WALTHAMThere has been a considerable amount of talk and thought given to the Celtics and their ever-changing lineups and the constantly-shifting roles of their players.
But you won't hear it coming from Doc Rivers.
"I'm not that concerned with rotations and all that stuff," he said. "Only five guys are going to play at one time. Kevin's going to do the same rotation and there'll be a big that'll take his spot. It's not that difficult. The more important thing is finding the right group."
To do that means continue to change up lineups and rotations, which can be difficult for fans to keep up with and even tougher for players to embrace.
Brandon Bass is the one starter from last season whose role has changed somewhat this season. As we've seen, there will be games when he's called upon to start while there will be others that the C's would prefer him coming off the bench.
Coming into this season, Bass said his focus was to improve both as a defender and and a rebounder.
He's averaging 7.3 rebounds per game which is second on the team behind Kevin Garnett.
"You have concerns every year with guys understanding and not understanding their roles," Rivers said. "Whether they start or not, I don't think that will have anything to do with their roles. We'll see."
Bass spent 39 games last season with the starting unit, playing a pivotal role in the C's turn-around in the second half of the season.
During the preseason, he and rookie Jared Sullinger were in a heated contest for the starting job a power forward. Bass was in the starting lineup for the first two games, while Sullinger got the start in Saturday's win at Washington.
While it may prove trying at times to fully understand and embrace that reality of being in and out of the starting lineup, Bass is trying to at least appear as though it doesn't bother him.
"It's life. You wake up, you don't know what to expect," Bass said. "Sometimes it be like that. You have to make the best of it."