Wrong number?

Retirement honors better in name only

There was much discussion and debate in the wake of the Lakers’ decision to retire both 8 and 24 for Kobe Bryant, and it is certain to spark up again as next month’s ceremony approaches. Some believe the club should pick just one of the numbers he wore. Some joke it should reduce the 8/24 to an equivalent fraction (1⁄3).

And while most Celtics fans came to appreciate Bryant and his respect for the franchise here, lingering Kobe detractors may want to retire the 6-for-24 he shot from the floor in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals.

Personally, I’d have no trouble choosing between 8 and 24 or both for Bryant — because I wouldn’t choose at all.

It is my long held opinion that, with the exception of baseball taking No. 42 out of service to honor Jackie Robinson (and to note the ignorant foolishness of African-Americans not being allowed to play all along), no team in any sport should retire a number. Rather, I’d keep the numbers available and have the names of chosen players stitched onto a banner or placed in a ring of honor around the stadium or arena.

The three Celtics banners with spaces for eight honorees apiece hang above the parquet floor in iconic fashion, but too much gets lost when you move away from the most famed of the 21 numbers. Better, I think, that Ed Macauley’s name should grace the Garden, rather than his 22. Let young fans see the unfamiliar moniker and Google him to learn of his accomplishments. I’d be willing to wager more fans search “Loscy,” the lone name on a banner, to find out about Jim Loscutoff than check out No.21 to learn all that Bill Sharman meant to the NBA as both a player and coach.

And while teams can be a little choosy with who gets some of the more revered numbers, wouldn’t it be great to see Marcus Smart continuing the tradition of backcourt defensive greatness by wearing KC Jones’ 25 or Dennis Johnson’s 3? How fitting would it be for a national TV announcer to name-check KC or DJ when Smart makes a steal in the conference finals?

would be an honor that keeps players’ names alive for ensuing generations.

In a more practical sense, under the current system there is the dwindling stock of numbers to assign. We already have a date for Paul Pierce’s 34 to head to the ceiling, and Kevin Garnett’s 5 will assuredly follow. And what if Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and Gordon Hayward lead the Celtics to two or three championships in the next several years?

Will the C’s have a starting five wearing football lineman numbers in 2030?

I’d be in favor of a series of number un-retiring ceremonies that could last for days — as in Bill Russell Week, etc. And if, say, Irving had wished to wear No. 14, we could have Bob Cousy hand him the jersey. It would be a

nice torch-passing moment and a photo that would hang on walls all over New England and beyond to mark the connection of the past to the future that helps define this franchise in a way few other

clubs in any sport can match.

As for Kobe, raise a glass in toast and raise his name to the upper reaches of Staples Center. But his number(s)?