Teams that may want Rondo

[Celtics18]

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.  He doesn't make a lot of sense on a 26 win lotto squad that is a half decade away from relevance... which is why the media keeps writing about how it's the "worst kept secret in the NBA" that Rondo will be traded this season.  My random guess is Indiana.   I figure it has to be a team that is competitive already and could use an upgrade at PG. 

It's a short list.  There's teams like Memphis that would probably be content hanging onto Mike Conley.  Denver would be fine hanging onto Ty Lawson.  Lotto teams don't want Rondo for the same reason Boston will trade Rondo.  At some point we'll probably just have to take what we can get.

Ah, yes, the media keeps repeating something Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons said because they want people to pay attention to their boring show.

That seems like staunch evidence that Rondo's getting traded. 

What's it been, about three years now that you've been convinced a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

[BballTim]

Is it me or are you arguing there is no difference between 'player you can build around' and 'No. 1 option on offense?' I know they overlap in several championship teams, but that does not mean that you cannot build a championship roster around a facilitator like Rondo.

It's difficult finding too many examples of really good teams that were built around guys who aren't likely to average more than 12-14 points per game in a given season.

Steve Nash and Jason Kidd come to mind, but both averaged 16-18 points numerous times throughout their careers.  Steve Nash was one of the best shooters ever.

Is it me or are you arguing there is no difference between 'player you can build around' and 'No. 1 option on offense?' I know they overlap in several championship teams, but that does not mean that you cannot build a championship roster around a facilitator like Rondo.

If you can do it, please find that example and show me.

John Stockton and Dennis Rodman had career scoring averages of about 13 and 7 points a game respectively.

Stockton led the Jazz to the finals twice, with Karl Malone as the primary scoring option. I think both of those finals teams can qualify the really good team test.

Rodman was a key part of each championship team he played on. Especially the 1996 Bulls, who were arguably one of the best teams ever [72-10]. Jordan and Pippen were obviously their primary scoring options.

Rodman and Stockton are also hall of famers.

Well, I think you have all the answers you need in your own post here.

Stockton needed to be paired with one of the most prolific scorers ever.  Yes, Stockton made Malone better.  But without Malone, how good would have those teams been?

Same with Rodman.  He was a key part of championship teams.  But he was never the key part.

exactly when your examples aren't even the best players on the teams you are talking about you know the answer to the question.  You don't build around guys that can't score.  It hasn't been done before and I would contend it hasn't been done before for a reason.  There is also a reason that aside from Magic and Isiah PG led teams don't win championships and rarely even are playing for them.

  Yes, it's the same reason teams led by small forwards other than Larry or LeBron rarely win, or teams led by shooting guards other than MJ or Kobe, or teams led by centers other than Shaq or Hakeem, or teams led by power forwards other than Duncan. It's not the position that matters, it's the player being a transcendent talent. And how many top point guards other than Nash and current players under 30 didn't play for a championship?

Exactly! TP.

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

 No, that's not the greater point. The greater point is clearly that you need the transcendent talent. There's a smallish group of players that have led teams to about 80% of the titles over the last 30 years. Oh, and about 20% of those titles were won by teams led by players who are top 5 all time in assists/game. You can argue that those players did other things besides just get assists, but if you don't think Magic's passing was a huge part of the Laker's success then you don't know much about that era.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.

  Rondo's already led teams on deep playoff runs. Saying he can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender is like saying that there's a chance Carmelo could challenge for a scoring title if the circumstances were right.

[LarBrd33]

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.  He doesn't make a lot of sense on a 26 win lotto squad that is a half decade away from relevance... which is why the media keeps writing about how it's the "worst kept secret in the NBA" that Rondo will be traded this season.  My random guess is Indiana.   I figure it has to be a team that is competitive already and could use an upgrade at PG. 

It's a short list.  There's teams like Memphis that would probably be content hanging onto Mike Conley.  Denver would be fine hanging onto Ty Lawson.  Lotto teams don't want Rondo for the same reason Boston will trade Rondo.  At some point we'll probably just have to take what we can get.

Ah, yes, the media keeps repeating something Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons said because they want people to pay attention to their boring show.

That seems like staunch evidence that Rondo's getting traded. 

What's it been, about three years now that you've been convinced a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

Did I ever think a Rondo trade was right around the corner? 

I seem to remember bringing up the fact that we couldnt' land Chris Paul.  It was reported that the Lakers turned us down in a Pau trade.  It was reported the the Warriors turned us down in a Steph Curry trade (before Curry broke out... he was injured at the time).  At no point was a Rondo trade "right around the corner", but some folks seemed to report that he was in discussions.

But yeah, it's not just Simmons/Rose who think ROndo is getting traded this year.  There's been pretty constant speculation that Boston will trade him as soon as he proves he's healthy. FOr example... Marc Stein a couple weeks ago: Boston Celtics 'have to trade' Rajon Rondo, and 'everyone in basketball knows it' ...

If you wanna be mad at someone, don't be mad at me.  Far bigger fish than me beating this drum.  Do you feel like you're at all in denial?  Seriously.

When Marc Stein says "everyone in basketball knows it", do you assume he's imagining things?

[BballTim]

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.  He doesn't make a lot of sense on a 26 win lotto squad that is a half decade away from relevance... which is why the media keeps writing about how it's the "worst kept secret in the NBA" that Rondo will be traded this season.  My random guess is Indiana.   I figure it has to be a team that is competitive already and could use an upgrade at PG. 

It's a short list.  There's teams like Memphis that would probably be content hanging onto Mike Conley.  Denver would be fine hanging onto Ty Lawson.  Lotto teams don't want Rondo for the same reason Boston will trade Rondo.  At some point we'll probably just have to take what we can get.

Ah, yes, the media keeps repeating something Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons said because they want people to pay attention to their boring show.

That seems like staunch evidence that Rondo's getting traded. 

What's it been, about three years now that you've been convinced a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

Did I ever think a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

  You've talked about Rondo trades being fairly imminent in the past.

I seem to remember bringing up the fact that we couldnt' land Chris Paul.  It was reported that the Lakers turned us down in a Pau trade.

  I also remember seeing reports that the Celts turned down the Lakers when they offered Pau for Rondo. Rumors are rumors. Believe the ones you like, act like the rest are ridiculous. One would guess that the truth is either that Danny is trying his best to trade Rondo, Danny has no interest at all in trading Rondo, or somewhere in between. All of those scenarios have been "reported".

[Celtics18]

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.  He doesn't make a lot of sense on a 26 win lotto squad that is a half decade away from relevance... which is why the media keeps writing about how it's the "worst kept secret in the NBA" that Rondo will be traded this season.  My random guess is Indiana.   I figure it has to be a team that is competitive already and could use an upgrade at PG. 

It's a short list.  There's teams like Memphis that would probably be content hanging onto Mike Conley.  Denver would be fine hanging onto Ty Lawson.  Lotto teams don't want Rondo for the same reason Boston will trade Rondo.  At some point we'll probably just have to take what we can get.

Ah, yes, the media keeps repeating something Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons said because they want people to pay attention to their boring show.

That seems like staunch evidence that Rondo's getting traded. 

What's it been, about three years now that you've been convinced a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

Did I ever think a Rondo trade was right around the corner? 

I seem to remember bringing up the fact that we couldnt' land Chris Paul.  It was reported that the Lakers turned us down in a Pau trade.  It was reported the the Warriors turned us down in a Steph Curry trade (before Curry broke out... he was injured at the time).  At no point was a Rondo trade "right around the corner", but some folks seemed to report that he was in discussions.

But yeah, it's not just Simmons/Rose who think ROndo is getting traded this year.  There's been pretty constant speculation that Boston will trade him as soon as he proves he's healthy. FOr example... Marc Stein a couple weeks ago: Boston Celtics 'have to trade' Rajon Rondo, and 'everyone in basketball knows it' ...

If you wanna be mad at someone, don't be mad at me.  Far bigger fish than me beating this drum.  Do you feel like you're at all in denial?  Seriously.

When Marc Stein says "everyone in basketball knows it", do you assume he's imagining things?

I honestly think he was just making things up, much like you are doing. 

I'm not mad at anybody. 

[indeedproceed]

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.  He doesn't make a lot of sense on a 26 win lotto squad that is a half decade away from relevance... which is why the media keeps writing about how it's the "worst kept secret in the NBA" that Rondo will be traded this season.  My random guess is Indiana.   I figure it has to be a team that is competitive already and could use an upgrade at PG. 

It's a short list.  There's teams like Memphis that would probably be content hanging onto Mike Conley.  Denver would be fine hanging onto Ty Lawson.  Lotto teams don't want Rondo for the same reason Boston will trade Rondo.  At some point we'll probably just have to take what we can get.

Ah, yes, the media keeps repeating something Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons said because they want people to pay attention to their boring show.

That seems like staunch evidence that Rondo's getting traded. 

What's it been, about three years now that you've been convinced a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

Did I ever think a Rondo trade was right around the corner? 

I seem to remember bringing up the fact that we couldnt' land Chris Paul.  It was reported that the Lakers turned us down in a Pau trade.  It was reported the the Warriors turned us down in a Steph Curry trade (before Curry broke out... he was injured at the time).  At no point was a Rondo trade "right around the corner", but some folks seemed to report that he was in discussions.

But yeah, it's not just Simmons/Rose who think ROndo is getting traded this year.  There's been pretty constant speculation that Boston will trade him as soon as he proves he's healthy. FOr example... Marc Stein a couple weeks ago: Boston Celtics 'have to trade' Rajon Rondo, and 'everyone in basketball knows it' ...

If you wanna be mad at someone, don't be mad at me.  Far bigger fish than me beating this drum.  Do you feel like you're at all in denial?  Seriously.

When Marc Stein says "everyone in basketball knows it", do you assume he's imagining things?

I honestly think he was just making things up, much like you are doing. 

I'm not mad at anybody.

Marc Stein and Bill Simmons arent the only guys saying this stuff. Its pretty widespread, and just about every Celtics preview that looks at the team in-depth for the season speculates in some fashion about a Rondo trade.

That's not to say its imminent by any kind of means. Just that its a prevalent thought.

[indeedproceed]

I'll accept that it "remains to be seen" whether he can return to his prime after returning from surgery.  I believe that he can.

RE Rondo and MVP voting, its a wholly subjective exercise, that I don't think does much for your argument here. He was 8th in voting in 2012, tallying 2 4th place votes and 6 5th place votes. So basically, 8 people out of a potential 121 voters thought he was a top-5 player. However, they only go 1-5, so while we see the guys who think he's an elite NBA player, the guys who would've voted him 21st, or 50th (cuz there will be 'that guy' as well) aren't counted.

ESPN's top-100 list is more useful. They poll 1000 people, and they rate every NBA player, then organize the list from highest rated to lowest rated. In that setting, he's rated 27th heading into this next season. Previously he was rated 12th, and before that 17th.

O.K., so the last time he was healthy, he finished 12th in that ESPN poll.  I don't think it's outside the range of possibility that if he returns to full health and plays the way he did for the '11-'12 season that he could move up two spots in that poll.

Or, would you guys be happier if I referred to him as a top 12 player instead of a top 10 player?

Its not outside the realm of pastability, but its not the most probable outcome.

He's got a bad year (by the standards set my the playoffs he was coming off of and his overall growth the previous seasons) overall against him from last season, on top of that major injury, on top of that major team overhaul with significantly less talent, brand new coach...

  Rondo wasn't having a bad year last season. He started out the year in the middle of his assist streak (13 assists/game in Nov) and was playing very well when he was injured (15/7/10 in Jan despite struggling with injuries). PP/JG/Jet (struggling with injuries) were playing poorly for long stretches in the first half of the season and quite a few people had trouble figuring out that was somehow different from Rondo playing poorly but his play was pretty good.

Rondo didn't play bad last season.  He was having his best statistical season ever.  It was a Rondo-centric offense and he was given a free pass to load up on the assists.  I didn't really mind it.  He looked good.  Unfortunately, the team just sucked under his leadership and they were below .500 when he went out.  They then decided to share the ball and dug themselves out of the hole.

Right. Statistically, especially by counting stats, he looked good. In the context of how the team played with him on the floor dominating the ball, it was pretty poor. Worst WS/48 since his rookie year, and a remarkable and unexpected improvement when he left the lineup. That can be rationalized however one may want to do so, but its a definite mark against, and excellent grounds for discounting him wholesale as a top-10 player in the league.

[blink]

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.  He doesn't make a lot of sense on a 26 win lotto squad that is a half decade away from relevance... which is why the media keeps writing about how it's the "worst kept secret in the NBA" that Rondo will be traded this season.  My random guess is Indiana.   I figure it has to be a team that is competitive already and could use an upgrade at PG. 

It's a short list.  There's teams like Memphis that would probably be content hanging onto Mike Conley.  Denver would be fine hanging onto Ty Lawson.  Lotto teams don't want Rondo for the same reason Boston will trade Rondo.  At some point we'll probably just have to take what we can get.

Ah, yes, the media keeps repeating something Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons said because they want people to pay attention to their boring show.

That seems like staunch evidence that Rondo's getting traded. 

What's it been, about three years now that you've been convinced a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

Did I ever think a Rondo trade was right around the corner? 

I seem to remember bringing up the fact that we couldnt' land Chris Paul.  It was reported that the Lakers turned us down in a Pau trade.  It was reported the the Warriors turned us down in a Steph Curry trade (before Curry broke out... he was injured at the time).  At no point was a Rondo trade "right around the corner", but some folks seemed to report that he was in discussions.

But yeah, it's not just Simmons/Rose who think ROndo is getting traded this year.  There's been pretty constant speculation that Boston will trade him as soon as he proves he's healthy. FOr example... Marc Stein a couple weeks ago: Boston Celtics 'have to trade' Rajon Rondo, and 'everyone in basketball knows it' ...

If you wanna be mad at someone, don't be mad at me.  Far bigger fish than me beating this drum.  Do you feel like you're at all in denial?  Seriously.

When Marc Stein says "everyone in basketball knows it", do you assume he's imagining things?

I honestly think he was just making things up, much like you are doing. 

I'm not mad at anybody.

Marc Stein and Bill Simmons arent the only guys saying this stuff. Its pretty widespread, and just about every Celtics preview that looks at the team in-depth for the season speculates in some fashion about a Rondo trade.

That's not to say its imminent by any kind of means. Just that its a prevalent thought.

I think the subtext for this whole argument here is whether or not you think Rondo SHOULD be traded, not whether he Will be traded.  No one on this site & no one in the media really have any clue if Rondo is going to be traded.  It is all speculation. 

Obviously LarBrd33 doens't think much of Rondo, and prefers that he be traded.  A lot of others would like DA to keep him here.  We don't know how well Rondo will gel with all the young players, or how he will mesh with Stevens.  If those things go well, I don't see the value of trading him if it just creates another gaping hole in the roster.

IMO, we can't really afford to be dumping any more talent, much less all-star level talent.  at a position we don't even have a viable back up for. 

[Celtics18]

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.  He doesn't make a lot of sense on a 26 win lotto squad that is a half decade away from relevance... which is why the media keeps writing about how it's the "worst kept secret in the NBA" that Rondo will be traded this season.  My random guess is Indiana.   I figure it has to be a team that is competitive already and could use an upgrade at PG. 

It's a short list.  There's teams like Memphis that would probably be content hanging onto Mike Conley.  Denver would be fine hanging onto Ty Lawson.  Lotto teams don't want Rondo for the same reason Boston will trade Rondo.  At some point we'll probably just have to take what we can get.

Ah, yes, the media keeps repeating something Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons said because they want people to pay attention to their boring show.

That seems like staunch evidence that Rondo's getting traded. 

What's it been, about three years now that you've been convinced a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

Did I ever think a Rondo trade was right around the corner? 

I seem to remember bringing up the fact that we couldnt' land Chris Paul.  It was reported that the Lakers turned us down in a Pau trade.  It was reported the the Warriors turned us down in a Steph Curry trade (before Curry broke out... he was injured at the time).  At no point was a Rondo trade "right around the corner", but some folks seemed to report that he was in discussions.

But yeah, it's not just Simmons/Rose who think ROndo is getting traded this year.  There's been pretty constant speculation that Boston will trade him as soon as he proves he's healthy. FOr example... Marc Stein a couple weeks ago: Boston Celtics 'have to trade' Rajon Rondo, and 'everyone in basketball knows it' ...

If you wanna be mad at someone, don't be mad at me.  Far bigger fish than me beating this drum.  Do you feel like you're at all in denial?  Seriously.

When Marc Stein says "everyone in basketball knows it", do you assume he's imagining things?

I honestly think he was just making things up, much like you are doing. 

I'm not mad at anybody.

Marc Stein and Bill Simmons arent the only guys saying this stuff. Its pretty widespread, and just about every Celtics preview that looks at the team in-depth for the season speculates in some fashion about a Rondo trade.

That's not to say its imminent by any kind of means. Just that its a prevalent thought.

It's not happening.  Most of these writers are brain-dead hacks who spit out the phrase "Rondo must be traded" the same way a parrot says "Polly wanna cracker."  They heard it somewhere so they think their role is to repeat it.

[D.o.s.]

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.  He doesn't make a lot of sense on a 26 win lotto squad that is a half decade away from relevance... which is why the media keeps writing about how it's the "worst kept secret in the NBA" that Rondo will be traded this season.  My random guess is Indiana.   I figure it has to be a team that is competitive already and could use an upgrade at PG. 

It's a short list.  There's teams like Memphis that would probably be content hanging onto Mike Conley.  Denver would be fine hanging onto Ty Lawson.  Lotto teams don't want Rondo for the same reason Boston will trade Rondo.  At some point we'll probably just have to take what we can get.

Ah, yes, the media keeps repeating something Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons said because they want people to pay attention to their boring show.

That seems like staunch evidence that Rondo's getting traded. 

What's it been, about three years now that you've been convinced a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

Did I ever think a Rondo trade was right around the corner? 

I seem to remember bringing up the fact that we couldnt' land Chris Paul.  It was reported that the Lakers turned us down in a Pau trade.  It was reported the the Warriors turned us down in a Steph Curry trade (before Curry broke out... he was injured at the time).  At no point was a Rondo trade "right around the corner", but some folks seemed to report that he was in discussions.

But yeah, it's not just Simmons/Rose who think ROndo is getting traded this year.  There's been pretty constant speculation that Boston will trade him as soon as he proves he's healthy. FOr example... Marc Stein a couple weeks ago: Boston Celtics 'have to trade' Rajon Rondo, and 'everyone in basketball knows it' ...

If you wanna be mad at someone, don't be mad at me.  Far bigger fish than me beating this drum.  Do you feel like you're at all in denial?  Seriously.

When Marc Stein says "everyone in basketball knows it", do you assume he's imagining things?

I honestly think he was just making things up, much like you are doing. 

I'm not mad at anybody.

Marc Stein and Bill Simmons arent the only guys saying this stuff. Its pretty widespread, and just about every Celtics preview that looks at the team in-depth for the season speculates in some fashion about a Rondo trade.

That's not to say its imminent by any kind of means. Just that its a prevalent thought.

It's not happening.  Most of these writers are brain-dead hacks who spit out the phrase "Rondo must be traded" the same way a parrot says "Polly wanna cracker."  They heard it somewhere so they think their role is to repeat it.

To be fair, if they heard it somewhere, that's a source saying that Rondo should/will/might/may be traded.

Furthermore, those are the same brain-dead hacks that put Rondo on the MVP ballot, as you so fondly pointed out.

[indeedproceed]

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.  He doesn't make a lot of sense on a 26 win lotto squad that is a half decade away from relevance... which is why the media keeps writing about how it's the "worst kept secret in the NBA" that Rondo will be traded this season.  My random guess is Indiana.   I figure it has to be a team that is competitive already and could use an upgrade at PG. 

It's a short list.  There's teams like Memphis that would probably be content hanging onto Mike Conley.  Denver would be fine hanging onto Ty Lawson.  Lotto teams don't want Rondo for the same reason Boston will trade Rondo.  At some point we'll probably just have to take what we can get.

Ah, yes, the media keeps repeating something Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons said because they want people to pay attention to their boring show.

That seems like staunch evidence that Rondo's getting traded. 

What's it been, about three years now that you've been convinced a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

Did I ever think a Rondo trade was right around the corner? 

I seem to remember bringing up the fact that we couldnt' land Chris Paul.  It was reported that the Lakers turned us down in a Pau trade.  It was reported the the Warriors turned us down in a Steph Curry trade (before Curry broke out... he was injured at the time).  At no point was a Rondo trade "right around the corner", but some folks seemed to report that he was in discussions.

But yeah, it's not just Simmons/Rose who think ROndo is getting traded this year.  There's been pretty constant speculation that Boston will trade him as soon as he proves he's healthy. FOr example... Marc Stein a couple weeks ago: Boston Celtics 'have to trade' Rajon Rondo, and 'everyone in basketball knows it' ...

If you wanna be mad at someone, don't be mad at me.  Far bigger fish than me beating this drum.  Do you feel like you're at all in denial?  Seriously.

When Marc Stein says "everyone in basketball knows it", do you assume he's imagining things?

I honestly think he was just making things up, much like you are doing. 

I'm not mad at anybody.

Marc Stein and Bill Simmons arent the only guys saying this stuff. Its pretty widespread, and just about every Celtics preview that looks at the team in-depth for the season speculates in some fashion about a Rondo trade.

That's not to say its imminent by any kind of means. Just that its a prevalent thought.

It's not happening.  Most of these writers are brain-dead hacks who spit out the phrase "Rondo must be traded" the same way a parrot says "Polly wanna cracker."  They heard it somewhere so they think their role is to repeat it.

Yeah, I don't think Rondo is traded this season either, mostly because I don't think Danny Ainge would or needs to settle for a sub-par offer (think what Philly got for Holiday, but more). I think there is a chance he goes in the offseason, especially if he's healthy, but during the season...doubtful. During the offseason its also more likely because teams with obligations on future draft picks (Lakers, Mavericks, others) can make the pick during the draft and trade the players rights 5 minutes later and circumvent the Ted Stapien rule.

But in terms of it actually happening, I don't think its likely. Not because 'you don't trade a Rajon Rondo, period' but because I don't think the deal is there yet, and may never be. Danny Ainge'll trade anyone.

[LarBrd33]

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.  He doesn't make a lot of sense on a 26 win lotto squad that is a half decade away from relevance... which is why the media keeps writing about how it's the "worst kept secret in the NBA" that Rondo will be traded this season.  My random guess is Indiana.   I figure it has to be a team that is competitive already and could use an upgrade at PG. 

It's a short list.  There's teams like Memphis that would probably be content hanging onto Mike Conley.  Denver would be fine hanging onto Ty Lawson.  Lotto teams don't want Rondo for the same reason Boston will trade Rondo.  At some point we'll probably just have to take what we can get.

Ah, yes, the media keeps repeating something Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons said because they want people to pay attention to their boring show.

That seems like staunch evidence that Rondo's getting traded. 

What's it been, about three years now that you've been convinced a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

Did I ever think a Rondo trade was right around the corner? 

I seem to remember bringing up the fact that we couldnt' land Chris Paul.  It was reported that the Lakers turned us down in a Pau trade.  It was reported the the Warriors turned us down in a Steph Curry trade (before Curry broke out... he was injured at the time).  At no point was a Rondo trade "right around the corner", but some folks seemed to report that he was in discussions.

But yeah, it's not just Simmons/Rose who think ROndo is getting traded this year.  There's been pretty constant speculation that Boston will trade him as soon as he proves he's healthy. FOr example... Marc Stein a couple weeks ago: Boston Celtics 'have to trade' Rajon Rondo, and 'everyone in basketball knows it' ...

If you wanna be mad at someone, don't be mad at me.  Far bigger fish than me beating this drum.  Do you feel like you're at all in denial?  Seriously.

When Marc Stein says "everyone in basketball knows it", do you assume he's imagining things?

I honestly think he was just making things up, much like you are doing. 

I'm not mad at anybody.

Marc Stein and Bill Simmons arent the only guys saying this stuff. Its pretty widespread, and just about every Celtics preview that looks at the team in-depth for the season speculates in some fashion about a Rondo trade.

That's not to say its imminent by any kind of means. Just that its a prevalent thought.

I think the subtext for this whole argument here is whether or not you think Rondo SHOULD be traded, not whether he Will be traded.  No one on this site & no one in the media really have any clue if Rondo is going to be traded.  It is all speculation. 

Obviously LarBrd33 doens't think much of Rondo, and prefers that he be traded.  A lot of others would like DA to keep him here.  We don't know how well Rondo will gel with all the young players, or how he will mesh with Stevens.  If those things go well, I don't see the value of trading him if it just creates another gaping hole in the roster.

IMO, we can't really afford to be dumping any more talent, much less all-star level talent.  at a position we don't even have a viable back up for.

I think when he was healthy he was a top 30 player and a Top 5-10 PG.  He's very good.  He's my favorite player to watch on the Celtics.  Lol.  I'm not kidding.  I love Rondo.  I try not to let my affection for these guys cloud how I see them as players.  Paul Pierce is my favorite player of the modern era and I've fought hard against anyone who ever labelled him a Superstar.  He was a darn good player... I named my cat after him... but he was never a Superstar.  There were times where I felt trading Pierce was the best move for the Celtics. 

I just sometimes admittedly swing too far in the pessimistic direction and folks assume I'm a hater.  Anyways... it's all in good fun and makes for spirited debate.  You know, I'm pretty sure Bill Simmons loves the heck out of Rondo too.   It's just at this point Boston is going in a direction where it probably doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to hang onto Rondo.  We're building around a nucleus that hasn't been drafted yet.  This is a long-term rebuild.  Rondo is a guy who would fit best on a team in "win now" mode. 

[Celtics18]

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.  He doesn't make a lot of sense on a 26 win lotto squad that is a half decade away from relevance... which is why the media keeps writing about how it's the "worst kept secret in the NBA" that Rondo will be traded this season.  My random guess is Indiana.   I figure it has to be a team that is competitive already and could use an upgrade at PG. 

It's a short list.  There's teams like Memphis that would probably be content hanging onto Mike Conley.  Denver would be fine hanging onto Ty Lawson.  Lotto teams don't want Rondo for the same reason Boston will trade Rondo.  At some point we'll probably just have to take what we can get.

Ah, yes, the media keeps repeating something Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons said because they want people to pay attention to their boring show.

That seems like staunch evidence that Rondo's getting traded. 

What's it been, about three years now that you've been convinced a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

Did I ever think a Rondo trade was right around the corner? 

I seem to remember bringing up the fact that we couldnt' land Chris Paul.  It was reported that the Lakers turned us down in a Pau trade.  It was reported the the Warriors turned us down in a Steph Curry trade (before Curry broke out... he was injured at the time).  At no point was a Rondo trade "right around the corner", but some folks seemed to report that he was in discussions.

But yeah, it's not just Simmons/Rose who think ROndo is getting traded this year.  There's been pretty constant speculation that Boston will trade him as soon as he proves he's healthy. FOr example... Marc Stein a couple weeks ago: Boston Celtics 'have to trade' Rajon Rondo, and 'everyone in basketball knows it' ...

If you wanna be mad at someone, don't be mad at me.  Far bigger fish than me beating this drum.  Do you feel like you're at all in denial?  Seriously.

When Marc Stein says "everyone in basketball knows it", do you assume he's imagining things?

I honestly think he was just making things up, much like you are doing. 

I'm not mad at anybody.

Marc Stein and Bill Simmons arent the only guys saying this stuff. Its pretty widespread, and just about every Celtics preview that looks at the team in-depth for the season speculates in some fashion about a Rondo trade.

That's not to say its imminent by any kind of means. Just that its a prevalent thought.

It's not happening.  Most of these writers are brain-dead hacks who spit out the phrase "Rondo must be traded" the same way a parrot says "Polly wanna cracker."  They heard it somewhere so they think their role is to repeat it.

To be fair, if they heard it somewhere, that's a source saying that Rondo should/will/might/may be traded.

Furthermore, those are the same brain-dead hacks that put Rondo on the MVP ballot, as you so fondly pointed out.

When I say they heard it somewhere, what I mean is they heard it from another sports writer, who made it up, and then they repeat it.  They sure didn't hear it from Danny Ainge or anyone connected to the Celtics front office. 

Marc Stein's quote was, "they have to trade Rajon Rondo.  You know it, I know it, everyone in basketball knows it."  This  was written in his short season rankings blurb, and comes across much more as a guy trying to be cute and clever than someone who actually is basing this on any kind of insider knowledge. 

Once it became clear that Rajon Rondo wasn't going to act like the pouty baby that everybody was projecting him to act like now that the rebuilding process has begun, the murmurs about Rondo being traded started to die down. 

They've resurfaced a little bit lately thanks to Jalen and Bill's goofy act, but I doubt there's any more truth to it than there ever was.

I predict that Rondo stays.  I'm guessing I have about as much insider knowledge as Bill Simmons, Jalen Rose, and Marc Stein; that is to say, none.   

[D.o.s.]

The greater point is that you need an elite scorer or an elite big man.  Often you need both.  There's really no examples of teams that won titles, because their PG got a lot of assists.  It's about the bigs and the dudes who can put the ball in the bucket.

Rondo's a good talent.  He can be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a contender.  He doesn't make a lot of sense on a 26 win lotto squad that is a half decade away from relevance... which is why the media keeps writing about how it's the "worst kept secret in the NBA" that Rondo will be traded this season.  My random guess is Indiana.   I figure it has to be a team that is competitive already and could use an upgrade at PG. 

It's a short list.  There's teams like Memphis that would probably be content hanging onto Mike Conley.  Denver would be fine hanging onto Ty Lawson.  Lotto teams don't want Rondo for the same reason Boston will trade Rondo.  At some point we'll probably just have to take what we can get.

Ah, yes, the media keeps repeating something Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons said because they want people to pay attention to their boring show.

That seems like staunch evidence that Rondo's getting traded. 

What's it been, about three years now that you've been convinced a Rondo trade was right around the corner?

Did I ever think a Rondo trade was right around the corner? 

I seem to remember bringing up the fact that we couldnt' land Chris Paul.  It was reported that the Lakers turned us down in a Pau trade.  It was reported the the Warriors turned us down in a Steph Curry trade (before Curry broke out... he was injured at the time).  At no point was a Rondo trade "right around the corner", but some folks seemed to report that he was in discussions.

But yeah, it's not just Simmons/Rose who think ROndo is getting traded this year.  There's been pretty constant speculation that Boston will trade him as soon as he proves he's healthy. FOr example... Marc Stein a couple weeks ago: Boston Celtics 'have to trade' Rajon Rondo, and 'everyone in basketball knows it' ...

If you wanna be mad at someone, don't be mad at me.  Far bigger fish than me beating this drum.  Do you feel like you're at all in denial?  Seriously.

When Marc Stein says "everyone in basketball knows it", do you assume he's imagining things?

I honestly think he was just making things up, much like you are doing. 

I'm not mad at anybody.

Marc Stein and Bill Simmons arent the only guys saying this stuff. Its pretty widespread, and just about every Celtics preview that looks at the team in-depth for the season speculates in some fashion about a Rondo trade.

That's not to say its imminent by any kind of means. Just that its a prevalent thought.

It's not happening.  Most of these writers are brain-dead hacks who spit out the phrase "Rondo must be traded" the same way a parrot says "Polly wanna cracker."  They heard it somewhere so they think their role is to repeat it.

To be fair, if they heard it somewhere, that's a source saying that Rondo should/will/might/may be traded.

Furthermore, those are the same brain-dead hacks that put Rondo on the MVP ballot, as you so fondly pointed out.

When I say they heard it somewhere, what I mean is they heard it from another sports writer, who made it up, and then they repeat it.  They sure didn't hear it from Danny Ainge or anyone connected to the Celtics front office. 

Marc Stein's quote was, "they have to trade Rajon Rondo.  You know it, I know it, everyone in basketball knows it."  This  was written in his short season rankings blurb, and comes across much more as a guy trying to be cute and clever than someone who actually is basing this on any kind of insider knowledge. 

Once it became clear that Rajon Rondo wasn't going to act like the pouty baby that everybody was projecting him to act like now that the rebuilding process has begun, the murmurs about Rondo being traded started to die down. 

They've resurfaced a little bit lately thanks to Jalen and Bill's goofy act, but I doubt there's any more truth to it than there ever was.

I predict that Rondo stays.  I'm guessing I have about as much insider knowledge as Bill Simmons, Jalen Rose, and Marc Stein; that is to say, none.

So you're certain that none of those guys heard anything about trading Rondo from anyone in the Celtics front office, despite the fact that you've admitted that you have no connection to the Celtics front office?

Well I believe that the cream cheese cures cancer, despite the fact that I have no ties to either the dairy industry or that medical field.

Despite what you might think, sports writers don't generally just pull things out of thin air to generate coverage. At least, the ones that don't work for Bleacher Report.

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He could probably score 15-20 routinely while still dropping 8-12 assists and 8 rebounds.

Yeah, ok.

Here's the list of players who've done that, on the conservative end of your estimates (averaging at least a 15-8-8) for an entire season since 1946.

Jordan. Magic. Wilt. Oscar.

Wilt was the only one to do it after turning 27.

Conservatively, 15/8/6 is probably in the ballpark, with the 8 assists and 6 boards coming rather naturally to him.

The dude really is a freak out there, especially when he's dialed in.  Historic numbers are not out of the question, especially for multi-category ones, e.g. triple-doubles, which indicates that he does indeed have an ability to control games.