After sitting most of the season, the native of the beautiful state of Washington, Brian Scalabrine hasn?t missed a step and is earning praise from superstar Vince Carter.

"I knew he played hard, didn't really know his game that well," Carter said of his initial impression of Scalabrine before they became teammates. "He's just a great guy. He loves basketball. He wants to learn. He works hard at getting better. I don't think he's a natural athlete, but he works hard at it.

"He's always curious. It's pretty neat. Like last night, he was like, 'Yo, man, where you need me to be out here?' And I'm like, 'I guarantee you'll get some shots (if you) do this and do that.' He's like, 'Awright.' He started doing it, and started getting open jump shots."

He has had to work his way back into the lineup, but as the Nets make their push for the playoffs, he may very well come in handy.

"I'm happy to have the opportunity," Scalabrine said. "Playing with guys like Jay and Vince, I just stand in the corner, I (get an) offensive rebound. It makes the job a lot easier."