Bass Article

[MaVs 41 BaLler]

Bass takes his licks, keeps coming back for more

By Dave McMenamin, NBA.com

When Brandon Bass was selected by the Hornets with the No. 33 pick in the 2005 Draft, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound big man was ecstatic that he'd get to stay close to home. He was born in Baton Rouge, played two years of college ball at Louisiana State University ... going to New Orleans as a pro was like LeBron James going from Akron to Cleveland. It just seemed right.

But a few months later Hurricane Katrina hit, the Hornets moved to Oklahoma City and Bass could barely get off the bench, averaging just 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.2 minutes a game as a rookie.

Everything that was right had gone wrong. Bass wasn't close to home, he wasn't making an impact in the NBA and, just as his former LSU teammates were making their run in the NCAA Tournament, the Hornets sent Bass down to the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League.

"I had mixed emotions during that time," Bass said after a recent game in Los Angeles. "[The Tigers] were playing a game against Texas [to get to the Final Four] my rookie year, and for that week I had got sent down to the D-League for a game I was so sick.

"I mean, everything happens for a reason. I don't regret the decision I made coming out. LSU had a ton of talent. They would have been the same or even better if I was there. But I wished the best for both sides."

Bass' D-League assignment lasted exactly one game. He filled up the box score with 16 points, five rebounds and two blocks, rejoined the Hornets in the middle of a West Coast road trip and never looked back.

The power forward, now in his fourth season in the league, spent two seasons with the Hornets before signing with the Mavericks as a free agent. In Dallas, he's gone from a seldom used body to a solid backup big man, averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds this season.

"This has been a whole lot of hard work, determination and just being ready whenever your number's called," Bass said.

Earlier this season, Bass felt that same sick feeling he had during his rookie year. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle benched him against the Wizards after Bass had played in every other game this year.

"When things like that happen, the most important thing for you to do is try to stay positive. And that's kind of the hardest thing to do," Bass said. "I just played positive and really I'm just taking it as a life experience. I'm just learning from my mistakes and whatever I do wrong. I'm just trying to correct it immediately so I can continue to improve as a person and as a player."

Carlisle inserted Bass back into the rotation and let him loose for 30 minutes against the Clippers exactly one week after the Wizards game, despite the fact that Bass had gone only 3-for-13 from the field since his benching. Bass rewarded his coach's faith by tying a season high with 14 points (he shot 8-for-9 from the free-throw line) and collecting nine rebounds.

"Some guys hang their heads when they don't play, but he didn't," Carlisle said. "He kept working, he kept battling and he has improved."

And Bass wants to keep improving, citing his goal to be "one of the best midrange players to ever play the game."

"[I want to be] a Karl Malone type, but I want to be more of a player that can play on both ends of the court," Bass said. "Being a defensive stopper on one end and still be unguardable on the other end [and] eat the glass as well."

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/feature...302/index.html

[TheMaverick]

Bass's one on one defense isn't very good. His defensive IQ isn't high enough to be one of the greatest ever. I like his swagger though.

[SMC0007]

I like Bass, he is already a great mid-range shooter!

[DavidDaMonkey]

Interesting tidbit on Bass. If you ever have the luxury of sitting close enough, watch Bass whenever he is guarding the man with the ball. He gets right up in their face and screams "BALL! BALL! BALL!" over and over again until they get rid of it. I don't know if this is just to get in their heads, or if there is something else to it, but it's hilarious.

[BGMaverick9]

His shooting touch and ability is really good and he can still get even better with his mid-range game.

That defense still needs a lot of help though, but I can see him being a guy that works on it year in and year out and progressing in the right direction.

[MaVs 41 BaLler]

Originally Posted by DavidDaMonkey

Interesting tidbit on Bass. If you ever have the luxury of sitting close enough, watch Bass whenever he is guarding the man with the ball. He gets right up in their face and screams "BALL! BALL! BALL!" over and over again until they get rid of it. I don't know if this is just to get in their heads, or if there is something else to it, but it's hilarious.

It's too make em lose their concentration...it works really well.
We use to do it in 7th grade.