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Saluting the Unsung Hero – Brandon Bass

By Michael Hilperts

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While Brandon Bass jerseys were not too uncommon a sight at the TD Garden, he joined a Celtics core years removed from their primes, and left a Celtics team years away from contending again. However, he played valiantly in green, and never uttered a word of contempt. 

Apr 1, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Brandon Bass (30) reacts after making a basket during the second half against the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Kendrick Perkins‘ importance on the Boston Celtics has never been understated. His absence from Game seven of the 2010 NBA Finals will forever force Celtics fans to wonder what would’ve happened had he not gotten injured. And to this day, the transaction Ainge has received the most flak for was his trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder – when he traded Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. Fans believe the C’s could’ve had at least one more run to the Finals run, yet, Ainge had begun planning for the future at the cost of the present.

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Fans began attributing the Celtics’ inability to return to the Finals to Ainge’s inability to find a replacement for Perkins at center. Shaquille O’Neal‘s feet were perpetually-injured and Kritic simply wasn’t an NBA-caliber player by that point. Fans started firing up their ESPN Trade Machines to try and find the Celtics a way to acquire DeMarcus Cousins (which we inexplicably do to this day).

However, people failed to notice had Kevin Garnett lost much of his lateral quickness, making him incapable to play power forward. Sometime between the 2009-2010 season and the 2011-2012 season, Garnett had lost a step, and would better serve the Celtics at center – where he could still anchor the defense without needing to step to far from the paint. Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge had realized this, though and went ahead and acquired the mid-range specialist, Brandon Bass from the rapidly-deteriorating Orlando Magic.

The Celtics sent the Magic a package comprised of Glen Davis and Von Wafer for Bass. His strength and speed made Bass a strong man-to-man defender against power forwards, with an ability to guard threes on switches if he needed to (always played solid defense against Carmelo Anthony, too). This allowed Garnett to solely cover centers, who were slow enough for him to defend.

But Bass’ trademark skill, was of course, his mid-range shooting. In his first year with the Celtics, he shot just under 50% from mid-range. The Rajon Rondo – Brandon Bass pick-n-pop duo proved a major weapon in the Celtics’ offense. Opposing team’s defenses were then too focused on Rondo and his ability to drive to the hoop, that they’d opt to double-team him on Bass screens, in turn, leaving Bass wide-open at the elbow.

One understated, almost anomalous, aspect of Bass’ game was his free throw shooting during the playoffs. While Bass has always been a great free throw shooter, his free-throw shooting in the playoffs has been nothing short of prolific. Prior to this past postseason (when he shot a mediocre 60% against the Cavs before getting swept), Bass was 140 from 154 from the free throw line (91% – 4th highest all-time).

The thing about Bass is that you’d never have noticed this by simply watching him. Hell, he could drop 40 and nobody could have noticed. He merely did his job in the most inconspicuous of ways. He did it all without ever really standing out. This was just the type of player he was -not an all-star, but never a detriment to the team while on the floor

In 2012, he proved to be the perfect solution to an imperfect team. By the time he’d arrived, the team’s days of contention were over, but Bass would be there for one last stand, against a LeBron James-led Miami Heat squad.

During the 2012 postseason, the stars had somewhat aligned themselves for the aging Boston Celtics, considering their big three had incurred no major injuries (Avery Bradley‘s injury proved costly, however) and had enjoyed the easy route to the Eastern Conference Finals. They steamrolled the Josh Smith-led Atlanta Hawks and later beat the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers (who defeated the one-seeded, Derrick Rose-less Bulls), before having to face the Miami Heat in the ECF.

While the Celtics would ultimately fall to the Heat in game seven, Bass had an excellent series. He averaged 10 ppg, and shot 50% from the field and 86% from the free throw line. Best of all though, he dunked on the Celtics’ nemesis, Dwyane Wade.

Following this series, the Celtics would no longer be a top-5 team in the Eastern Conference. Rajon Rondo, who at this point was the Celtics’ definitive best player, would tear his ACL in the 2012-2013 season, and sit the remainder of the season. And by the 2013 playoffs, the Celtics would claim a meager seventh seed and get ousted by the Knicks in the first round.

The offseason following their quick playoff exit would be, in addition to longer than usual, frenetic and bittersweet – considering we saw franchise stars, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett traded to the Brooklyn Nets.

Being the intelligent player we’d come to respect, Bass must have recognized he’d become expendable at this point. However, for the past two seasons, there’d never been a single report suggesting there was any dissension coming out of Bass. Celtics coach Brad Stevens would often play younger players over Bass – for the sake of player development – yet Bass never complained.

He accepted his new role as a veteran leader valiantly. And while Bass has always been quiet, he led the Celtics by example by merely doing his job and doing it without the slightest hesitation. This work ethic has been well documented.

As Evan Turner states:

"I think his intensity and the way he approaches the game each day and work ethic is definitely inspiring, and rubs off on us. Every time he checks into the game, he’s ready to go, and that’s a blessing."

That’s who Bass is as both a person and a player. When he was initially traded to Boston – he arrived with little fanfare – but earned the respect of the Celtics fanbase and his teammates instantly.

This summer, Bass signed on to join the Los Angeles Lakers. While I’d rather see him playing for another team, preferably a contender, he’ll be a perfect fit with the developing Lakers. He’ll be tasked with mentoring a young Lakers team, much in the same way he did with the Celtics the last two seasons. Bass also has the perfect disposition to avoid clashing with the curmudgeon-y, Kobe Bryant.

So thanks, Brandon. Sad to see you go, but happy you’ll get to spend your career’s last few years in the sun.

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