Hopefully so -- if Wilcox is healthy and ready, he can take that starting spot off of Bass and put Bass back on the bench where he belongs.
Is this because you think Wilcox is the superior player or do you just think Wilcox fits better in the starting line up? Theres no way Wilcox is better than Bass.
I don't like Bass as a starter. Too weak a defender/rebounder. Non-passer.
Wilcox will give a lot more on the boards + about the same defensively + his offensive game is more reliant on Rondo and the the rest of the starters than Bass' is ... so he'll benefit more from that lineup than Bass will.
Bass gets to go back to the role he is best suited for (backup PF) while Wilcox takes over as a part-time (16-20mpg) starter. More of a net-positive for the team.
If ... Wilcox is healthy and ready to play at a level comparable to what he was before.
While I agree that Bass is somewhat overrated (due to the fact that most of his offense is generated by other people getting him wide open shots), I don't think that Wilcox is better than him, particularly not last year.
Even if we disagree on that, Wilcox is a better fit coming off the bench, as right now he's the only other guy who can play center on the team besides Fab Melo. Thus, if we start him, we get stuck bringing in Sully/JJJ and Bass off the bench to give us a truly short front line with absolutely no shotblocking.
Wilcox cannot play the center position. He has been a train-wreck there his entire career.
Wilcox is, however, an effective option at power forward.
Regardless of whether you're right or wrong, it isn't happening.
They didn't just sign Brandon Bass to a 6 million dollar per year deal to bring him off the bench. Even if they did, there's really no room at the 4 spot for Wilcox. Bass is going to get 25 mpg there. Green (especially when Bradley comes back) is going to get minutes there (there's simply not enough minutes for him at the 3 to only play there). Those two alone are going to eat up at least 35 mpg (and I think that's being conservative). And that's not even counting giving Sullinger or JJJ minutes.
They need to find ways to make sure that Sullinger and Bass aren't on the court together. Sullinger can play the "5," but not next to another undersized 4 like Bass.
And who exactly is going to play the 5 behind KG?
We have no other centers on the roster but Fab Melo and there aren't a lot of other options out there.
There is nobody. Stiemsma staying is the best option.
After that, is undersized PFs masquerading as a center ... but Wilcox is no better at filling that role than Bass or Sullinger are. None of them are any more equipped to handle the role than the other.
Hence, I wouldn't keep Wilcox on the bench for that role if he can give greater balance to the team elsewhere (as a part time starter at PF).
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The backup center position is a real problem. I don't know why it hasn't been getting more attention.
I don't understand why everyone is so focused on adding a new backup SG (Courtney Lee) when the five spot is so weak behind Garnett.
Despite everything I say below, I think the Celtics signed Wilcox with every intention of having him backup KG. Regardless of what anyone thinks about Bass and Green and where they should play and begin games, the Celtics didn't just give them a combined 15+ million per year to play small minutes. Both will be given substantial minutes.
Bass averaged nearly 32 mpg last year. I think he at least gets 28 mpg this year. Green averaged 36-37 mpg in OKC. While he likely won't get that here, he should also get at least 28 mpg. Given that PP will play at least 32 mpg (and that's probably even low given how Doc does things), Green is going to be forced to play at the 4 for at least 10-12 mpg. This is by no means a stretch given the fact that Doc has no reservations about playing the likes of Posey, Pietrus, and even Daniels there.
Do the math and you really have 40+ mpg of the 4 position eaten up by those two. Maybe Wilcox gets the other 8, but that certainly isn't going to be his primary position.
Maybe that isn't the right thing to do, but I'm pretty darn sure that's what the Celtics are going to do.
Furthermore, I don't know where this magic 5 option is going to come from. The Celtics don't have much money to work with and they're quickly running out of roster spots. And while you may have a point about Wilcox at the 5, I'd take him there over some 7-foot stiff who doesn't belong in the NBA getting minutes at the 5.
I also think Wilcox fits better off of the bench. Bass worked very well with the starters last year, hitting the open shots when he was left alone. Wilcox could be a really exciting option to come in and run with Jeff Green and Rondo. Furthermore, his lack of size at the 5 (which is still better than anyone else's on the team save Melo and KG) would be less of an issue against backup 5s that he'd be more likely to face coming off the bench.
