Yardbarker: Brian Scalabrine

Thank You (Mostly) Inactive Players

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:11:32 -0500

I've still got a few more Thank You's to go after this, but I didn't want to forget the easily forgotten ones on the team. Gabe Pruitt, Brian Scalabrine, and Scot Pollard all sat out the postseason, but they get a share of the Championship bonus and they all get rings, so let's give them their due thanks. Gabe Pruitt - You bounced between the D-League and riding the bench as the 12th man all year. We didn't get much of a feel for your game, but we're all cautiously optimistic that you can break into the rotation next year. If nothing else, you gave us someone to debate about using only small sample sizes of data (which is always fun). Brian Air Intangibles Scalabrine - You once again dazzled with your does all the little things right game and your good natured sense of humor. Few could have handled a demotion better than you did and you even left us with an amusing post-game press conference (bumping Kobe back a slot in the process). Good show! Scot Pollard - I'm pretty sure you logged more minutes on Planet Pollard than you did on...

Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Posey and Point Guard Edition

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:23:31 -0500

Over the weekend James Posey's agent, Marc Bartelstein, said that there should be something contract-wise by Monday. Posey was present at the preview of the Celtics Championship DVD but was very non-committal concerning his situation. He watched the DVD while sitting at the same table as Danny Ainge but there didn't seem to be anything new in the negotiations. Marc Spears reports that the Celtics seem willing to give Posey the full mid-level exception but only for 2 years rather than the four years that Posey is looking for. This contradicts early reports that Danny initially offered 3 years. Posey didn't mention any specific teams who were interested but said that playing for a contender was important to him, and that other members of the current Celtics team have talked to him trying to convince him to stay. We had hoped to get a decision today but instead just got more talk. Posey still says that Boston is his number 1 choice so hopefully Danny will give enough to get it done. Eddie House was also at the premiere and said that returning to the Celtics was his first choice. I hope he returns as he would be a good back up for both Ray and Rondo. He had a great team spirit. He never complained when benched during the playoffs and he came up big when he did get the call. House would like a multi-year contract but the Celtics are exploring trying to sign a veteran to a 1 year veteran's minimum contract as the reimburses teams a portion of contracts signed by veterans and that would help with the luxury tax the team will be paying. But, to win another title, the Celtics can't nickel and dime the players who helped them win the first one. Chemistry is one of the things that will help them to repeat. Bringing in too many new players, especially if they aren't an upgrade, will hinder rather than help them to repeat. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Magic are talking with Jason Williams concerning their need for a back up point guard. They have reportedly also offered Keyon Dooling a 2 year deal at about 1.9 million a year but Dooling has called the offer ridiculous and suggested that it was an attempt at trying to devalue him and said that he was insulted by the offer. Florida Today reports that the Magic have had serious talks with the Grizzlies' point guard Javaris Crittenton showing that perhaps they have abandoned any hope of keeping Dooling on the team. The Miami Herald reports that after saying that he would take a physical for the Heat on Monday, Tyronn Lue decided against it and didn't show up for the physical. The Heat were prepared to make him an offer and Lue would have stepped into the starting point guard position there, but they will now look elsewhere. Lue is still said to be deciding between the Celtics and the Suns. The Heat have Marcus Banks on their roster, but apparently don't expect him to be able to handle the starting PG role as they are looking elsewhere to fill the position. The Arizona Republic reports that the Suns major competition for Lue is the Celtics who have reportedly offered Lue a one-year veteran minimum deal worth $1.26 million. Shaquille O'Neal has called Lue, who is his friend and former teammate, to make a recruiting pitch for the Suns, but Lue also is a longtime friend of Celtics' star Kevin Garnett. Lue stays at Garnett's Malibu home each summer for workouts. The Heat were attractive because he would be given the starting role, and with both Boston and the Suns he will be a back up to either Rajon Rondo or Steve Nash. Both teams are offering a veteran's minimum one year deal. With the Heat out of the picture, Lue is back to deciding between the Celtics and the Suns (or between Shaq and KG as the case may be). Billy Ron Artest is still making waves according to the Rocky Mountain News. With trade rumors swirling around Artest, he was asked if he would have interest in being dealt to the Nuggets. His answer was a definitive no. "I cannot play in Denver because they question my drive to finish my career off strong and not embarrass my family,'' Artest wrote Sunday night. "Any player wants to win a championship is low risk. That's not even an option to be a Nugget, they let me know how they felt about me already." Kings owner, Joe Maloof, has stated that Artest needs to settle down a bit and stop making statements that don't make any sense and praising him for what he has done in Sacramento. I can see that as damage control so as not to hurt his trade value. If teams know what kind of a nut case he still is, they might not trade for him. I still say I hope he goes to the Lakers as they deserve each other. The Miami Heat are reported also to have interest in Artest and would be willing to part with Shawn Marion, whose $17.1 million deal also is expiring. As will be the case with the Lakers and most other suitors, the question will be whether the Kings can include forward Kenny Thomas and his deal that includes two more seasons and approximately $18 million. According to ESPN, the NBA may be in for more trouble this summer. Citing court documents and phone records, it was reported that disgraced ref Tim Donaghy placed 134 calls to fellow referee Scott Foster between October 2006 and April 2007, which was the period during which he has confessed to betting on games or passing on game information to gamblers. According to a story published Monday on Fox News' Web site, the majority of the phone calls lasted no more than two minutes and occurred before and after games Donaghy officiated and on which he admits wagering. First there were the reports that came out during the Finals about playoff games that were fixed and now this. I have a feeling that there is more that will come out on this and David Stern isn't out of the woods yet. The Rockets made a couple of minor moves on Monday. They signed this season's first-round pick Donté Greene five minutes before their first game in the Las Vegas NBA Summer League. Greene responded to the new contract with 40 points, making 12 of 20 shots and 11 of 12 free throws, to lead the Rockets to a 100-97 win over the Phoenix Suns. The Rockets also released center Loren Woods from his contract as Woods is looking to sign in Europe. The Rockets GM also said to expect a trade sometime this month. The Rockets are looking to extend a one year veteran's minimum contract to 42 year old Dikembe Mutombo , who hasn't decided whether to take the offer or retire. Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard has a tough decision to make in the coming months: Sign up-and-coming point guard Petteri Koponen, or keep an open roster spot entering the regular season. On Monday, after Koponen scored 19 points and made 4-of-6 three pointers in the Summer League opener, his decision became even tougher. If the Blazers fail to sign him, he is likely to sign a long term contract in Europe, making his return to the Blazers unlikely for years to come. Pritchard said he values the opportunity to have roster flexibility entering the season, which he would have if he elects to keep Koponen overseas. However, there is also the danger of losing Koponen for several years if the Finn signs a long-term deal with a European team. The Nets don't want to lose free agent Bostjan Nachbar altogether and are trying to explore sign-and-trade possibilities for him. They also are looking into that route for Nenad Krstic, but there remains a chance the restricted free-agent big man will return. Their rookie center Brook Lopez impressed in Orlando and that may be hastening a move toward a trade. I wonder if they would like Brian Scalabrine back?

Salary Cap FAQs: 2008 Edition

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:04:33 -0500

The time has come to yet again look at the state of our cap and to answer everything you ever wanted to know about the collective bargaining agreement. Without further adieu, here's our current salary table from now until 2011-2012. Yes, I know it's not terribly helpful right now, but it will be filled in as we fill out our roster. Player 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2011-2012 Kevin Garnett $24,750,000 $16,400,000 $18,800,000 $21,200,000 n/a Paul Pierce $18,077,903 $19,795,712 $21,515,521 n/a n/a Ray Allen $17,388,430 $18,776,860 n/a n/a n/a Kendrick Perkins $4,078,880 $4,250,000 $4,390,208 n/a n/a Brian Scalabrine $3,206,897 $3,413,793 n/a n/a n/a Rajon Rondo $1,646,784 $2,623,326 $3,780,214 n/a n/a Leon Powe $797,581 n/a n/a n/a n/a Glen Davis $711,517 n/a n/a n/a n/a Gabe Pruitt $711,517 $729,005 n/a n/a n/a J.R. Giddens* $797,600 $857,400 $917,200 $1,655,546 $2,483,319 Bill Walker* $442,114 $736,420 n/a n/a n/a James Posey Free Agent n/a n/a n/a n/a Tony Allen Free Agent n/a n/a n/a n/a Eddie House Free Agent n/a n/a n/a n/a Scot Pollard Free Agent n/a n/a n/a n/a Totals: $72,609,223 $67,583,516 $49,403,143 $22,855,546 $2,483,319 Team options are in red and qualifying offers are in green. Salaries shown in orange represent non-guaranteed / partially guaranteed deals, while trade kickers and other owed salary obligations are in purple. Player options are listed in blue. Total salary assumes that all options are picked up. * Salaries for Giddens and Walker are estimated. Giddens' salary amount is based upon 100% of the rookie scale, and Walker's deal is a standard two-year minimum. Of course, the meaty part of this post is the Frequently Asked Questions , where you can learn everything about J.R. Giddens' contract holdup, why we really won't have cap space in 2010-11 even...

Celtics: Big Brothers, Grandfathers, and Little Brothers of a team.. (All together- family style)

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:58:35 -0500

I thank Doc Rivers for having the courage to bring out his new team to Rome in October to have them get to know each other.... this doesnt work out so perfectly with everyteam.. more than once, a coach has tried it with hopes of the team becopming great friends... The Celtics are a family of brothers.. some more like the fathers n grandfathers (veterans), .. while some are the little toddlers... (rookies). They started out not knowing each others names. But now with too many nick names to count, you can see they are a FAMILY. I see on tv how the big three treat Rondo, Pruitt, Big Baby Glen Davis like little brothers who care for each other... Before the start of every game, Posey gives the starting line up a HUGE tight gripping hug, supplied with encouraging words. The young players admitting that they wanted this win so much for the older players like Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Casell, PJ Brown, just showed that they cared so much for their teamates who havent won a championship in their whole career... I once read an article quoting Pruitt on how in Rome, the big three could have easily gotten their own limos seperate from the team, but decided to go with the others.. and how every day in Rome, they taught n showed the young ones how to do things... they weren't selfish, but decided to get to know EVERYONE on the team. Brotherly love. The team chemistry of brotherhood helped us win the champinoship. Though random arguments and fights and scuffles occurred, thats nothing to worry about. Brothers always argue. They still got along on the court and off. Scot Pollard and Brian Scalabrine not playing mcuh or at all this season, brought out the jokes and humor to keep the team happy and fun. Everyone added something unique into that bunch. When i read of the team dinners, i always wish i was apart of it. Being able to go to the restaurants with them and hearing what each has to say. Humbleness, Brotherhood.... and UBUNTU.. were the key Like Powe said to kg after he almost fainted and the win was final... " I got you, I got you kg, i got you". The Lakers didnt have any of that. Selfishness n pride ruined their road to the championship.. they weren't a team.. nope, not at all As Ray Allen had said, they wernt the big three... more like the Big 15. So thanks to Danny Ainge, and Doc Rivers, for making that crucial decision of a Rome trip. :)

Brian Scalabrine's Championship Press Conference

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:34:27 -0500

This is vintage Scalz. His defense of his lack of playing time in the NBA Finals is so good. Check it out.

Celtics Off the Court Grades

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:55:13 -0500

Oftentimes you see people release their team report cards after the season is over. Well, everyone gets an automatic A when the team wins the championship. This Banner was twice as special as it could have been because of the great personalities on the team. These guys were truly a joy to watch on the court and in their interviews. Onto the OFFCOURT GRADES... Rajon Rondo B+: I love the blog. It's a great way to connect with fans, but I had to deduct him for his latest blog post that he clearly got paid to do. On second thought, I probably wouldn't have turned it down for a couple grand. We got to see some of Rajon's funny side when he got Rondo'd by the awful movie. That was funny. To ensure an A next season, Rajon has to give some Scal love. I don't care if Rajon didn't say 2 words to Scal all season, the blog would go to the stratosphere if he blogged about a day on the town with THE GODFATHER, SCAL. I also may have deducted his score a little bit because every girl in Boston is now hot for Rondo. Maybe there's a little jealousy here. Paul Pierce A: Pierce loves the interviews. He is a lock to be on TNT or possibly taking over for Tommy when his playing career is over. Kevin Garnett A: His pregame routine and constant swearing on the court is pure gold. I could never see it getting old. This guy smashes his head off the base of the hoop before the game even starts. I could picture him just getting all fired up to go to clubs and stuff when he was a teenager and spraying cologne all over his mom, like he does with the talc powder to Gorman. Perk: B: Perk's interviews are underrated. He talks slow, so he doesn't sound as smart as he really is, but everyone I am with always laughs because of how he talks. He also gets extra points for looking angry in any and all situations. I don't think I have ever seen Perk's teeth. I could picture Perk in one of those pictures they take on roller coasters giving the stone face while everyone else is going wild. Pollard: A+: Planet Pollard is hilarious. He also had the comment of the year to the heckling Lakers fans. He came to a dead stop and found some heckler in the crowd and said "hey it's you, tell your mom to stop calling me!" When you drop a line like that and it's to a Laker fan, you get an automatic A, even if you said that Boston fans sucked in multiple interviews throughout the year. Cassell: A: Sam is hilarious because 20 words come out of his mouth in the matter of a second. I also respect anyone who does the Big Balls dance on national television multiple times. It's actually an enigma that he has Big Balls to do the Big Balls dance with young children watching on television and in person. I actually don't know if enigma was the right word there, but it just flowed right. To be continued...

Odds & Ends

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:58:11 -0500

Somehow, Vegas doesn't seem that impressed (http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/06/18/lakers-are-favored-to-win-it-all-in-2009/) with our NBA title (at least going into next year). Not even 24 hours after the Celtics completely dismantled the Lakers to win the NBA title, Boston is getting very little respect from the oddsmakers regarding their chances to repeat the feat next season. According to one website, the Celtics aren't favored to win the championship in 2009: the Lakers are. Boston is currently a 4-1 favorite, while the Lakers are just 2-1. In other news, Brian Scalabrine has a few words for the media. (http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/06/18/one-of-these-days-brian-scalabrine-will-be-an-nba-finals-mvp/) Funny stuff. X's O's looks at our spread offense (http://coachingbetterbball.blogspot.com/2008/06/celtics-spread-floor-and-go-inside-out.html) in the 2nd quarter. Breakfast of Champions (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/The-10-man-rotation-NBA-Finals-edition?urn=nba,88717) Thanks Red. (http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/06/18/thanks-red-congratulating-the-2008-celtics/)

Scal Is The Man!

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:35:35 -0500

All these guys accept for Tim Legler can stick it, and our man Scal lets them know. In what might be the best interview all year because he was NOT supposed to speak, he just walked up onto the stage, AND It forced Kobe, who is obligated by the NBA to speak, to wait until he was done!

Celtics Dominate, Win 17th Championship

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:19:08 -0500

Somewhere Red Auerbach is smiling and lighting up a victory cigar. The Celtics delivered a beatdown of epic proportions Tuesday night to win their record seventeenth NBA championship, and first in 22 years. This year's final match-up was billed as a rebirth of the classic East Coast-West Coast rivalry that captivated the country in the 1980s, but turned into a lopsided affair dominated by the Boston defense.

Brian Scalabrine is a great teammate

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:13:57 -0500

I have no idea why they let Brian Scalabrine have his own press conference, but I am glad they did. Now I know why the Celtics $3 million a year for this guy. He seems like a great teammate. High energy guy on the bench and has a cult like ans following among the fans.

QuoteZ of the Night

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:13:48 -0500

We'll have plenty of post-Finals coverage for you. I just wanted to quickly share my two favorite quotes from last night's post-game: Kevin Garnett: "Since day one, man, Paul told me that this city is unlike any other city when it comes to sports, and you give them a reason, they will jump on and they will be behind you even when you're losing or even when you're going through tough times. I got to see that. I thought I played in front of some good crowds, and Boston has a special place. I'll be forever linked to this city, and I'm more than grateful for that." While Scalabrine said this: "Maybe now you could say I didn't play a second, but in five years, you guys are going to forget. In ten years I'll still be a champion. In 20 years I'll tell my kids I probably started, and in 30 years I'll probably tell them I got the MVP. So I'm probably not too worried about it." I can't say this enough: What an incredible group of guys to root for.

Brian Scalabrine Is Awesome

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:02:34 -0500

I have no idea who the powers that be were that decided that we needed a Brian Scalabrine press conference, but I'm glad they decided to do it. He only got a few questions asked his way and finished with this one from a European reporter....

PEACE! I'm outta here. I mentioned last night that I almost bid on a "game used" Game One Scalabrine jersey, but it was $350. I'm giving that investment a second thought knowing that he'll be an MVP in thirty years.

One of These Days, Brian Scalabrine Will Be an NBA Finals MVP (Fanhouse)

Brian Scalabrine Is Awesome

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:02:34 -0500

17 Thank You's

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:10:33 -0500

I can't even begin to describe how good this feels. One emotion is simply thankful. So here's 17 thank you's (not nearly enough) for some of the people that made it happen. Thank you Danny Ainge (and Kevin McHale) for pulling off the Trade. Thank you Wyc and the rest of the owners for cutting the check. Thank you Doc Rivers for standing strong through all the criticism and proving everyone wrong. Thank you Rajon Rondo for stepping up into the starting role and making the leap. Thank you Big Game James for having a flair for the dramatic and a nose for the ball. Thank you Kendrick Perkins for being a beast. Thank you Leon Powe for being an inspiration on and off the court. Thank you Eddie House for instant offense. Thank you Big Baby Davis for making us laugh and cheer you on. Thank you Tony Allen for fighting through multiple season ending injuries to play your role. Thank you Sam Cassell for providing veteran leadership and encouragement. Thank you Brian Scalabrine, Scot Pollard, and Gabe Pruitt for waving towels and being good teammates. Thank you Ray Allen for the sweetest jump shot ever. Thank you Kevin Garnett for dominating on defense and setting the tone all year. Thank you Paul Pierce for all the years of being...

Celtic fan gets a beat-down in LA

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:32:31 -0500

Let me just say, i don't support this at all as a Laker fan. I also don't know any of the details, who said what, I just found the video, all i know is this got crazy, fast.