I have no idea why the Celtics hate Rondo so much. If they want to get better they need to get rid of the old guys.

[color=#FF6103 said:

Monster [/color]]I have no idea why the Celtics hate Rondo so much. If they want to get better they need to get rid of the old guys.

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Maybe they're worried about Pierce, Ray and KG being gone and Rondo coming down to earth drastically with no play makers around him... I don't know, just a theory. You have to love a guy who locks down, rebounds and passes...but with all of the scoring Pg's in the NBA, they may feel like when some of these other guys quit playing at a high level and all the big names in long term deal with other teams, they'll be assed out. Rondo is NOTHING offensively without stars around him but is still a 4 tool player who can score at times.

Pauls injury history would scare me though. Trade for Paul and then sell high to New York who wants him BADLY?

This makes no sense to me from a New Orleans stand point though other than them being worried about Paul walking and getting nothing for him. You figure Paul is the only STAR quality player they have. He's the only thinkg that keeps people in the seats and is a factor in 3 phases of the game. (scoring, steals and assists) You bring Rondo in who isn't an offensive threat necessarily and doesn't have the exciting star power of a scoring guard to play with a jump shooting PF (West) and an offensively challenged center in Okafor and I think you're asking for 5 more years of mediocrity. Just my opinion.

As a Celtics fan, (only boston team I root for living here), this sure caught my eyes.
http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/7302648/danny-ainge-boston-celtics-love-rajon-rondo-trade-guard
Found this at espn

You guys are most likely more up to date on the players than I am, all I can say is Rondo does everything but hit the medium range jumper consistently, and is an awful free throw shooter for a guard or any position.
as a side note, what did you think of them trading Kendrick Perkins aka Hands of Stone?

[color=#006400 said:

KalineCountry[/color]]As a Celtics fan, (only boston team I root for living here), this sure caught my eyes.
http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/7302648/danny-ainge-boston-celtics-love-rajon-rondo-trade-guard
Found this at espn

You guys are most likely more up to date on the players than I am, all I can say is Rondo does everything but hit the medium range jumper consistently, and is an awful free throw shooter for a guard or any position.
as a side note, what did you think of them trading Kendrick Perkins aka Hands of Stone?

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Trading Perkins in and of itself wasn't a terrible move. He couldn't stay healthy for them, and was going to get a pay raise the next year. The fact that they picked up one of the most overrated young players as the return was the bad part. Seriously, Green looks like a basketball player, has all sorts of basketball skills, but it never translates to being anything but a mediocre bench player.

OKC didn't exactly win huge given Perkins was still recovering, but when healthy it can't be denied that Perkins is an incredible defender. The fact they were able to lock him up quick (early enough to amnesty if he gets hurt again) was huge as well.

I think Boston isn't crazy to try to trade Rondo (considering the players he was offered for were Paul and Westbrook - different deal), because he's too limited to build around. But, I just don't see what they'll get. Rondo isn't good enough to trump other offers for big stars, and the Celtics aren't appreciably improved with quasi-stars at this stage of the big 3's career.

I do hope we see some movement happen pretty quick. For example, I'd love to see OKC trade Westbrook and Perkins for Howard (making a team strong enough to consistently beat the Heat). I'd love to see the Clippers pick up a SF/PG that can actually play and let Blake lead them to relevance. I'd love to see Memphis retain Gasol and create a new West top 2 between them and OKC. I'd also love to see the Pistons get rid of their dumb contracts... but that's probably the least likely to happen.

[color=#006400 said:

KalineCountry[/color]]As a Celtics fan, (only boston team I root for living here), this sure caught my eyes.
http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/7302648/danny-ainge-boston-celtics-love-rajon-rondo-trade-guard
Found this at espn

You guys are most likely more up to date on the players than I am, all I can say is Rondo does everything but hit the medium range jumper consistently, and is an awful free throw shooter for a guard or any position.
as a side note, what did you think of them trading Kendrick Perkins aka Hands of Stone?

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I had mixed feelings about it. Great move in terms of getting a high potential young lonbg wing in Green who can shoot it. Made them younger on the perimeter which sems like it will be good long term but I thought it killed them for last year. Perkins was an enforcer and kind of the identity of their team. Tough, physical, defensive minded.

When they dealt him I thought maybe they had a hunch he would never be the same coming back from that injury. Boston's window closed imo last year..they need to work towards the future NOW. The days of KG, Ray Ray and Pierce should be history, however Boston may feel obligated to let them leave on their own terms after the revival they provided for a franchise who had sunk to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Pierce will NEVER be dealt unless unhappy and KG/Ray Ray seem like they may be headed towards the same thing. I was hoping Ray would walk last year and head to Chicago.

Beez and everyoneneedsasmile, thankyou very much for your insight with both posts.
I agree with what you said about the big 3, and the perkins trade.

I thought it was interesting from an OKC point too with Ibaka there. Thought it clogged them up a bit down low. Ibaka was gaining a nice ytouch though which could make him a viable PF moving forward.

"ENS" ..what do you think of Rondo in NEw Orleans? I don't see that paying much dividends.

Rondo in NOLA is a great idea for the Celtics. Paul could take it easy just focusing on dishing the ball to effective teammates, and could then be a bigger factor in the playoffs. As for NOLA, I don't think Rondo is a good fit. They don't have anyone else on the roster who can create for themselves and others. Rondo can create for others in a system, but creating for himself is much more difficult given the rest of the NOLA personnel. Teams would crowd the paint, killing the efficiency of Okafor, Landry/West, and Rondo. Nobody outside those three is good enough to open that up.

As a comparison, look at the OKC starting lineup. Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Ibaka-Perkins. There is a lot of talent there, but OKC's starting lineup was actually one of its worst groups. Durant is the only one that can shoot in that lineup. And no matter how great he is, the offense is killed because teams can just pack the paint against everyone else. Rondo creates a similar problem in NOLA, except he can't carry a team like Paul even if he could hit a shot outside 10 feet.

As for Ibaka, he's raw, which could be scary. I don't think he'll ever be an offensive force, mostly because he's just so bad at catching the ball and dribbling. But you never know. Defensively, he should be a force down the line. I know he has fantastic block and rebound numbers, but he still gets lost too much from ball-movement. Moreover, he bites too quickly on fakes and good footwork.

And Beez, do you honestly like Green as a player (short or long term)? I ask because he was pretty terrible for OKC (terrible rebounder, terrible defender, poor outside shooter, poor shot selection). As I said before, he looks the part of a great basketball player, but just doesn't actually play like one.

everyoneneedsasmil said:

As for Ibaka, he's raw, which could be scary. I don't think he'll ever be an offensive force, mostly because he's just so bad at catching the ball and dribbling. But you never know. Defensively, he should be a force down the line. I know he has fantastic block and rebound numbers, but he still gets lost too much from ball-movement. Moreover, he bites too quickly on fakes and good footwork.

And Beez, do you honestly like Green as a player (short or long term)? I ask because he was pretty terrible for OKC (terrible rebounder, terrible defender, poor outside shooter, poor shot selection). As I said before, he looks the part of a great basketball player, but just doesn't actually play like one.

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No I agree with you. He does show flashes of being a solid SF but at times he just stands around. He's young n has potential though and if Perkins isn't ever going to return to form or the C's just see him as a guy who will dwindle without talented defenders around him down the line, I don't think it was a bad move to take a shot on Green. With the right coaching who knows..the potential is glaringly obvious, he seems like he just needs more fire. He's very passive out there.

I don't see why you would get rid of Rondo for Paul.. Regardless if that trade happens, the Celtics will still be mediocre to bad in a few years... Too many old players they've relied on.. In fact, they remind me of the Pistons in their tail end years.. Not going to look good.. Can you say Rick Patino era?

tigers99888 said:

I don't see why you would get rid of Rondo for Paul.. Regardless if that trade happens, the Celtics will still be mediocre to bad in a few years... Too many old players they've relied on.. In fact, they remind me of the Pistons in their tail end years.. Not going to look good.. Can you say Rick Patino era?

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Yeah but if you're Boston you can't be too mad..you got what you wanted out of the deal. It's kind of like if the Lions were offered a superbowl to be terrible in a few years again...they'd take it in a heart beat.

Whether they have Rondo or Paul, they are still going to get considerably worse in a few years. Paul gives them a better chance to win now than Rondo. Also, it's easy to overlook, but Rondo is less than a year younger than Paul. The Celtics would have a much better chance of rebuilding around Paul than Rondo (who is too limited to be the focal point of an entire team).

everyoneneedsasmil said:

Whether they have Rondo or Paul, they are still going to get considerably worse in a few years. Paul gives them a better chance to win now than Rondo. Also, it's easy to overlook, but Rondo is less than a year younger than Paul. The Celtics would have a much better chance of rebuilding around Paul than Rondo (who is too limited to be the focal point of an entire team).

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Rondo would be a great fit for a team like LA. Much like the previous Boston team you have a do it all scorer, an offensive big man with touch from 15 and some nice role players surrounding.

Not saying he'll go there just saying he's a guy who NEEDS prolific scorers in the line up.

Beez said:

everyoneneedsasmil said:

Whether they have Rondo or Paul, they are still going to get considerably worse in a few years. Paul gives them a better chance to win now than Rondo. Also, it's easy to overlook, but Rondo is less than a year younger than Paul. The Celtics would have a much better chance of rebuilding around Paul than Rondo (who is too limited to be the focal point of an entire team).

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Rondo would be a great fit for a team like LA. ....

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No room for him with D-Mo there!

DR said:

Beez said:

Rondo would be a great fit for a team like LA. ....

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No room for him with D-Mo there!

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Man as much as I hate LA it would be so great to see him catch Jackson's eye and his playing time to increase over the course of the season, eventually unseating Fisher and being a staple in LA's line up. I REALLy want him to be a good NBA PG. Even if it is for them.

I agree that Paul is better to build around for the future, but why not just go after Howard or another big man with huge potential?