the New Jersey Nets after playing at the University of Southern California, believes he fits into the Celtics’ veteran philosophy no matter whom they sign for reinforcements. “We definitely got older (with the Jermaine O‘Neal signing), but probably our team can kind of do that. Doc (Rivers) is probably the one coach that can coach aging superstars,” Scalabrine said. “If Shaq signs, he’ll fit in well. We’ve got a lot of young guys like Baby (Glen Davis) that can go 40 minutes if those guys need games off or whatever. It’s a different dynamic, but you’ve got to remember teams are built for the playoffs. The kind of players we have will be built for the playoffs.” The Sun Journal