Bass Big Off Bench

January 6, 2012

If you were among the 18,624 at TD Garden last night, consider yourself fortunate. You got to see one-third of Brandon Bass' assists for the 2011-12 season.

Cue the laugh track, eh?

Commence with the No Pass Bass humor.



"We told him he was threatening Yinka," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, chuckling loudly as he dredged up the late 7-footer Yinka Dare and his four total assists in four NBA seasons from 1994-98.
But while you're cracking yourself up and even going older school with Kevin McHale black hole references, riddle yourself this: Why would you want this guy giving up the rock?

"I don't want him thinking pass too much honestly," Rivers said after Bass had 15 points and 13 rebounds and came within nine assists of a triple-double in 26 minutes during the Celts' 89-70 rout of New Jersey. "He's a scorer, and you don't want to screw him up. You don't want him passing too much. He passes to the basket.

"He's getting it. He really is. He's moving the ball. He had a couple of ones where he doesn't get the assist, but he gets the hockey assist. And he's been doing that better."

With his 7-for-10 performance from the floor last night, Mr. Shoot First Ask Questions Later is hitting 55.1 percent of his field goal attempts. He came into the evening shooting 64 percent from 16-23 feet, second-best in the NBA to Dirk Nowitzki among forwards, and he didn't hurt himself in that regard against the Nets.

And he's taking good shots.

Bass clearly is adept at the elbow jumper, but what is far more important for these Celtics is the way he goes to the bucket. On a team whose starting big men would much rather take the short fadeaway, Bass' willingness to go hard to the goal provides a key interior threat that has and will keep defenses honest. It's why Ray Allen and Paul Pierce will have more space on the perimeter.

"He definitely adds another dimension that we probably don't have in the starting unit," Pierce said. "Kevin (Garnett)'s more of a finesse player taking little jumpers, his jump hook and finger rolls and stuff, where Brandon is more of a hard-hat type of player. He just comes straight at you, tries to go through you and however he can get there — over you — and he can bully you sometimes to the basket.

"And that's awesome we've got a guy that physical and aggressive. He puts so much pressure on the defense. He's able to get to the line. It's unusual that you find a guy with that type of strength with that type of touch, too."

In the inevitable comparisons to Glen Davis that came minutes after the two were traded for each other, there is no doubt the Celtics have a better idea of what they'll be getting every night.
There still are some questions defensively.

"Baby was very good in our rotations, and that's where Brandon has still got to figure that out," Rivers said. "And he will.

"He's a consistent effort guy. That's one of the things we liked. You know, he's not a perfect player. None of us are. I'm not a perfect coach. But he gives you a perfect effort every night. Whether he plays well or not, that'll just happen. But it's nice to have that consistency."
And it's nice that Bass isn't letting the cracks about his passing deter him from his job description.
"(Rajon) Rondo and Paul and KG, they all put me in position to shoot or swing and go into pick and rolls, so I don't think it's my job to be a playmaker," he said. "But I will make a play if I get the opportunity to.
"I'm going to do whatever presents itself. If it's an open shot, I'm going to shoot it. If it's a drive, I'm going to take it. There are opportunities to do a lot of different things. I'm on the floor with three Hall of Famers and an All-Star in Rondo. You've got a lot of opportunities."

Including, perhaps, the NBA Sixth Man Award. Seven games into the season and one night after the Iowa caucuses, Pierce already was endorsing Bass' candidacy.

"We've got a man who could win (it), the captain said. "You look at the good teams, they have guys like that, Oklahoma (City) with James Harden and Jason Terry (with Dallas). Now we have one of those guys."