Tom Thibodeau undergoes knee surgery

CHICAGO -- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau underwent a right knee replacement on July 13 and is feeling much better than he has in months.

"I'm feeling fine," the veteran coach said during a phone conversation on Friday. "It was a very minor surgery. It's helped me a lot. Now I can get back to working out. The pain's gone."

The Chicago Tribune first reported the news of Thibodeau's procedure on Thursday. Thibodeau can't believe that news of his surgery is actually "news," but when you're the NBA coach of the year and your team sprinted to the Eastern Conference Finals (and there's an NBA lockout going on), anything is possible.

Thibodeau originally injured the knee in college while playing for Salem State in Massachusetts, and as time wore on it became even more painful.

"I had surgery in college and it then became arthritic," he said. "It just got to a point where it was very difficult to work out because of the swelling after. But now it's fine."

Thibodeau had a noticeable limp during the season, but it didn't stop him from leading the Bulls to a league-best 62 regular season victories in his first season on the bench. In true Thibodeau fashion, the coach didn't want to use the painful injury as an excuse in any way. He said the injury didn't stop him, despite the obvious pain he appeared to be in at times.

"It wasn't bad at all," he said. "It's just something that eventually I knew I would have to care of. Just got it out of the way."

For Thibodeau, the best part of the procedure is that it allows him to do something he hasn't been able to do in a while -- work out in the gym.

"I'm back," he said. "I'm doing everything, actually. I'm able to work out again. On the elliptical, lifting and all that, so it's great."

Like everybody else, Thibodeau is waiting to see what happens with the lockout, and it's certainly driving him nuts that he can't have any contact with, or talk about, any of his players. But it should come as no surprise as to how he's keeping busy these days.

"Making preparations for next season," he said. "Studying film. Working on the playbooks, stuff like that. Working on our offseason projects."

By having knee surgery early in the summer, Thibodeau has already checked one of his of his biggest projects off the list.

Last week, Bernstein insiuated on air that anyone who is "married to his job" (like Thibbs) is gay. Wonder if he was actually referring to our beloved fireplug.

John Lucas, Kevin Durant light it up

Archive NEW YORK -- One night after scoring 66 points at Rucker Park in Harlem, Kevin Durant moved downtown for another summer league game, but this time watched Bulls guard John Lucas III put up 60 points.

But Durant got the last laugh at the Pro City summer tournament at a packed gym at Baruch College in the Flatiron district of Manhattan. He scored 41 points and hit a 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds left to send the game to overtime where his team, The Franchise, beat Lucas' squad, Big Apple Basketball, 146-143.

Video highlights of Durant's work at Rucker Park dominated the airwaves Tuesday, and he made it clear that Lucas' performance deserved the same treatment.

"Should be broadcasted by everybody. Everybody should know. The way he played was unbelievable. He got it easier tonight than I got it last night. He had a hell of a game," Durant said.

Lucas shot 22-for-41 from the field and made 6-of-19 3-pointers. He was 10-of-11 from the free throw line and had four assists.

The son of former NBA coach John Lucas, John Lucas III was quick to say he knew that he couldn't win a shootout against the two-time NBA scoring champ.

At times, though, the two went at each other shot for shot and talked to each other throughout.

On one play, Lucas III went to the corner off a screen and hit a jumper over Durant as he faded away and on another play he went directly at Durant for a layup.

"Nah, I was just playing ball," said Lucas III when asked if he was trying to get back at Durant after his team was dominated by Durant the previous night. "Kevin's a scorer. I can't compete with him on the scoring tip. He's 6-9. In a real game, this is what he do. He gets buckets.

"Me? I run the team, orchestrate the team and just make sure I knock down open shots. I'm not going to come down and do what I was doing tonight in a real game. It's summertime. It's all fun and games, but it kind of got competitive. He'd come bucket and say something to me. I'd come at him and say something to him. It was all for fun."

Durant's shot was off throughout the night. He connected on only 9-of-29 shots and missed 10-of-12 3-point attempts, but he did make 21-of-23 free throws. He grabbed six rebounds and had seven assists with four turnovers.

He quickly ruled out fatigue as the reason for missing so many shots.

"I'm used to playing in the summertime every day," Durant said. "It is what it is. I was working on some stuff. My shots from 3 weren't falling but it happens."

Durant was joined by Indiana's Roy Hibbert, New Jersey's Sundiata Gaines and former NBA player Andre Barrett who also starred at Seton Hall. Durant was well aware coming into the game that he wouldn't be able to replicate his Rucker Park performance with the talent on his team.

"I knew I couldn't do that tonight," he said. "It's a lot more guys that (were) on the pro level on my team tonight. This league wasn't like the Rucker. I just tried to go out there and try to get the win."

Durant likes to play in leagues throughout the country during the summer, but he was non-committal about suiting up for a third straight time Wednesday night at Dyckman Park in Washington Heights.

Durant said he would have to wait and see while adding that "I just try to get better man. I like to play in every part of the country to see how the ballers are. I had fun."

Brian Scalabrine serious about taking his talents to Europe
Kurt Helin
Jul 1, 2011, 2:02 PM EDT

We told you it’s not going to be as easy as some players think for them to just jump over to Europe and play as the lockout drags on.

But if you’re a free agent who is willing to commit to a couple of years in Europe, it may work out.

Meet Brian Scalabrine, in most recent years seen sitting on the end of the Celtics and Bulls benches. He tells the Chicago Tribune he is serious about playing overseas.

“For me personally, if in the next 15 days it’s still kind of like it is now, I’m just going to Europe and play,” Scalabrine said in a phone interview. “The thing about that is you have to commit for the whole year and you have no out clauses whatsoever. I support the players and the union and want to see the (NBA) game stay great. But at the end of the day, with two years or so left of playing basketball, I’m not interested in watching billionaires fight. I just like the game too much. I like the camaraderie. I like to play. So why not do it in a great city in Europe and educate my family?”
In two weeks things are going to be exactly the same. I doubt the two sides will have even had another negotiation.

That sounds like a guy with the right attitude heading into it. And his game will translate, he is a guy who could help a European club. There will be offers, and not just for little teams in Finland, either.

Carlos Boozer could play overseas

Add Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer to the list of NBA players looking to play overseas in light of the current NBA lockout.

Boozer told ESPN The Magazine on Wednesday that he will pursue signing with a foreign team if the season doesn't start on time.

"I think as players we have to look at this lockout as an unfortunate challenge, but one that can create other unique and positive opportunities," he said. "When I was part of Team USA that won Olympic Gold in Beijing, that experience changed my life in incredible ways.

"If the NBA season gets delayed or postponed, I plan on using those months to experience something similar to what I did in the summer of 2008. That's why, if the lockout continues, I definitely plan on playing overseas."

Boozer declined to say whether he already had a deal in place or a specific country he was targeting, but a source indicated that the reference to Beijing reflects an inclination to play in China.

Maybe we will get lucky and Boozey will stay overseas.