Celtics
“It’s not about me and if anyone actually thinks it’s about me, I feel bad for you.”
Brian Scalabrine walked in the Celtics championship parade on Friday. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe team)
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NBC Sports Boston’s Brian Scalabrine responded to Kendrick Perkins’ comments about his role in a reported ban at Celtics ring party.
During a recent episode of the “All the Smoke” podcast, Perkins was asked about a US Sun report that said he was banned from attending the Celtics’ opening night festivities.
Perkins said Scalabrine told him the door wasn’t just open for him to return to the Celtic organization.
Scalabrine responded to Perkins’ comments during a radio appearance on WEEI.
“I really feel sorry for anyone who actually believes that,” Scalabrine said. “In the midst of everything I do with my wife, my three kids, my Big3, my Celtics shows, my flights, I had a meeting with the Celtics executives and decided who was allowed to ride the tank and who was not on the float.
“Like, if you actually believe that, I feel really bad for anyone that actually believes that or Kendrick Perkins is trying to recruit and somehow says I’m in control of this.”
Scalabrine said he texted Perkins to say he would love to have the former Celtics center there. But he also suggested that Perkins first apologize to Celtics coach Mazzulla.
Perkins had previously insulted Mazzulla’s intelligence, saying that if one placed Mazzulla’s brain inside a bird, the bird would fly backwards.
Despite the fact that Perkins said he planned to accept a dinner invitation that Mazzulla had proposed, Scalabrine said his suggestion that Perkins apologize to the coach was not well received.
“And he took that, and he does it like that,” Scalabrine said. “I think it’s a huge distraction for him to say I called Joe Mazzulla a terrible name. I called him an idiot. You can criticize what a coach does. You can criticize what a player does. The general rule is: don’t call people stupid. Don’t go down this path.
“It’s because of this, and I don’t know if he feels bad or if he thinks people will believe him, that he’s talking about me now. It’s not about me and if anyone actually thinks it’s about me, I feel bad for you.
Perkins questioned whether Scalabrine was the right person to deliver the message. He criticized Scalabrine’s role on the 2008 championship team, mentioning how Scalabrine changed from his street clothes to his jersey before team photos were taken.
“People spending time on this and trying to create beef, it’s beyond stupid,” Scalabrine said. “And you know what? Yeah. I didn’t want my costume to get splashed with champagne. Got it. Everyone knows I didn’t play.
“I’m not on the show to tell everyone how good I was back then or my accolades or anything like that,” he added. “I just report what I see with my basketball knowledge. It’s so cheap to go down this route. It’s okay, I don’t care. But I think it’s absurd.
Scalabrine said he didn’t have a problem with Perkins despite the comments.
“He can do whatever he wants,” Scalabrine said. “I’m not going to blame him. I think he’s really smart. I actually like him on TV.
“I give him a lot of credit for making a career out of this, which is something a lot of people try to do,” he continued. “I have no problem with him. I don’t know why he’s doing this…I’m not going to be like before, trying to help him or something. But he doesn’t need my help. I will continue to move forward with him.
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