Would you rather have Rajon Rondo or Devin Harris?

[EarthBall]

Devin Harris just dropped 47/7/8 on the Suns. Not too shabby. Looks like that Kidd for Harris et al. trade worked out nicely for at least one team (and Keith Van Horn). Harris is averaging around 26 pts and 6+ assists a game. If I were to bet, I would say that Harris makes the All-Star team and Rondo doesn't (But isn't Doc coaching...?). That brings up an interesting question:

Who would you rather have running the point for the Celtics (salaries aside)? Harris is 25. Rondo is 22. Rondo is great defensively. I have no idea about Harris. Rondo seems more unselfish, but Harris appears to be a better shooter (and can hit his free throws). Forget the fact that Rondo helped us win a championship. This is purely hypothetical.

[orrzor]

I think Harris is a good defender. I'd be happy with either probably. My question is, was it Avery Johnson that was holding Harris back, with his constant playcalling, or was it just maturity by going to a new team? He has been unreal this season, Mark Cuban must be going apes. Kidd is on the downturn, and Harris is a freaking meteor.

[SoberVinBaker]

Good question...if you were to ask me who I would rather have as a point guard on most teams Harris would be the clear answer.  But the Celtics, right now need a facilitator (like Rondo) more then a guy like Harris who looks for his own shot first.  Harris is quick and uses his quickness both on offense and defense but does not provide the intangibles Rondo has on defense or off the glass.  So I would go with Rondo.

(also TP for stating you did not know Harris' abilities on defense, most would just make something up)

[housecall]

Tonight has nothing to do with my opinion,i have said all alone that D.Harris is underrated for the last couple years.I watched him play for Dallas,where i thought he was pretty decent then.I have rated him in the top 5 pg for the last few years.Would i want him instead of Rondo,not at this time.Why fix something when its not broke,Rondo fits well with this particular group of players(starters).D.Harris being more offensive minded,may not be the fit for our starters.He is a scorer first,but does play decent defense also...however as much as i like his game,i will stick with Rondo .

[Andrew Celtic Nation]

Devin Harris is a flat out better player than Rondo, I know Rondo is limited by being around scorers but he doesn't have the offensive arsenal to put up the numbers Harris is putting up. Who knows who would fit better in our system though.

[Fafnir]

Devin Harris is a flat out better player than Rondo, I know Rondo is limited by being around scorers but he doesn't have the offensive arsenal to put up the numbers Harris is putting up. Who knows who would fit better in our system though.

Harris is a better player right now, although not by a large margin in my opinion. He's more confident in his jumper and his offense in general. His big improvement this year is how many times he's gotten to the foul line.

He's scoring a lot more points than Rondo, but is taking twice as many shots. He's a worse at rebounding, doesn't get as many steals, and this year they're equal in assists and in turnovers.

The real question is will Harris be a better player in 3 years? Also could Harris continue to get to the line so much if he was a third or fourth option? I do think New Jersey is very happy with the Kidd trade.

[Mideon]

Today, this is not even close. Rondo is steadily improving, but Harris is playing at a different level right now. Defensively, you're talking about 2 of the best in the league...probably a wash. Offensively, both are capable distributors (Rondo might be a hair better), while Harris is a vastly superior offensive weapon. Much better scorer, more efficient. Overall, very impressive. PER of around 27 right now compared to Rondo's 18. Don't get me wrong, Rondo fits in nicely with this team. But if DA ever has a chance to swap Harris for Rondo straight up, he better jump on it.

[guava_wrench]

Interesting question.

Harris has never averaged as many assist per game as Rondo is averaging this season. All that matters is how good a facilitator he would be with our players.

A perfect example is AI. AI is better than Rondo, but it is questionable whether AI in his prime would improve our team. Look at the dominance of Denver once they got rid of AI. With PP, Ray and KG on the team, we need someone who will pass the ball around.

It would be nice though if Rondo could go 17/17 from the line!

I expect that Harris would do quite well in our system, though he would score much less. Even the big 3 score much less in our system. He would too.

I would avoid using stats too much when analyzing Celtics players. Otherwise, we have to concede that KG, PP, and Ray have declined rapidly since they became teammates.

[celticmaestro]

Difficult question because when Rondo's on form he looks so good in our team. If I was a different GM and I had a choice between the two I would probably go for Harris though,

[Fafnir]

I would avoid using stats too much when analyzing Celtics players. Otherwise, we have to concede that KG, PP, and Ray have declined rapidly since they became teammates.

Only if you blindly use per game stats without looking at minutes played and shots attempted. If you look at the right stats you can see what is actually happening.

[P2]

I don't know, but I think I'll take Rondo. Harris had some games last season against us where I just thought he has no clue whatsoever. Of course Rondo also has his bad games, But he still does something on the court. Both players are unique in their styles, but Rondo's seems more aggresive to me, and that's why I'd take him over Harris.

[Roy Hobbs]

Probably Harris, if for no other reason than that he's more of a top tier player to hand the franchise over to after the big three move on.

[Cman]

Right now, Rondo.
If I didn't think the Cs had a shot at the championship this year, Harris.
I never did understand that trade from Dallas' point of view....

[Sweet17]

Harris. Rondo's been great lately - but I just think in clutch situations his lack of a J can come back to haunt us. If you have a do everything guard like Harris you can simply dare teams to double off any of your guys..

[Chris]

Right now, Harris.  He just has developed a lot further than Rondo (which is expected, since he has been in the league longer), and while I think Rondo has the potential to be slightly better, there is no guarantee that he ever even reaches where Harris is at right now.  It's a tough call though, since they both have similar upsides in my opinion.  I just think the smart thing to do would be to take the one closer to meeting that potential.