Boston Celtics swingman Keith Bogans says it’s “not [his] personality” to complain, and we agree with him. He technically didn’t complain in the slightest in talking with HoopsWorld’s Jessica Camerato recently, only revealing how miserable it must be to suit up for the Boston Celtics night after night prior to the games, and still not receiving even token minutes for a 13-19 team that would at times seem to need his combination of stout defense and sometimes-there three-point shooting.

Bogans has played just 28 minutes this year, in four games total, racking up “Did Not Play – Coach’s Decision” marks again and again as rookie Celtics coach Brad Stevens rightfully works to develop young talent. The 33-year old Bogans is technically lucky to just be on the Celtics, only joining the team last summer to make a massive deal with the Brooklyn Nets work under the NBA’s salary cap rules, but that doesn’t take away from the frustration. From Camerato’s piece:

“It’s tough,” Bogans said. “Game days are my toughest days. At least I’ll get in at practice. I can run up and down the court, play a little bit at practice. But, come on, you’ve been playing basketball for 10 years and just this year they just tell you you’re not playing? I’ve never not played in this league before. This is the first time ever. And it’s not like I’ve wandered into not playing. I’ve just not had the opportunity from day one. … I don’t mind cheering for my teammates. I love those guys, a great group of young guys. I love supporting them and cheering for them, but the fact that I’m not going to get in the game is tough.”

The distinction between game days and the rest of the NBA season is significant. Travel days tend to blend away, and during practice days Bogans can “get in” and work up a sweat. There are very few practice days in an NBA season, though, as squads bounce from city to city. Bogans hasn’t played since the last day of November, and with the Celtics committing to the youth movement, he’s not likely to get in any time soon. And for a pro, no matter the compensation, that can’t be easy.

Bogans should be used to this, though.

Keith started all 82 games for the Chicago Bulls in 2010-11, but not since Adam Keefe started 75 out of 82 games for the 1997-98 Utah Jazz can I recall such an obvious weak link in the lineup of the team with the NBA’s best record. Bogans was widely respected by both the coaching staff and players alike, but here’s how little the team thought of him the next season: Keith was pulled from the court just before the team’s first practice of 2011-12, and after signing the brittle Richard Hamilton, Chicago waived Bogans so as not to guarantee his $1.73 million contract option.

The Bulls can be cheap and luxury tax averse, but … $1.73 million!

And in a way, with Hamilton on board and the team hoping to avoid the tax, it makes sense. Bogans is a below league average three-point shooter that contributes little offensively (his season high with Chicago that year was 17 points), and he expertly defends the league’s least-important position – shooting guard. He remained unemployed for two months following that cut before going on to play just five games for the Nets the following year, leaving the season midway after shoulder surgery.

Things changed the next season in Brooklyn, where Bogans started 23 games, but only because swingmen Joe Johnson and current teammate Gerald Wallace sat a combined 23 contests with injuries. Bogans turned 33 just after Brooklyn’s season ended, and it was doubtful that Keith (after four straight seasons of single-digit Player Efficiency Ratings) would be able to find anything more than a gig on the end of the bench, much less a shot at a spot in a team’s rotation.

Then the Nets got desperate, attempting to pull Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry away from the Celtics on the night of the NBA draft. Brooklyn didn’t have the salaries to match in a legal trade, so both teams waited until the NBA’s free agent period to re-sign Bogans to the biggest contract of his career, a deal worth nearly $16 million over three years. Only the first year is guaranteed, but his single season salary of over $5 million is close to the league average and more than twice what he’d made in any year before.

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