Chicago Bulls might make Brian Scalabrine an assistant coach

Bulls might make Brian Scalabrine an assistant 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.

Since former Bulls assistant coach Rick Brunson departed for a position with the Charlotte Bobcats in the offseason, the organization has had an opening and while the likes of former Magic assistant Steve Clifford was considered–the member of Stan Van Gundy’s staff in Orlando recently accepted a job with the Lakers, where he’ll be reunited with All-Star center Dwight Howard–it appears that Scalabrine is now a front-runner for the spot.

— Reported by Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago

Dwyane Wade discusses LeBron vs Jordan

Dwyane Wade discusses LeBron vs Jordan

‘Michael is the greatest player I’ve ever seen play. I think LeBron is in that conversation of one day becoming. It’s all speculation, in a sense. He has a long way to go. He knows that. He has one championship. Michael has six! There’s a lot to say about that.

‘‘LeBron is a dominant player. . . . But Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time.’’

— Reported by Dan Cahill of the Chicago Sun-Times

Michael Jordan`s son Marcus fined $250 for disturbing peace in Omaha

Marcus Jordan, a son of Michael Jordan, was fined $250 and court costs Thursday after pleading no contest to disturbing the peace during an argument with a woman outside a Nebraska hotel last month.

Marcus Jordan, 21, also had been charged with obstructing a police officer, but that was dropped as part of a plea agreement.

He was in Omaha for the U.S. Olympic swim trials July 1 and arrested after police responded to an early-morning call at an Embassy Suites hotel. According to a police report, an off-duty officer working security for the hotel was trying to subdue Jordan as he argued with two women in the driveway. Jordan was “very animated, intoxicated and uncooperative.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Chicago Bulls hire Brian Hagen as assistant general manager

The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has hired Brian Hagen to be the team’s Assistant General Manager.

“Brian is someone I have thought for quite a while is one of the best young scouts and executives in the league,” said Bulls General Manager Gar Forman.  “We are extremely pleased that he has decided to join the Chicago Bulls organization.”

Hagen spent the previous nine seasons with the New Orleans Hornets in a number of capacities with their Basketball Operations staff, most recently serving as the team’s Director of Player Personnel.  In that role, he coordinated the team’s amateur and professional scouting operations and assisted in the evaluation of free agents and prospective trade acquisitions.

While with the Hornets, he also spent time as the team’s video coordinator, Director of Basketball Operations, Director of Scouting and Assistant to the General Manager.

Prior to joining New Orleans, he also was an Assistant Coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 2002-03.

Hagen began his career at the collegiate level while at Iowa State as an Undergraduate Assistant (1996-2000).  A native of Joice, Iowa, he graduated from Iowa State in 2000 with a degree in Management Information Systems.

Brian Scalabrine not ready to retire from NBA

Brian Scalabrine not ready to retire from NBA

“I’d be discouraged if I just quit,” said Scalabrine, who remains without an NBA team after being told by the Bulls he will not be invited to return. “Everyone keeps telling me it’s not quitting (taking an already offered TV job). But I want someone to tell me, ‘We don’t want you.’ I’ve always been a tough cut to make. I want someone to tell me I’m not good enough. I just want to see what happens.”

And so Scal—the White Mamba of the Bulls, Veal Scalabrine with the New Jersey Nets in two NBA Finals, the fan favorite of the Boston Celtics’ 2008 championship team—contemplates one of the most remarkable runs in pro sports history, 11 years in the NBA despite every guy in the park thinking they could take him.

They couldn’t, really, because Scal was there because he deserved to be there. He just never looked like he should or would or could. And maybe that’s why they chanted for him, “Scal-uh-Bree-Nee, Scal-uh-Bree-Nee.” Maybe because he was there it was like they could be also. They knew they couldn’t be Michael or Magic or LeBron. But, Scal, yeah, maybe. Sort of like the NBA version of Sandra Bullock. Yeah, I could date her…

— Reported by Sam Smith of Bulls.com

Bulls keeping tight lid on Derrick Rose recovery

Bulls keeping tight lid on Derrick Rose recovery

The Bulls are keeping such a tight lid on Rose’s recovery that they won’t even address whether his knee has recovered enough to allow him to begin shooting.

Because trainer Fred Tedeschi said Rose would begin spot-shooting 12 weeks after the surgery he had May 12, though, it’s fair to assume he has been shooting while working out in Southern California. That begs this question:

Given how hard Rose works and how much time he spends in the gym, how much better a shooter can he become if that’s all he is allowed to do for the majority of the offseason?

‘‘He can only do three things,’’ said former NBA point guard Tim Hardaway, who missed the 1993-94 season after suffering a similar injury. ‘‘He can dribble — not run and dribble, just dribble walking up and down the court; he can shoot a bunch of free throws; and he can shoot a bunch of set shots like he’s playing

H-O-R-S-E every day, all day.

‘‘But that’s going to make him better. If you shoot 1,000 jump shots a day, 1,000 free throws a day, you’re going to get better. That made my shot better. It

really made my jump shot and free-throw percentage better.’’

— Reported by Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times

Luol Deng may delay or skip wrist surgery

Luol Deng may delay or skip wrist surgery

In his strongest implication yet that he either will forego surgery on the torn ligament in his left wrist altogether or postpone it until after the 2012-13 season, Deng said he planned to start camp on time.

“Did I look like I needed (surgery)?” Deng said Monday evening. “I’m fine right now. I feel great. There are a lot of things I want to improve in my game that I want to focus on now. I want to be a better player than I was last year.

“I have time to make decisions and be healthy by the time we start (training camp).”

With Bulls’ camp roughly two months away, it’d be impossible for Deng to have surgery now and be ready for its start. He has told friends and associates he plans to avoid surgery. And coach Tom Thibodeau said last month he is under that impression as well.

— Reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune

Knicks, Bulls, Pacers may want Donte Greene

Knicks, Bulls, Pacers may want Donte Greene

Donte Greene says he is on the Knicks’ radar.

The former Sacramento Kings forward and current free agent said in a recent radio interview that the Knicks are among three teams who have expressed interest in signing him.

Greene told TheCDNetworks.com, a Sacramento internet radio show, that he is in talks with Chicago, New York and Indiana. He called the trio his “top three” possible free-agent destinations.

“Anybody could pop up at any time,” Greene told the radio show on Friday. “But those are the three that we’re focusing on and trying to work out and get a deal done.”

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Charles Barkley says Clyde Drexler was jealous of Michael Jordan

“I think Clyde has always been jealous of Michael (Jordan), to be honest with you,” Barkley said on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “I think he’s always wanted to be compared to Michael.

“Hey, we all want to be compared to Michael, but we’re not. Clyde was a great player, but there was always that jealousy of Michael. That was one of the incidents and things about the Dream Team, Clyde was trying to play like it was Game 7 against Michael, and that’s probably not a good idea. When Michael is driving his kids to school, he thinks it’s Game 7.”

— Reported by ESPN Chicago

Chicago Bulls sign guard Nate Robinson

Chicago Bulls sign guard Nate Robinson

The Chicago Bulls announced Tuesday that the team has signed free agent guard Nate Robinson.

Robinson (5-9, 180), a seven-year NBA veteran, comes to the Bulls after spending last season with the Golden State Warriors.  Drafted out of Washington in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft (21st overall) by the Phoenix Suns (his draft rights were traded by the Suns along with Quentin Richardson and future considerations to the New York Knicks in exchange for Kurt Thomas and Dijon Thompson), Robinson has held stints with the Knicks (2005-10), Boston Celtics (2009-11), Oklahoma City Thunder (2010-11) and the Warriors (2011-12).

Last season with the Warriors, Robinson appeared in 51 games (nine starts) and averaged 11.2 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.0 rpg, and 1.16 spg in 23.4 mpg.  He shot .424 from the field, .365 from downtown and .832 from the line.

A native of Seattle, Wash., the 28-year old Robinson has played in a career 448 regular season games (81 starts) and posted averages of 11.2 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.5 rpg, 0.90 spg, 23.0 mpg, .425 field goal shooting, .354 three-point shooting and .798 from the line.  During the 2008-09 campaign with the Knicks, he posted career highs in points per game (17.2), rebounds per game (3.9), steals per game (1.28) and free throw percentage (.841).  In 20 playoff appearances, he has averaged 4.0 ppg, 0.9 apg, 7.0 mpg, shot .366 from the field and .824 from the line.