No Ordinary Bench Warmer

Posted by Brendan Jackson on Oct 5, 2010 1003013 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2010%2F10%2F05%2Fno-ordinary-bench-warmer%2FNo+Ordinary+Bench+Warmer2010-10-05+13%3A33%3A20Brendan+Jacksonhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D10030

What makes Brian Scalabrine so well-liked?  Is it because he represents Joe Everyman?

Scalabrine opened up to Comcast Sports Network New England about his recent exodus from the Celtics:

“I think Danny [Ainge] was really up front with what he was trying to do,” Scalabrine said. “He never led me astray or anything like that. He wasn’t lying to me, he was being really honest with me. The Celtics have always been a great, upfront, straight organization. They tell you what it’s going to be and they do it. He wasn’t trying to hide anything, so I really respect him for that and I appreciate him treating me that way.”

“People who know me, who really know me, know that that’s not really my personality. All my concerns were only about my teammates and my team, the Celtics, the Celtics, the Celtics, the Celtics,” he said. “People loved it, and I understand that and why they do those type of things . . . But we’re grinding it out, and [the Celtics] at that point were the most important people to me in the world at that time. So I never want to stand out, I don’t want to do things individually to stand out.”

Class act.   Still, this is not some just-happy-to-be-here attitude.  There is no doubt in my mind that Scalabrine thinks he can play in this league.  He has probably locked in a roster spot with the Chicago Bulls given the recent injury to Carlos Boozer.

Doc Rivers seemed to echo the idea of Scal’s value when asked about his departure:

“I don’t think it ever makes sense not to have a Scal on your team,” Doc Rivers told CSNNE.com. “The Scalabrines of the world are rare. They are not a dime-a-dozen. When you get one, you do what you can to keep one. Once we made all those moves, we knew we couldn’t. But we would love to. He’s just a terrific guy.”

So this really begs the question, “why?”  Why is Brian Scalabrine so valuable to an NBA roster, let alone a Championship caliber team?

Remember, Tom Haberstroh of ESPNInsider recently pointed out that Brian Scalabrine was the worst Celtics to ever don the green.   However, he has obviously contributed something to the Celtics that most have not.

J.A. Adande thinks the love for Scal derives from his aesthetic familiarity among white fans.  But that doesn’t explain Doc Rivers’ affinity for Scal.  Just like it doesn’t explain my affinity Walter McCarty.

Can’t we just like Scal for who he was and not what he did on the floor or what he looked like doing it?

Right now there’ s a battle going on for Scal’s replacement at the end of the bench.  It’s pretty clear that whoever it ends up being, will have his work cut out for him.