SQ14 #16 Does Brandon Bass Have a Hidden Value?

I have been an ardent supporter of the move-Bass crowd, but perhaps I’ve overlooked some silver linings.  The dark cloud is his robbing the two young, developing power-forwards-of-the-future of playing time.  However, his presence can serve as the stick for the youngsters to motivate them to take the right steps to improve.  Suppose Sullinger comes back with a physique more like Big Baby than Brandon Bass.  Does Stevens grant him a splintery seat on the bench as a message to improve his conditioning, rather than a lenient well-play-yourself-into-shape?  If Kelly fails to enhance his physique so as to be better able to vie for rebounds, attack the rim, and cover stretch forwards at the perimeter, does Brad allow him to observe Bass demonstrate these feats while Olynyk sits next to the water boy?  Might a couple of nights on the bench ratchet up the attention level of the youngster to his coaches speaking points?

Bass’s expiring contract would combine with those of Anthony and Thornton to clear some $20M in salary going into next off-season.  Meanwhile he would be a veteran presence and excellent example of a hard worker to maximize his talent.  By all accounts he is a great locker room guy although my fear is that this positive could flip 180 degrees if his playing time is cut significantly (as I think it should be).  He can be a good example for the young guys or go all Bogans on Stevens and have to be quarantined.

If one of our rotation big men is injured, I sure prefer Bass to fill in rather than Anthony.  An interesting thought is if I got my wish and Danny magically moved Bass and Anthony for a TPE, a second round pick, and a lemon cupcake, who would be added to the roster in their stead?  Right now I think the most likely replacements would be camp invitee Mike Moser and last year’s second round pick Colton Iverson.  That is certainly not a Wow! The question is whether the drop in talent would be offset by a rise in potential?  Maybe that depends on what players become available as teams make their cuts in late October.  Or maybe it depends on your opinion of whether the Celtics should be playing for the lottery or for growth and playoff experience.

Finally, you have to ask yourself, say some contending team loses a critical power forward this winter, is Bass going to be attractive enough to a contender that his value blooms around the trade deadline?  Is this likelihood greater than the value of an additional roster spot and potentially getting below the Luxury Cap if he is moved?[Discuss on CG Forums!]