Brian Scalabrine Heavily Recruiting Another Former Celtics Player to Return to Boston

Brian Scalabrine was a fan favorite during his five years as a role player with the Boston Celtics. The man they call ‘Scal’ now works for the Celtics as a television analyst and apparently still bleeds green. Reports have said he’s been texting a former Celtics player in hopes of getting him to come back this season via the buyout route.

Brian Scalabrine is loved in Boston

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Brian Scalabrine was never a star in the NBA. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward still managed to play 11 seasons in the league, five of them with the Boston Celtics. Despite averaging 13.1 minutes and 2.7 points per game with the Celtics, he was always a fan favorite.

Scal was drafted out of USC by the New Jersey Nets in the second round of the 2001 NBA draft. He played four seasons with the Nets, averaging 3.9 points per game. Scalabrine then played the next five seasons in Boston. With the Celtics, he had his best statistical year during the 2006-07 season when he started 17 games and averaged four points.

After finishing his career with two seasons with the Chicago Bulls, Scalabrine is back in Boston. He’s working as a television analyst for Celtics games. Scal’s outgoing personality and knowledge of the game has kept him a favorite among Celtics fans.

Scalabrine hoping to bring Kelly Olynyk back to Boston

Brian Scalabrine is still a Boston Celtics fan at heart. As much as he wants them to be successful, he’s also honest in his assessment of the team. Boston is struggling this season. Things have gotten so bad for the Celtics this year that they are looking up at the New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, and Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Celtics find themselves at .500 with a 23-23 record, and that just happened because of their current two-game win streak. Boston made a little noise at the trade deadline, with their biggest move being a trade for Orlando’s Even Fournier.

While Fournier is a good player, he’s not likely to put the Celtics over the top. At the trade deadline, the Celtics created an open spot on their roster, hoping to land another key contributor. Boston looked at players who had been bought out but failed to land two of the key ones in Andre Drummond and LaMarcus Aldridge. Scalabrine is pushing for the Celtics to find a way to reconnect with former first-round pick Kelly Olynyk.

Olynyk was traded to the lowly Houston Rockets

The new-look Houston Rockets are in complete rebuild mode. Gone are Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and now Victor Oladipo. Oladipo was the latest star to be moved when he was sent to the Miami Heat in a package that included veterans Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley heading back to the Rockets.

Olynyk was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 13th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft (two spots ahead of Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo). He’s now on a sinking ship in Houston. Brian Scalabrine apparently wants him back in Boston. According to Boston Globe reporter Chad Finn, Scalabrine has been texting Olynyk and telling him to demand a buyout.

The Celtics shipped center Daniel Theis to the Chicago Bulls and would likely welcome the return of Olynyk. Olynyk is averaging 10.2 points and six rebounds per game this season. Olynyk, like Scalabrine, was a fan favorite in Boston.

All stats courtesy of Basketball Reference.