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Dennis Rodman to be sentenced in family court

Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman is due in family court Tuesday to be sentenced on four counts of contempt for failing to pay child support.

The retired professional basketball player will likely face a sentence of community service, said Mary Ann Noiroux, an attorney for Rodman’s ex-wife Michelle. He could also be ordered to pay more than $800,000 in back child support, Noiroux said.

”For somebody like that, they could even have him help out with a Boys and Girls Club teaching basketball,” she said.

Noiroux said Rodman also faces additional contempt charges for other missed payments, and another conviction could land him in jail.

— Reported by Amy Taxin of the Associated Press

Bulls likely want Luol Deng to skip Olympics

Chris Spice, performance director for British Basketball, accused the Bulls of pressuring Deng to withdraw from his Olympic commitment because of his wrist injury. Spice’s statement also decried the NBA’s lack of support.

NBA and Bulls officials declined to respond.

“Luol Deng is hugely committed to the British Basketball program and he has maintained this stance despite recent pressure for him not to play after injuring his wrist during the highly-demanding shortened NBA season,” Spice’s statement said. “We admire and support his stance. Luol is a true professional and manages his body extremely well as shown by the high amount of minutes he was able to play for his club after sustaining the injury in January.”

The collective bargaining agreement prohibits the Bulls from preventing Deng to play.

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

Chicago Bulls may leave practice facility

President and chief operating officer Michael Reinsdorf said Saturday the team would explore leaving their suburban practice facility for a downtown building, which sources indicated would be near the United Center. Reinsdorf said discussions on the subject have taken place recently with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who supports the project.

“We’re intrigued by the idea,” Reinsdorf said. “We’re happy at the Berto Center, but it’s something we’re going to take a look at for our players. Eliminating their commute could be a good thing.”

Reinsdorf said if the move happens, it wouldn’t be for the 2012-13 season and could take up to two seasons for planning and construction.

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

Luol Deng excited for Olympics, uncertain about wrist surgery

British basketball has improved a lot in recent years. After winning two games and finishing 13th at last year’s EuroBasket in Lithuania, Great Britain’s men’s team will have another opportunity to show the world their progress when they host this summer’s Olympic Games.

Thanks to some talented players such as Joel Freeland (Unicaja Malaga) and Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Besiktas Milangaz) as well as the much-anticipated impact of new face Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons), the GB team could prove to be a tough opponent to beat in London.

Having made his senior national team debut in 2007, Luol Deng will once again be captain of this promising young squad.

…

Dealing with a torn ligament in his left wrist since January, Deng played through the pain for most of the season.

“It’s the toughest thing I’ve ever done in my career so far. It’s been hard, but I’m proud to have pushed my limits,” he added.

Still undecided about whether or not he’ll need to have surgery to treat his injury, Deng is clear about his post-season schedule.

“I still don’t know if I’ll need a surgery. It will depend on how my wrist feels in the next few weeks. But right now, my mind is only focused on the Olympics,” he said.

— Reported by FIBA.com

Brian Scalabrine hopes to continue NBA career

Paul Pierce glanced across the dressing room before yesterday morning’s shootaround and spotted Brian Scalabrine, microphone in hand, interviewing Greg Stiemsma.

“Smooth transition,” said Pierce. “Smooth transition.”

Scalabrine is still technically a reserve forward for the Chicago Bulls, a designation that will last at least until the end of next month when his contract runs out. And while he still plans to play, it is clear that even after retiring from active duty, we will not have seen the last of the former Celtic.

“I’ll play in the NBA as long as I can,” said Scalabrine, who’s working the Celts playoffs for CSN now that the Bulls have been eliminated. “I’ll get cut one day. That’s just the only way I can really go. To just retire would be like quitting to me. They’ll have to kick me out.”

At 34, he has had ample time to consider his hopes and options. During his five years in Boston, Scalabrine seemed to go back and forth on whether he’d pursue coaching. But that now seems like his direction.

— Reported by Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald

Ronnie Brewer hopes to stay with Bulls

With Jimmy Butler a more affordable option, Brewer figures to be the odd man out, but he hopes his run in Chicago doesn’t end after two seasons.

“I liked the situation I was in with the Bulls,” Brewer said. “I feel like we have a great team. The chemistry was bar none compared to the other teams I’ve been on. We’ve had a lot of success, we’ve won a lot of games in the regular season and had some kind of success in the playoffs. I think everybody’s goal is to win a championship, and the Bulls, if we didn’t have injuries this year, could have been right in the mix for that. I’d love to stay with the Bulls. The fans have treated me great, the city has treated me well, and it’s a first-class organization so I’d like to stay there.”

With Richard Hamilton injured for most of the regular season, Brewer was in and out of the starting lineup. He started 43 games after starting just once in his first season with the Bulls.

— Reported by ESPN Chicago

Bulls confirm they will keep coach Tom Thibodeau

General manager Gar Forman on Tuesday said the Bulls will pick up Tom Thibodeau’s third-year team option and reiterated the desire to sign the coach to a long-term extension.

“We started having conversations about an extension with him in the fall,” Forman said. “We hope to continue those discussions. Obviously, we value Tom greatly. We value what he brings to the organization and the team. We think he’s one of the finest coaches in the league and hope he’ll be our coach long-term.”

In late March, Thibodeau and management did their best to diffuse an ESPN story that suggested Thibodeau was annoyed he hadn’t had his option picked up. Both sides have said publicly they hope to reach an extension. So while negotiations on years and dollars likely will feature haggling, both sides sound committed to the same goal.

“I’m not worried about that,” Thibodeau said. “Those things all take care of themselves.”

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

Chicago Bulls do not expect Derrick Rose to play next season

If Derrick Rose returns next season, it’s unlikely he’ll be the player he was before he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee April 28.

That’s if he returns. The doctor who performed the successful surgery to repair Rose’s isolated ACL tear and a meniscus tear Saturday morning at Rush University Medical Center said some athletes take longer to recover for reasons that can be physiological as well as psychological.

“There’s no question that happens,” Dr. Brian Cole said. “People ask why don’t you get back to pre-injury level. In some cases, there’s just a level of confidence that they just don’t get, which is why we emphasize it so much during rehab, to help train an individual that it’s safe to do this.”

The Bulls aren’t counting on Rose returning next season. They aren’t even planning for it. But general manager Gar Forman said he will keep the core of a team that had the league’s best regular-season record in consecutive seasons together with an eye toward the future.

— Reported by Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times

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Brian Scalabrine commercial: Power 2 Switch

Here’s Brian Scalabrine, aka the White Mamba, doing a TV commercial:

76ers eliminate Bulls in six games, advance to 2nd round

Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner hopped on the scorer’s table and played to the crowd as the catchy 76ers theme song blared in the arena.

Eight years of going home empty was over. The Sixers were ready for a long overdue postseason celebration.

Iguodala made the go-ahead free throws with 2.2 seconds left and Philadelphia rallied for a 79-78 victory over the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in Game 6 on Thursday night, advancing to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2003.

The 76ers will face Boston, which beat Atlanta in six games, in the conference semifinals.

Omar Asik missed two free throws for the Bulls with 7 seconds left that would have sealed the win. Iguodala grabbed the second miss, sprinted the length of the court, and was fouled by Asik on the driving layup. He made both and 20,362 fans went absolutely wild…

Iguodala scored 20 points, and Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams each scored 14. The Sixers won even though the Bulls crushed them 56-33 on the boards…

Luol Deng had 19 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls. Richard Hamilton scored 19 points and Carlos Boozer grabbed 13 rebounds…

The Bulls lost star guard Derrick Rose to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee late in their series-opening victory. Center Joakim Noah was on the bench Thursday but failed to play in his third straight game with a sprained left ankle.

— Reported by Dan Gelston of the Associated Press