Boston Celtics: Top 10 Irrelevant Players of the 2000s

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Since the arrival of the Big Three, all's been well in Boston for the Celtics.

But before KG and Jesus Shuttlesworth joined The Truth, the Celtics had some, shall we say, forgettable years.

In these years, the rosters were led by some pretty useless and mediocre talent, some of which we loved, some of which we hated, and some of which we could only laugh at.

All is forgiven now, Danny Ainge, but here are ten players of the 2000s whose irrelevancy is easy to forget.

10. Walter McCarty

I love Walter, I really do.

But in hindsight, it would have been more enjoyable to cheer on a championship team than go wild over his hustle plays and 3-pointers once every blue moon.

Walter was known for his outside shot, but when he missed, he missed badly. Epic bricks left and right.

Just to clarify, Walter is a great guy and will always have a home in Boston. He just wasn't that talented.

9. Tom Gugliotta

Gugliotta was one of Ainge's big signings in 2004. He was going to be a veteran presence inside on a young team, and lead the team to a competitive season.

The 35-year-old played all of 20 games, in which he put up 26 points.

8. Gabe Pruitt

Ainge attempted to pass Pruitt off as a serviceable backup point guard to Rajon Rondo, but this fooled no one once Pruitt stepped on the court.

He couldn't shoot and he made bad decisions, yet was kept around for two seasons (2007-2008) wasting valuable garbage minutes.

Following a D.U.I., the Celtics finally cut their losses and gave Pruitt his release.

Shockingly, he is now out of the NBA.

7. Scot Pollard

I gotta say this about Pollard: He's a scrub, but at least he's a fun scrub.

Pollard played sparingly in the Celtics' 2008 Championship run, but was fun to have around.

Late in his career, he came, played a small role, had some fun, collected his ring, smoked some cigars, and retired.

Ah, to be 6'11".

6. Kedrick Brown

Drafted 11th overall by the C's in the 2001 Draft, Brown was supposed to have an immediate impact.

Instead, he averaged 3.6 points per game, and was one of the biggest busts of his draft class.

Brown caught on with the Cavaliers and 76ers, but now makes his living playing in Turkey.

5. Mark Blount

The seven footer put up some good numbers as a Celtic and had a few good years, but the team never excelled with him in the middle.

He had a decent jump shot, but had stone hands underneath and couldn't produce in traffic.

It's tough to call him irrelevant, but he definitely deserves a spot on this list looking back on the terrible Celtics teams of the 2000s.

4. Gerald Green

Green is the epitome of what has gone wrong with basketball. He had all the athleticism and potential in the world, but didn't have his priorities straight.

He could have benefitted from four years of college ball, but chose to enter the Draft straight out of high school.

With the Celtics, Green failed to contribute, focusing more of his time on his dunking than his shot.

The dunk champion is now out of the NBA at 24.

3. Brian Scalabrine

It pains me to put Scal on this list. Scal is my favorite Celtic. Nobody can ride the bench as hard as he can. He is the ultimate mascot.

At the same time, though, he is irrelevant.

In 2005, the Celtics signed him to a five year, $15 million deal. Since then, his season high in scoring has been 4.0 points per game.

Like Pollard, though, he's got a ring and probably the best job in sports.

Scal gets paid millions to sit courtside and be friends with three future Hall of Famers.

Oh Scal, how I envy you.

2. Vitaly Potapenko

"The Ukraine Train" made his name in Boston from 1999-2002.

Potapenko was a useless big man down low. He started, but never had a serious impact on a game.

On top of his low productivity, Potapenko was well known for his fluctuating moods and overall irrationality.

Needless to say, he never led the C's to the promised land.

1. Jiri Welsch

And finally, Jiri Welsch, the cornerstone of the Antoine Walker to Dallas deal in 2003.

Welsch put up decent numbers in his first season in Boston, but it was laughable to play him off as the future. He was too frail and scrawny to last an entire NBA season.

He epitomizes the pre-Big Three Danny Ainge era, in which the fan base were led to believe that young "studs" like Welsch were the future core of the franchise.