Celtics: Blake Griffin is wearing 91, the Celtics should unretire some numbers

Do not get me wrong, I don't subscribe to the idea of 'ugly numbers'. I love when NBA players choose to wear an unusual number. Chris Webber wearing 84 on the Pistons or Taj Gibson's choice of 67. In my personal opinion wearing a clunky hockey number has more swag than wearing any number 0 - 25. I've often said that if I made it to the NBA I would wear a number that has never been worn before. Instantly making it associated with me.

However when you look into who wears these numbers, it is mostly Celtics over the years. A certain level of resentment comes from knowing that these strange number choices are a player's 4th, 5th or 6th choice. The Celtics have retired 23 numbers, more than any other team.

There are always a selection of available 'standard' numbers thats have been passed around from player to player over the last few years. Here they are:

4: Currently held by Noah Vonleh in the preseason. Who's spot on the regular season roster was in question even before the Blake signing. So after he is ruthlessly cut at the end of October, his number will be once again up for grabs. 4 was most iconically worn by Isaiah Thomas, who was a Celtics legend, who showed us that truly anything is possible no matter your size. Then there was Carson Edwards, who wasn't.

8: Jeff Green for a few years. Jerekbo for a stint. Shane Larkin for half a season and then Kemba. Gallinari is going to wear 8 whenever he is next able to walk on land.

9: There's a chance Rondo could get 9 retired, sadly I doubt it. The Celtics need to hang on to these last remaining single-digit numbers. After Rondo it was a bunch of nobodies until Derrick White came along.

11: Kyrie tarnished it forever. Before him I had fond memories of Courtney Lee and Evan Turner. I hope fast PP can redeem it.

12: Terry Rozier and Grant Williams wore 12. And so did a guy named Bimbo. Very Cool.

13: Initially I perceived the number 13 on the Celtics to be a number of high intellectual quality. Public policy master and genuine smart man Malcolm Brogdon. Political activist, Enes Freedom, ready to risk it all for his cause. And then I remembered Delonte West wore 13.

20: Every season there is some big name free agent or a star unhappy with his current situation. Every season there are photoshops of that player wearing 20 on the Celtics.

30: retire it! It’s Sam ‘Hausermatic’s’ already. Never stop shooting my prince.

Oh well. That’s interesting to me.

The Celtic’s number problem is nothing new. It’s plagued me for years. Long nights, I’d lie awake wondering to myself if LeBron signed what number he would wear. 8? 45? 78? I’d wonder if this was the reason LeBron wasn’t signing in Boston. Maybe that, maybe the racism.

Surely the Celtics knew they were putting themselves in a corner retiring 1 and 2 for a coach and an owner. Also they are a tad generous with it in my opinion. Usually the 5th best player on a championship team doesn’t get a jersey in the rafters. But on the other hand, 11 championships in 12 years. Retire a number for the goddamn waterboy’s barber at that point.

Quickfire, I’ll give a yes or no to each on of the 23 retired numbers

00 - yes

1 - no

2 - no

3 - no

5 - yes

6 - yes

10 - no

14 - yes

15 - yes

16 - no

17 - yes

18 - yes

19 - yes

21 - no

22 - no

23 - no

24 - yes

25 - no

31 - no

32 - yes

33 - yes

34 - yes

35 - no

12/ 23 stay.

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Number information from:

https://celticswire.usatoday.com/