Normally a phrase reserved for a special time in March regarding college basketball, but as it was appliciable to the fast paced free agency period that the NFL experienced when their lockout ended, it is again just as pertinent as the NBA enters a similar period.
Not only will training camps officially (once the CBA is completely ratified) open on December 9th this date will also mark the beginning of free agency and the period in which teams can begin to make trades.
It seems as quickly as Emperor Stern and Billy Hunter announced a “hand-shake” deal that trade rumors began to swirl surrounding Boston’s beloved point guard Rajon Rondo. The rumor, which Danny Ainge has since debunked for a multitude of reasons, was that the Celtics had inquired with New Orleans to acquire their all-star guard Chris Paul. As the rumor picked up steam more stories began to emerge about Boston looking for a third team to involve, followed by the seemingly inevitable statement from Paul saying he would not sign an extension with the Celts. This, of course, was a deal breaker for general manager Danny Ainge if the rumors were in fact true.
Why wouldn’t they be? Of course Ainge inquired with the Hornets. It’s no secret that Paul wants out and will do so whether traded or through free agency at the end of the season.
As the Boston faithful went up in arms in defense of their own all-star point guard Ainge was forced to make a statement, this of course only came after CP3 stated that he would refuse to sign an extension with Boston. Ainge’s statement repudiated any Rondo trade rumors, which worked two-fold (ideally).
First, Ainge wanted/had to make a statement to the media and public one way or another. By denying the trade rumors he did his part in putting to bed the discussion, calming the locals and shutting the talking heads right up.
Second, Rajon Rondo is beginning to get the reputation of a man who lacks maturity and can be a bit sensitive. Rumors (again with the damn rumors) swirled last season following the trade of his close friend Kendrick Perkins that his play was hindered due to frustration with upper management because of the Perk trade. At the time his play was down, whether it was directly related or not is moot because much of the media and general public began to believe it to be valid. By denying the report and spinning it into a positive, Ainge can save face with his star point guard in hopes that his play will not be effected by any negative mental state of mind.
Although the trade will likely never come to fruition, why would it have come up in the first place?
Rondo is under contract for the next four years, the only Celtics player signed through the 2014-2015 season, at a very reasonable cost for an assist leader, $10 million this year and steadily increasing $1 million each of the following. Chris Paul will command a significant amount of money when he hits free agency, despite the league’s best efforts to reduce huge contracts. Contract-wise the egde goes to Rondo.
What Rondo brings to the floor is the pure definition of a point guard. A pass-first guy, who drives to the hole (although he did less of that last year) plays tight defense, and pushes the tempo. Rajon Rondo is THE perfect point guard for a team constructed around three future Hall of Famers who are classically phenominal scorers. Although Paul’s assist numbers are always in the top five he pounds the ball too much from a pure point guard stand point. By that I simply mean he dribbles too much, waiting for a pass he KNOWS will get the assist. Is that the worst thing in the world? No, but Rondo can be more of a facilitator when it comes to the ball leaving his hands to find and create the open man. Passing edge goes to Rondo.
Althought the numbers that CP3 has put up the past few seasons have declined from two years ago when he had an amazing season, there is no denying that he is a better scorer than Rondo. He is head and shoulders better than Rondo when it comes to shooting and drives hard to the hoop in a similar fashion. Big edge to Paul.
What the future holds, no one really knows, but it’s Danny Ainge’s job to make the future for the Boston Celtics. While Rondo is the perfect pass-first, facilitating point guard he is not a number one guy on a championship team. Can you build around Rondo? Absolutely, but you’ll need to find pure scorers in the mold of a Paul Pierce on the wing and preferably a solid number two scorer as well. That way Rondo is a key part of a “Big 3″, but his job consists of utilizing his talents and not trying to reach and be a player he is not.
Chris Paul, on the other hand, can be a number one scorer. To build around him doesn’t mean finding players who are better than CP3, it means finding players who are his equal. To put it into perspective, Chris Paul led a team that brought the reigning Champion Lakers to a game 6 with a starting lineup that consisted of Trevor Ariza, Carl Landry, Emeka Okafor, and Marco Belinelli. That is why he wants out of NOLA.
So with an eye on the future, there is no doubt in my mind that Danny Ainge inquired about CP3′s services in Boston. That would create virtually the same team this season and a way to entice future free agents to Boston down the road.
I love Rondo’s play, but I would have done this trade as well. The one hesitation would come from the knees of Chris Paul that have given him some trouble in recent history.
Looks like the Celtics and their fans wont have to worry about that though, as Paul refuses to sign an extension in Boston and his agent recently requested a trade to New York. No surprise there.
Rajon Rondo will be around for the long haul, it seems, and the question remains what the future holds as the team begins to build around him and his talents.
Stay posted for my theory on star point guards and winning championships…coming soon to The Green Street blog.
Sean Sendall – follow me on Twitter
Tags: Boston Celtics, NBA, Rajon Rondo, Sean Sendall
