Of course, Ryan Hollins wants to return to the Boston Celtics. Makes sense considering they rescued him from the bowels of NBA destitution and turned him into a postseason rotation performer. (CSNNE)

“Of course,” he told CSNNE.com. “I would love to be here next season.”

“[They pushed me] incredibly hard,” he said. “It’s not just being hard and yelling — it’s by example. The small things, talking here and there, it’s rubbed off.“

He added, “[I’m] dedicated. I’ve always taken my job seriously and loved the game, but the dedication (on the Celtics), eat sleep drink basketball, every day, every day, every day.”

In a perfect world, of course, Hollins will not be in the Celtics’ postseason rotation in 2012-13 (or he will be much improved). I like the guy and I love the energy he brings to the court every night, but he’s the result of an experiment in which Tyson Chandler is forced to wear a blindfold every time he steps onto an NBA court.

Hollins does have some good qualities: He’s an athletic big man who runs the court, defends pick-and-rolls reasonably well and has a fierce post-alley-oop roar. Because of his athleticism he would seem to have a nice upside. But at 27 years old with six years of NBA experience, it’s unlikely his potential will ever be fully realized. He’s a nice piece at the end of the bench — a hard-worker with a nice attitude and a thirst for learning. But when he was forced into playoff minutes, I needed to keep ready shots of Jack Daniels nearby. I said this earlier this season, but it’s the best way to describe rooting for Hollins: It’s like watching a tightrope walker. Even when he’s doing great things, he always seems an inch away from tumbling 30 feet.