Yardbarker: Brian Scalabrine

Comments from the Other Side - Nets 11/7

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:15:00 -0500

You have to feel for Nets fans. With the team dressing just 8 players, their team played with heart and never gave up, but at the end of the game, they were still 0-7. We might go 0-82. Yeah, we might. One night we score 68 pts, the next night we give up 124 pts... We're just godawful. #1 pick here we come!! I say 10-72. But LeBron will come right? Nets suck...just sayin. This is going to be a ugly game. I hope the Nets could prove me wrong. Can all the player...

Barbosa and Scalabrine Will Miss Tonight's Game

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:57:45 -0500

The Celtics will not have the services tonight of Brian Scalabrine. He's out with back spasms. Can somebody remind Scal that you have to use your legs when lifting a keg?

According to the Globe's Gary Dzen:

Leandro Barbosa (right wrist) is on the court right now shooting for the Suns, but the speedy guard is not in uniform and will not play tonight vs. the Celtics. Barbosa was averaging 15.7 points for the Suns, so his absence is a blow for the Phoenix bench.

That's a fair trade, Scal for Barbosa.

In other pregame notes, Glen Davis says he expects to return to practice on December 1.

Celtics Put Unbeaten Record On the Line Against the Suns

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500

at Phoenix Suns (4-1) at Boston Celtics (6-0) Friday, November 6 7:30 PM ET Game #7 Home Game #4 TV: CSN HD, My45 HD, LP 757 TD Garden Referees: Bill Spooner, James Capers, Scott Wall Both teams are coming in with one day rest. The Celtics are coming off a sub-par game and 2 point win over the Timberwolves. The Suns are coming in off of their first loss, a 22 point blowout loss to the Magic. The Suns are a high scoring team, averaging 111 points per game. However, like anot...

Can Brian Scalabrine lead the Celtics to a title?

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:20:39 -0500

Faux Twitter Tweet of the Day Big Baby’s injury will enable me to lead the Celtics to another championship & prove that I’m an elite player like LeBron, Kobe and DWade. Brian Scalabrine October 27th A Few Quick Predictions The start of the NBA season is now only a couple hours away and it’s time to go on the record: MVP: Chris Paul ROY: Tyreke [...]

"Blow these (expletives) out!”

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:59:47 -0500

Can you guess who screamed those words in the headline during the 3rd quarter of last night's loss to the Knicks?

It was KG, according to the Herald's Steve Bulpett, who issued the directive after the Celts took a six point lead. But KG's words fell on deaf ears. Like I stated in last night's post game blog, the C's could not maintain their defensive intensity. Even with the regulars on the court. Here's Doc's take:

“A lot of good things,” Rivers said, referring to the work of his reserves. “A lot of bad things. (The Knicks) scored too many points. We’re going to score, (but) we don’t like giving up that many points.”

Prior to last night's lapse, the Celtics had been the top defensive team (statistically - according to Mike Gorman) in the preseason. So I'm not going to get worked up about one preseason game.

On the injury front, Brian Scalabrine rolled his ankle after stepping on a cameraman. He's back in Boston having X-rays. Mike Sweetney is also back home, he has flu-like symptoms.

Rondo and Perk are the only starters expected to play tonight in Cleveland.

Links: Globe - Pierce Sharpens Focus on Season Opener | Herald - UCONN Death Resonates | WEEI - Music a Driving Force for Quis | NYT - Celts Have Technical Ability | Hoops Vibe - Wrong GuaranSheed, C's Shouldn't Worry About 73 Wins

Player Profiles: Brian Scalabrine #44

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:33:00 -0500

Next up is Celtics' all around good guy Brian Scalabrineby FreshnthehouseBrian Scalabrine is now entering the final year of the 5 year/15 million dollar contract he signed with the Celtics prior to the 2005-06 season. During his time with the Celtics, Scalabrine (or as the kids say, Veal) has had a complex relationship with the fans. During his first two years, he was a symbol of the eneptness the team displayed on the court, and to some a symbol of Danny Ainge's eneptness as a GM. E...

Scal Taking No Chances With His Head

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Via WEEI.com's Jess Camerato:

After suffering three concussions in less than a month last season, Brian Scalabrine wants to play it safe. That’s why he chose not to play at all this summer.

“I didn’t play any basketball,” Scalabrine told WEEI.com last week at the USI Shamrock Classic. “I didn’t want to risk getting a concussion in that environment. So I just didn’t play any basketball and then I’ve been playing since I got back here.”

“We’re just going to take it day by day and see what happens,” he said. “The only time you’re really going to know is until you take a blow. It’s going to happen one time or another, just how I respond to it is going to be key.”

Here's hoping Scal stays healthy this season. He may be the butt of a lot of jokes, but there's nothing funny about head injuries.

Player Projections - Brian Scalabrine

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:30:00 -0500

In preparation for the upcoming season, John and I will examine all the players on the Celtics roster and offer up opinions on what we should and should not expect from them in 2009/10. We begin with:

Brian Scalabrine

Last year's stats: 5.1 ppg, 0.5 apg, 1.3 rpg, 0.2 spg, fg% 42.1, ft% 88.9%

Projected Stats:

John: 2.5 ppg, 0.5 apg, 1.0 rpg, 0.1 spg, fg% 43.5, ft% 85.0

Chuck: 3.3 ppg, 0.9 apg, 1.5 rpg, 0.2 spg, fg% 39, ft% 80

What will help him the most?

John: The need to reduce Kevin Garnett's minutes and his familiarity with Doc's system. Scal has been in one of those weird spots over the past couple of seasons where he could go from DNP-CD to starter in back to back games. With KG's minutes very likely under heavy management, Scal could pick up a few minutes here and there. And there are some questions still to be answered with Doc when it comes to KG... like how will he be handled on back-to-back nights. If the Celtics decide to put heavy constraints on KG in situations like that, Scal could be a go-to guy before, say, Shelden Williams.

Chuck: Doc and Danny love his effort, toughness and basketball IQ. But that will only take him so far on this roster. Since the Celtics are one of the best teams in the league, we can expect them to have many wins locked up by the 3rd quarter. This means more minutes for Scal. Barring a major injury, this is the only way I see him getting significant court time because Doc simply has better options i.e. Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis.

What will hurt him the most?

John: The arrival of Rasheed Wallace. If all goes according to plan, Scal is cleaning up in blowouts. Between KG, Sheed, Perk, Baby and Marquis Daniels... there's no time for Scal at the 4 or at the 3. Of course, foul trouble and injury changes everything... but Scal is the 3rd option at both positions right now.

Chuck: John's right, there's just too much depth on the bench.

Burning Question: Is Scal done with the Celtics after this year?

John: Not unless he likes it here he comes back for the veteran minimum (which, for him, will be $1.2 million). Let's face it: he's not worth more than that, but he was actually productive last year when pressed into service. I see no harm in tucking a guy like Scal away for minimum wage and using him in a "break glass in case of emergency" situation.

Chuck: Not necessarily, but he'd have to be willing to take a 67% pay cut. Remember, Doc and Danny love his effort and smarts. But if he has any more issues with concussions, I'd expect the team to move on.

Brian Scalabrine is good for the team

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:18:00 -0500

For the most part, a lot of Celtics fans think Brian Scalabrine is a joke, and would care less if he's with the team or not.But there are also a growing number of fans who are warming up to Scalabrine, and are beginning to see what Ainge saw in Scal 4 years ago when he brought him over from the Nets.Scalabrine is like women's perfume--a slight hint of it is nice, but too much of it ruins the whole thing. When used right and in moderation, Scalabrine is an effective player--he's mo...

Well... at least SCAL approves

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 08:53:42 -0500

I was reading this piece about how only about 9 or 10 NBA teams consider themselves potential title contenders this year... and have approached this season this way... when I was hit with Brian Scalabrine's assessment of the offseason.

“I’m loving Rasheed Wallace,’’ Scalabrine said last week at a State House presentation for the team’s Heroes Among Us program. “And Marquis Daniels gives us versatility. Those two things, I think, make us the best team in the league.

“Rasheed Wallace, if I had to name one guy that I’d want on our team he’d be the guy. The way Doc uses power forwards, he’s a perfect fit for us. Defensively, he’s a dominant force and his basketball IQ is through the roof. [Daniels] is going to help Ray and Paul get some rest throughout the season. And I’ve heard he can also play some point guard for us, so it would be nice to have him as backup, and maybe play with Eddie at [shooting guard]. He’s super versatile and that’s going to help us a lot.’’

He's still saying "us" and 'we"... but for how long? Scal's salary is a key one in sign-and-trade possibilities because of both the amount ($3.4 million) and duration (final year). Or maybe the C's are hanging onto him as a back-up plan in case Big Baby is the one that's traded. One more year of Scal stepping in for 10 or 15 minutes isn't the worst thing in the world. Then he's off the books.

Dime Magazine seems to think that Bruce Bowen is either going to Orlando or retiring. PBN is taking a look at the Atlantic Division. One team in the division is getting an "A" for its offseason... but it's not Boston.

Scalabrine, Odom, The King's Weed & Celtics Dancers

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:34:13 -0500

Here's what's going on:

Brian Scalabrine will not be part of any sign-and-trade with the Indianapolis Pacers. Indy Cornrows blogger Tom Lewis (citing a Pacers beat writer) broke this news to us last night during our Two Man Game show.

Despite rumors that Marbury is leaning towards resigning with the Celtics, Marc Spears tweets that Marbury has "nothing strong going on with anyone now." Marbury is also planning a 24 hour, uncensored live chat on Ustream starting Friday at 6am.

The Pacers have finally released/bought-out point guard Jamaal Tinsley. Could he be the answer to our back-up point guard void? He's probably carrying too much baggage for Wyc and co.

Despite reports, the Lakers are not on the verge of resigning Lamar Odom. KCAL reports there are no offers on the table, but the LA Times claims the two sides are talking.

According to a new book, LeBron James smoked weed in high school. First the video of that embarrassing dunk and now this earth-shattering news.

The Celtics will hold the final round of auditions for next year's dance team tonight at the House of Blues in Boston. After the jump, a video clip of the tryouts.

Celtics Wanted the 36th Pick

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 10:35:29 -0500

Via the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

Boston tried to entice the Grizzlies twice. The Celtics offered Brian Scalabrine, Tony Allen and a choice of J.R. Giddens or Bill Walker for the Grizzlies' 36th pick and cash considerations.

The Celtics' best offer for the Grizzlies' No. 2 pick only included center Kendrick Perkins.

We've heard the Perk for #2 rumor before, and I still doubt its legitimacy. But I wonder who Danny Ainge wanted to grab at #36. Here's a look at the guys who went in that area of the 2nd round:

Sam Young
DeJuan Blair
Jon Brockman
Derrick Brown
Jodie Meeks
Patrick Beverley

Your guess is as good as mine...

Quote of the Day

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:59:20 -0500

The Globe had a hilarious quote from Doc concerning Scal and Posey returning to action tonight. We take a look at it here and see his point.

The Crack Staff's Video Interview With Brian Scalabrine

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:23:30 -0500

This is Brian Scalabrine. He loves inspirational music like Metalica and Rage Against the Machine. He likes biking and chicken and pasta. He is one-quarter Italian and oh, by the way, don't call him Veal. One of many interviews we'll be bringing you over the next few days. Stay tuned and enjoy.

Getting to Know Brian Scalabrine

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:01:18 -0500

Brian Scalabrine is the Celtic that most fans love to hate. He is a hard working player that isn't necessarily good at anything but is a good "energy guy" and a good "locker room guy" according to Danny Ainge and most reports. We tell you all you need to know about Scal.