Brian Scalabrine does not suck

Brian Snyder/Reuters

It's time to bust a myth here in Celtics land.  Maybe it's not a myth.  Maybe it's a misconception.  Or maybe it's just the fact that fans want to have at least one whipping boy around.

Brian Scalabrine does not suck. 

I've heard and read it everywhere.  I was listening to a call-in show after a(nother) Celtics blowout... and someone went out of his way to blast Scal.  Commenters on Celtics blogs everywhere relish the opportunity to say Scal should be fused to a seat on the bench.  Before the season even started, when the Celtics were looking for places to cut salary, fans were targeting Scal as the first guy to go. Everyone's argument is the same:  "he sucks."

But that's not true at all.  That's not to say that Brian Scalabrine is great... or even good, for that matter.  He's a solid role player.  That's what he is, has been, and ever will be. 

The problem started before he was actually in Boston.  Scal was a Net, playing along side one of the best point guards ever, Jason Kidd.  Kidd made everyone better.  Scal was hitting key shots in the playoffs.  He'd, on occasion, bury the Celtics with some key 3's when Jason Kidd drew every C's defender.  He looked better than he was, so DannyAinge gave him $3 million a year.

When he got to Boston, there was no Jason Kidd, which was problem number one.  Fans thought $3 million would get them a 15-20 minute guy who could occasionally come up big.  In reality, 15-20 minutes with no Jason Kidd made Scal average.  As fans are wont to do, their venom was focused on the guy who made the money, not the guy who gave him the money.  In his second year, the C's were decimated by injuries, and Scal had to play more than he should have.  The team was horrible, the fans were angry, and Scal was one of the main targets.

But now Brian Scalabrine is in a situation that suits him.  He's on the floor with guys who demand attention.  He doesn't have to do too much.  And, believe it or not, Scal is a very fundamentally sound player.  Even when the fans are begging him to shoot, he won't get caught up in the moment and force things up.  He will very often find the right man and make the right pass to him.  He'll play solid defense and force his man to work to score.

Yes, Scal will make mistakes.  And he'll miss shots.  But he will very rarely kill you on the floor.  He'll set picks, tip rebounds to keep them alive, and always keep his energy up.  On occasions where the team is short handed, he can occasionally step in for a few more minutes than normal.  But 10 minutes or so a game is right about where he belongs.  But if those 10 minutes can be used to give a starter an extra few minutes of rest, then Scal has done his job. 

So no, Brian Scalabrine does not suck.  It's just that some fans are expecting the wrong things out of him.  And as soon as we realize that, then maybe we can stop the mocking cheers, the angry calls and comments, and just appreciate the small role he plays on this team.