Brian Scalabrine

I would rather be 'bad on a good team' than a star on a bad team

I was on good teams, and I was bad. And I stuck around good teams that were bad for so long. Most guys, they're getting their shot and then they're out of the league. But I was like bad on good teams. ... Your moment can come at any time and you have to be able to deliver.

Modern NBA GMs prefer gambling on high-upside rookies over reliable role players

GMs nowadays are looking for, like, the next greatest thing. They'll try like an 18-year-old, see if it works. If it doesn't, they'll try another. They're not going to stick with the solid guy because that's not going to help them get eventually a steal in the second round.

Joey Crawford is the best official in NBA history because he controls the game better than anybody

Joey Crawford's the best official in the history of the game... I think that he controls the game better than anybody... In the second half, you rarely hear about him. He's going to call the right fouls. He's going to get to play the way he wants it.

The 'Minutes Police' are wrong; Tom Thibodeau is actually a great bench coach

In the regular season, you [Thibodeau] are such a good coach that you can play any five guys and you guys can win. ... You are too good of a coach to ride your starters. Real good coaching comes in is maximizing your bench. And I think that he is such a good coach. He could do that.

Danny Ainge's goal is to beat LeBron James, not sign him

I think Danny Ainge's whole life has been about beating LeBron... Since he got to Boston, LeBron has, you know, pseudo been in the league. How do you overtake this guy?... But he doesn't want LeBron to join. He wants to beat him.

Ben Simmons' inability to shoot doesn't bother me because he's elite at everything else

It doesn't bother me that [Ben Simmons] can't shoot. He does so many other things well. Can he get to the basket and can he pass? ... Most of the NBA cannot match up with Ben Simmons. ... I'm never worried about that if I'm Philly.

Kevin Durant's move to the Warriors made the NBA better by raising the standard

I think [Kevin Durant] made the NBA better because he sets a standard for what a championship team would be like... The new championship level is what we're seeing with the Warriors.

Rookies should invest all their money into their bodies and skills rather than the market

My advice to them would be invest as much money into yourself, your body, your food. Focus on becoming a better player because there's nothing in the world that's going to be a better return on your investment than making yourself a better player. That second contract... you're worth $100 million.