Who do you consider as best role players in Celtics history?

[fairweatherfan06]

Let's give some love to James Posey and PJ Brown only around for 1 year (half the year in Brown's case) but what a ride!

[RockinRyA]

probably not the best but i really enjoyed these guys play

eric williams
tony battie
waltah!

[greg_kite]

probably not the best but i really enjoyed these guys play

eric williams
tony battie
waltah!

I was just going to say Waltah!

[boscel33]

I would have to rate Walton as one of the better 'role' players in Celtics history. He did so much for that championship team. I also think Posey was way underrated on the 2008 championship squad. He just managed to come up big when it counted doing whatever the team needed. A lot of superstars can't even do that. It's a very difficult thing to measure or quantify and it often seems to go unnoticed.

Walton on that 86 team was the perfect fit, just like Posey.  I would have to put those two as the best role players.  Look at some of the 70's teams and Paul Westphal jumps out as me as a key role player,specifically on the 73-74 championship.  Although he moved to the Suns, who remembers game five of the 76 finals.  what an awesome game! 

[rtceltics]

John Havlicek.  He could do it all.  Bird right there also, even though he was a bit slow, always seemed to come up with the big plays and could shoot.

You are right there with Walton, he was a terrific player but Hondo was the best.

[Emmette Bryant]

I think that Paul Silas was far too important to be considered as a role player.

Averaged a double double every season (11-13ppg, 11-13rpg) in Silas' four years here. Finished in the top five in total rebounds twice and had another top ten finish. Was named to three All-League defensive teams (two first team selections). Named as an All-Star once and was an All-Star selection the year prior to joining Boston too.

An integral part of those great Boston teams. What made those teams so special was their ability to create so many extra possessions vs their opponent (they murdered teams on the boards) + their capacity to get stops. And Silas was a huge part of that + running off of those stops / rebounds. That is what won them titles.  For me, Silas was the second most important guy after Cowens in those departments. In forging that team identity / backbone.

TP for remembering Paul Silas.  He was the first guy that popped into my head when I read the question.

[Emmette Bryant]

Emmette Bryant and Bad News Barnes.

[lightspeed5]

scalabrine

[Roy H.]

No love yet for Jerry Sichting?

This franchise has had all kinds of great role players.  K.C. Jones, Jim Loscutoff, Satch Sanders, Paul Silas, Larry Siegfried, Sichting, and a whole bunch of others.

[slamtheking]

IMHO, since I've been following the team since Bird's rookie year, I'd have to say Walton with Posey second.  There's been lots of supporting players I've liked but those 2 were probably the most key role players.

Since this topic came up, I'm going to throw out my favorite moment by a C's role player.  It was a Sixers game in '81 or '82 with another real battle going on.  Rick Robey was on the court and setting a pick (I believe it was Tiny in at PG at that moment) and he set a pick on Andrew Toney who was dogging him up the court.  Toney ran into Robey at full speed just before half court and he bounced backwards right off Robey a good 6-8 feet.  He just looked up at Robey with his bell ringing and Robey was just looking down at him like someone just hit him with a marshmallow.  A priceless moment by a forgotten role player.

[Kane3387]

John Havlicek

[Roy H.]

John Havlicek

I'm not sure that Hondo was ever a role player, even if he was a 6th man.  He was a star from his second year in the league.