Boston loves Scal. Of course, we didn’t always. People tend to forget that early on in Scal’s tenure here, a lot of people hated him. But they were under some impression that him popping wide open 3’s as a result of being set up by Jason Kidd would continue without him when he joined a crappy team. People also tend to forget he was part of two losing seasons in Boston before the Kevin Garnett/Ray Allen trades that turned Scal into a loveable human victory cigar.
Scal was never “terrible.” Scal is a fundamentally sound player who does everything the right way… he just lacks the physical tools to execute a lot of the things he wants… or used to be able to do. But he does have a pretty solid knowledge of the game. It’s why Doc would often stick Scal in the starting line up when KG went down because while he would never do a ton for you on the floor, he wasn’t going to make stupid mistakes and he’d do everything he could to spring other players for open shots and play intense defense.
The lack of physical tools means he’s probably not going to get any more phone calls from NBA GM’s looking for his services. But it’s that knowledge of the game that will keep in on an NBA bench… as a coach.
When NBA training camps open in a little over a month, there’s a good chance that like the last two seasons, Brian Scalabrine will be in Deerfield, Ill., at the Berto Center with the Bulls–just not as a player.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the fan favorite is in line to join Tom Thibodeau’s coaching staff for the upcoming season, CSNChicago.com has learned.
I love it. Imagine how much fun it would be to play for Brian Scalabrine. In addition to understanding the game pretty well, he’s just flat-out fun to be around… as I found out a couple of years ago (I’m playing the role of dishwasher at the :45 mark). I’d love to spend some time on the court during a practice with Scal.
It’s tough to be told your career is over rather than choose for it to end on your terms. But I think this is a nice next step for him.
(H/T: Pro Basketball Talk)
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
