As Bad As It Gets


Interesting article out today which makes the argument that Brian Scalabrine is the worst NBA player getting regular minutes this season.
Over the course of the season, Scal is shooting 32 percent from the floor and 25 percent from three-point range. He has taken just four free throws all season and hasn’t scored more than three points in a game since November 7.  And  he’s rebounding like Eddie House; Scal is pulling down 2.4 rebounds per 36 minutes, easily a career low...

I know what you’re thinking: Scal’s game isn’t about numbers, it’s about helping the team by playing to his strengths and avoiding mistakes.

Here’s the thing, though: The Celtics have performed abysmally with Scal on the floor. His overall plus/minus for those 13 games is -36, and he has recorded a positive plus/minus number in (and this is fairly remarkable) just one of those games: The Dec. 12 blowout win at Chicago, when Scal was +11 in 16:22 of playing time.
Take away that game, and we’re talking about a -47 mark in 12 games (and just 152 minutes).
It really is amazing how poorly Scalabrine rebounds. He is simply not a rotation caliber player on an NBA team, let alone a contender. And the whole fans going crazy thing every time he catches the ball is embarrassing. Bird never got that. Pierce doesn't get that. It's like the autistic team manager who got in a high school game a couple years ago. Scal hates it, yet fans continue to do the Scalabrine chants and have orgasms every time he catches the ball. Add in the fact that Boston still has this rep of not being the best racial climate and here you have the one white player on the team, who sucks worse than anyone in the league, and he's treated like a god.

I have no problem with people rooting for Scal. He seems like a really good guy and everyone loves an underdog, but he's monumentally horrible. The fact that he gets minutes over Bill Walker makes no sense to me. Scal should only get minutes if three big men are injured. I see no other scenario. We aren't tanking anymore right?