Player profile: Brian Scalabrine

By Gary Dzen

October 24, 2008

1 minute to read

This is the 12th in a series of profiles for all 15 players on the current Celtics roster. We’ll profile at least one player each day leading up to the season opener on Tuesday. Brian Scalabrine

Brian Scalabrine boxes out Lamar Odom in an attempt at a rebound. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

Born

: March 18, 1978
Height: 6 feet 9 inches. Weight: 235
College: USC
Years pro: 7
Acquired: Signed as free agent in 2005 (Drafted No. 35 overall by New Jersey in 2001)
2008/2009 salary: $3.2 million
Signed through: 2009-2010
Last year’s numbers: 1.8 ppg, 0.8 apg, 1.6 rpg in 48 games

Strengths: Scalabrine is a pest on defense. A couple of years ago when the Celtics were cellar-dwellers, Doc Rivers put Scal on Kevin Garnett (there weren’t many other options), and I recall he didn’t do a bad job. He can also spread the floor and hit the outside shot (35 percent career three-point shooter). And he’s a good teammate and a contributor in the community.

Weaknesses: It’s no secret Scalabrine didn’t contribute much on the court last season. He didn’t see any playoff minutes (but he was active when Kendrick Perkins went down during the Finals, allowing me the chance to watch him at least warm up for a meaningful game in LA). The knock on Scal is that he doesn’t do anything particularly well. He’s a guy whose “intangibles” aren’t going to show up on the stat sheet, but then when you actually go looking for them, really dig deep, they’re still hard to find.

What to expect: The Celtics aren’t likely to let Scalabrine go and eat $6 million over the next two seasons. And for now he’s a player who goes hard in practice and gives the starters all they can handle between games. Is $6 million a lot to pay someone for that role? Absolutely. But with Darius Miles gone, don’t expect Scal to go anywhere, unless the Celtics can package his salary in a trade. Next season is when that $3 million salary may come in handy, as the Celtics will have a lot of decisions to make concerning their roster.

Check back tomorrow for another player profile, and give us your expectations for Scalabrine in our comments section.