Brian Scalabrine is the most confusing player on a local team I can remember. I was at the game the other night v. Minnesota, and his appearance on the floor created such a circus environment, it was really beyond belief.
The arena erupted, like a court jester had just spun a loaf of bread on his pointy-hatted head...they were "oohing" and "aahing" his every move, every attempt, and every touch.
Now I realize the crowd on a Sunday afternoon at the Celtics is far different than a weeknight crowd. The weeknight crowd isn't quite as enamored by Scals in a mocking sense as the weekend crowd is, b/c, honestly, the weekend crowd doesn't know that Scals actually gets pretty solid minutes in most games. They think his appearance is enough to laugh at, and they do.
It is no secret that I am not a fan of Scalabrine. First of all, he is overpaid - which isn't his fault at all. I usually don't complain too much about salaries but he has been a bit of albatross for this team. But beyond that, I think that on the offensive end he puts the team in very bad situations. He has trouble getting space, doesn't have a great shooting %, and frequently puts passes on players off hips, shins, necks, etc.
But I don't think he deserves the treatment he gets by fans, and I think fans think they are doing him a favor by making him a favorite, when in reality he is just another guy on the team. I won't get into it, because people I respect will roll their eyes when I mention this, but it's a huge function of race - the crazy white guy has no business on the floor - and those implications make me feel real weird.
But in reality, he is a very hard worker who, for some reason, has all the respect of his teammates, and for some reason, is honestly a constant energy boost when he is on the floor. If I mock his offense, I have to respect his defensive skills. A guy like Troy Murphy, tonight for the Pacers, gives MUCH better athletes a ton of trouble on a nightly basis, but Scal always seems to neutralize those types of guys. Scals is heavy enough (yes, a veiled criticism) to push people around, but also smart enough to get in the way.
I am confused by him mostly b/c I don't know why otherwise educated Celtics fans have this spot of insanity in their heads for Scalabrine. He gets on the floor and the crowd loses their minds - it makes no sense to me. He's just a 8th or 9th player on a strong 12 man roster. That's it.
4 comments:
I was at tonight's game during which Scal's got lots of run with KG on the shelf. He probably had as bad of a game as possible. He couldn't hit a shot, and the crowd that treats him like a circus act turned on him. He still provided lots of value with great hustle and defense, but my main point is that the crowd completely mistreats him. I really think it affects his play. I haven't looked up the stats but I think he's much better on the road because he's treated like every other player, and he can just relax and play basketball. I mostly love the crowds at Celtics games, but the way they treat Scals really pisses me off.
GRUM
I don't think Celtics crowds are as educated as you say. Let's say that 60% of the crowd is made up of families and true hoops fans (old and young). These are the fans who are quiet when Scal comes onto the floor. The other 40% are drunk idiots (old and young) who get caught up in crowd mentality. They are loud enough to make it seem like the entire crowd has Scal-itis. In reality, I think it's just the same idiots that do stupid crap in college.
Why do they do what they do? Alcohol probably has a lot to do with it. And bravado, showing off, and "being a man" probably have even more to do with it. It sucks, but that's way society is... the loudest voices are usually those we don't want to hear. Oooh, that was dark!
But to be honest, I do love hearing how loud and wildly excited the crowd can get. It is a reminder of what big games and the playoffs are like. With the amount of work and effort the players put in, we should be cheering that loud for every player. When crowds go crazy, everyone wins. Plus, it is so rare to be in a public environment when it is so loud that no one can hear what or how you yell and scream. I LOVE yelling craziness during a game, so the more the better.
I have always associated the crowd reaction to Scal as a race thing. This sounds like a total cliché of every race discussion, but that same reaction just wouldn't happen if he were African American. But that's not Scal's problem... it's just that the crowd is laughing at him. They're teasing him. But they think it's ok, and some of that has to do with his color.
But it also has to do with the fact that he's pretty terrible and always appears out of place.
Also, there's always some sort of ridiculous en vogue sports thing happening in Boston... whether it is yelling "Yankees Suck" at a Little League game or buying T-Shirts about A-Rod's uncontrollable addiction to steroids and concubines, there's always something. And the loud 40% generally get into that stuff and make sure everyone around them knows it. Currently, it is making fun of Scal.
Well, I like you Scal. You weirdo.
Just a disclaimer, I'm definitely not a fan of Mr. Scalabrine's work. I feel like he's the type of player I could get behind as a 7th or 8th man on a college team, but he really seems in over his head as an NBA player for the most part. Good for him though for snagging an $18M contract though.
Here's an interesting article about him from a statistical perspective.
http://celticshub.com/2010/01/04/what-is-wrong-with-brian-scalabrine/
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