Brandon Bass has a career night despite loss to Orlando

At the beginning of the year, if you told the majority of Celtics' fans that Brandon Bass would still be on the roster in mid-March, they would have looked at you like you have two heads. Whether it was due to lack of interest, or the demands being too high, the C's decided to keep the 29-year old at the trade deadline.

Bass, an unrestricted free agent this summer, has rewarded the C's this year with his stability on the court. Particularly in the last 10 games, the third-year Celtic has been Mr. Consistency, averaging 13.5 points per game while cleaning the glass for 7.7 rebounds.

On Sunday night, in a 103-89 loss to the Orlando Magic, Bass again was a force on the offensive end.

 The Celts’ starting power forward poured in 19 points (9-for-14), doing most of his damage in the paint:




The 9-year veteran, who played two seasons in Orlando, also grabbed a career-high 17 boards, 10 of which were offensive boards. The man, who has been given the nickname "No Pass Bass", even registered five assists (tied for a career-high).



With Bass' recent play, it will be interesting to see the approach of GM Danny Ainge this off-season regarding his pending free agent. Does Ainge want to bring back Bass?

Bass is shooting 48% from the floor this season, averaging 10.2 points and 4.7 rebounds in 61 appearances.

He is currently making $6.4 million in the last year of 3-year contract.

Vets like Bass can earn their keep off the court even as much as they do on it. All indications are that he has been nothing but a great locker room guy since he arrived in Boston, despite his name regularly being dangled in trade talks. But the veteran presence of Bass is essential in building a positive environment around such a young squad.


Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

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