It’s safe to say that the biggest needs off the bench for this year’s Boston Celtics team are experience, defense, hustle, and versatility. With that in mind, it doesn’t make sense why so many Celtics fans are sour to Brian Scalabrine. Is it because of his contract? If so, let it go. First of all, it’s unfair to judge Scalabrine as a player or person just because he might be slightly overpaid, and it’s not that bad of a contract to begin with. Is five years a bit excessive? Possibly, but $3 million per year for a solid veteran role player is not.

Certainly, the second unit is an unfinished product and is still in dire need of two more veteran pieces, but Brian Scalabrine is surely not a bad option to have in your nine or ten-man rotation. “Scal” is exactly what this team needs off the bench. We have more than enough offensive firepower, we have athletes, we have young energizers, and we have players that are going to crash the boards. Scalabrine is a perfect complement to any lineup head coach Doc Rivers would like to put on the floor.

The six-year veteran forward is able to play small forward, power forward, or even the center position in “small ball” lineups. Is he the most skilled, physically gifted, or quickest player on the team? Not at all, but he brings the necessary intangibles that a contending team needs off the bench.

On the court, he’s a guy that players and coaches learn to love quickly. He is an all-out hustler, he runs the floor, he dives for loose balls, he can hit the open shot all the way out to three-point range, he’s vocal, he sets beautiful screens, and he possesses a sky-high basketball IQ. Not to mention, he’s surely the best defensive big that this team has off the bench, and in the past has done an excellent job for this team defending guys like Chris Bosh, Jermaine O’Neal, and even newest Celtic superstar Kevin Garnett.

Off the court, he’s also an outstanding guy to have on your team, especially in a winning environment. Scalabrine brings nothing but positive energy and encouragement whether it be in a game, in practice, in the locker room, or even outside of basketball altogether. Everybody is talking about how this team looks great on paper, but needs to come together as a unit. Brian Scalabrine will be one of the guys that brings this team together.

As mentioned above, he is a six-year NBA veteran, he’s a great person, and he brings all the necessary intangibles to a basketball team, but there is one unmentioned ingredient that will play a more significant role than the average fan may ponder - he has been there and done that. Brian Scalabrine played on the 2002 New Jersey Nets team that made it all the way to the NBA Finals, and ironically got there by knocking off the Boston Celtics in a six-game Eastern Conference Finals series. The next season, 2002-2003, Scalabrine was a member of yet another NBA Finals team, as the Nets had advanced to that point for the second straight season. In his final two seasons in New Jersey, Scalabrine played in three more playoff series’ with the Nets. He surely has the necessary experience and knows what it’s like to play in a championship level environment.

The “Scal bashing” needs to come to an end. He has a role, and he will thrive with this new team considering the fact that he doesn’t have to go out there and do more than he’s capable of. He has been forced to log major minutes in his two-year tenure with the Celtics, due to injuries and lack of experience with the young group of players. That will no longer be a problem. Scalabrine is now able to go out there, give 110%, and do what he does best. He won’t have to worry about having the ball in his hands more than he’s used to and he won’t be pressured to produce more on the offensive end than he ever has. He will be able to focus on what he does best (hustle, defend, and play smart basketball), and it will be nothing short of a shame if the fan base will let their ignorance get in the way of appreciating his role on this team.

On the night of the 2006 NBA Draft, Danny Ainge decided to ship the rights to the #7 overall pick, Raef LaFrentz, and Dan Dickau to Portland for Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and a 2008 second round draft pick. Some Celtics fans were excited about having Telfair and were sold on Ainge’s comments about how he is better and more experienced than any other guard in the draft. In the end, that turned out to be incorrect, as Rajon Rondo (who we acquired rights to on the same night, from Phoenix) quickly earned Telfair’s minutes. But that’s a whole different subject, so we won’t even go there.

As mentioned above, some fans were excited about having Telfair in Boston, but the bulk of the fan base had a sour taste in their mouth, especially after Telfair was demoted from starter to third string in the blink of an eye. Fans didn’t believe that Telfair was worth the seventh pick in the draft, and that Danny Ainge had made another bad trade, even though we managed to shave a year off of Raef LaFrentz’s god awful contract.

Now that we have taken a step backward in time, let’s bring it back to reality. Danny Ainge now looks like a genius for making the Telfair trade, for one simple reason: Kevin Garnett. Without Theo Ratliff’s contract, we don’t have Kevin Garnett right now, and we likely wouldn’t have made the move for Ray Allen either. Even if you keep the base of the deal (Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, and two first round draft picks), this deal doesn’t get done if you replace Ratliff’s contract with Raef LaFrentz. The trade on Draft Night 2006 was not centered around Sebastian Telfair, it was centered around Theo Ratliff’s contract in order to put this team in the position to make a big move sooner rather than later. I’ve got news for the naysayers: it happened, and we are now in position to contend for a championship within the next few seasons.

Will the doubters of the 2006 draft-day trade please stand up? I say we should have a big Sebastian Telfair night at the “Gah-en” after all.

The 2007-2008 NBA schedule has been released. Take a look at the Celtics’ schedule, where we have seven games on ESPN, three games on TNT, and nine games on NBA TV. Compared to last year’s zero, this is great.

Season Opener: Friday, November 2, at home vs. Washington at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN.

The Timberwolves’ press conference was postponed yesterday due to the collapsing bridge, but some ex-Celtics were able to shoot around and get some pictures taken: Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, and Sebastian Telfair. Nobody is quite sure why Gerald Green wasn’t there, more updates on Gerald will be given when released. Without any further ado, let’s take a look at some of our old friends, shall we:

We’re all really going to miss Big Al. The 22-year-old stud has a magnificent future ahead of him, and it was very tough to let him go. One of the biggest reasons was not only his talent, but his love for the city of Boston. Al didn’t want to go anywhere, this was a tough one. Hopefully Al can continue his development in his new #25 blue jersey (Al was #25 in high school, in case you’re wondering), I wish him the best of luck.

Ryan Gomes has been nothing short of a class act, a great teammate, a great role player, and most importantly a great person. He is only entering his third year in the league, but he carried himself like a veteran from day one. Gomes was also tough to let go, especially considering the depth we gave up in this deal. I wish Gomes the best of luck.

Ah, the mystery man, wearing his cousin Stephon Marbury’s #3 as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Telfair clearly still possesses a lot of potential, but he has yet to harness it. We have heard nothing but positive reports about “Bassy” this summer, as he has appeared to screw his head on straight and work hard on his game. I have been one of the few Sebastian Telfair supporters, and I’m not backing down. I still believe that Telfair will be a very solid player in this league. Maybe the change of scenery and another new beginning is what he needs. He will get a fair opportunity to play in Minnesota, and he should fit nicely with the athletes they have. Hopefully, they end up having a big Sebastian Telfair night at the Target Center.

There are no pictures of Gerald Green yet, but I can’t leave him out. Gerald has a tremendous upside. He is still raw, but let’s not forget that he’s just 21 years old, entering his third year in the NBA out of high school. Will Gerald turn into Kedrick Brown? Will he turn into Tracy McGrady? Will he find a steady medium? It’s tough for me to believe that a guy with his personality and work ethic will completely flop. I wish Gerald the best, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing him develop (too bad it won’t be in Boston). Hey, we might even see him win back-to-back dunk contests as a member of two different teams.

Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports that the Celtics have signed veteran guard Eddie House to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million, leaving the Celtics with roughly $3.8 million left of their MLE (mid-level exception). The sharp-shooting combo guard is entering his eighth year in the NBA, and has previously played with Miami, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Phoenix, and most recently New Jersey. Appearing in 56 games for the Nets last season, House scored 8.4 points per game and shot roughly 43% from three-point territory in 16.9 minutes per game. House is now the consensus backup to starting point guard Rajon Rondo, but could also see time off the ball at shooting guard.

Along with House comes 6′5” defensive specialist Jackie Manuel, who helped North Carolina win the 2005 NCAA National Championship. Last season, Manuel appeared in 46 games for the D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders, posting averages of 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

My take: I’m not overly impressed with this signing, but I’m also not mad. It’s a one-year, low-risk deal that got us a veteran shooter off the bench, which we desperately needed. I would have preferred a guy like Brevin Knight or Charlie Bell, but their price tags were probably too high anyway (and Bell is also restricted, meaning Milwaukee can match any offer given to him). House isn’t necessarily a point guard in my book, either. I think he’s an experienced, more consistent version of Allan Ray. We’ll see how it works out, but this isn’t great, nor is it that bad.

With no true veteran point guard to show Rondo the ropes, he may have to pull a Tony Parker and control himself on a contending team. I have confidence in Rondo, and I believe that he will do fine, but I would have liked more of a mentor. This is a big year for Rajon, and he has a lot of weight to carry on those frail shoulders in just his second year in the league.