I Still Believe Rondo's Going Nowhere

I’m very aware that there have been a lot of visceral responses to the idea of trading Rondo.

My feeling is very different. I would be fine with any deal that made this team better. It’s as simple as that. While I might need to be talked into something involving one of the Big 3, it’s my desire to see Banner 18 raised sooner rather than later.

That said, I’ve not seen any trade proposals, whether concocted on boards or reported on by the “experts” that I think makes us better. Gay/Conley? I don’t see it. The #2? Nope. Amar’e? Perk’s defense was a large part of what almost got us past the Magic.

Outside of some kind of absurd Chris Paul fantasy-land trade, I don’t see a way we improve by moving Rondo.

I’m also a bit uncomfortable with this ugly undertow regarding Rondo’s “negative attitude” that seems to be gripping folks. Though I’m not proud of it, I’ve cheered for guys with far bigger issues than a few late arrivals and whispers of being difficult.

Until something more concrete comes out, I’m going with what my eyes have told me from watching very nearly each of Rondo’s pro games: he was serviceable last year, showed flashes of brilliance this year, and could be a very important cog going forward, whether he’s max-contract worthy or not.

We need some bench help.

to just let Rondo walk at the end of the season, then I would consider that a huge managerial mistake if you consider the value he brings back through trading him now. How does Rondo walking make our team better at all? This is a main part of why I think Ainge should trade him if he can’t safely say they will bring him back at whatever the cost next season. Everybody wants Rondo, but nobody wants to pay him Max-money either, so what is the direction to go to improve the team, keeping them competitive?

It would be odd for Danny to criticize a player he’d secretly agreed to trade. The receiving party probably wouldn’t appreciate it, especially since Danny would probably downplay any such issues in trade talks.

More than any contributing player on the roster, Rondo has been exposed to a lot of criticism from his own management. It may be their style of breaking some of pride-based laziness and non-leadership.

Well said, Jeff. As far as your question, “What if Ainge really did like Rondo and had no intention of trading him (but would listen to offers if it helped the team win a championship)?” we never heard definitely, at least I don’t think so, that Ainge offered Rondo and Scal to Memphis for Gay and Conley. Perhaps Memphis offered it, if there was even an offer of the sort, and Ainge declined it. We have heard grumblings before about Gay and Memphis. The point is, just because there are rumors out there, it doesn’t mean they are always true, and it also doesn’t mean that Ainge is proposing all of them. GM’s might think Ainge is trying to get rid of Rondo and making him offers.

Ray and Rondo are our biggest trading chips right now because of their expiring contracts, so if Ainge was even thinking about making a big trade, then of course they would have to be discussed or thrown out there, perhaps just as feelers to see what he could actually get for them. The detroit offer might have been stretching it a bit, but considering Ainge was going after detroit’s best three players shows just how valuable Ainge believes Ray and Rondo really are.

In short, I think Ainge is just doing his job by seeing what offers are out there.

I believe in Rondo, but there’s been much said about his attitude. Someone better advise this young buck that he better make some self adjustments before he ends up like Sprewell. That’s my new name for him Ronwell!! But seriously, I hope he’s not traded but he’s still young and has a lot to learn. some of those vets on that team need to pull him aside and let him know that his attitude could end up ruining his career before it really gets off good. As far as salary demands, he deserves a good salary he is a contributing force to the team but he does need to become a better all around player before he can demand the big bucks.

i’m for keeping rondo and i hope you are correct in your assumption 2. i can see why others feel the way they do about trades, but i don’t buy the bad attitude reasons. these guys are amazing athletes with huge egos- allof the good ones have massive egos; it’s part of what separates them out. there is enough money and brass around to communicate with rondo and the talk in the press tho probably somewhat true is a lot of smoke. the real stuff- if there’s trades always comes out after the fact, not before except in those rare exceptions like the jerk denver quarterback who forced the trade, just like the jerk manny. i don’t smell jerk with rondo or danny.

If that’s the ballpark his max contract allows, if Boston is not willing to pay that next season and another team is, where are we at next year if/when Rondo takes a hike. If I’m Rondo, I’m ticked at Danny and Doc for dissing him to the rest of the league because that ultimately puts less cash in Rondo’s own pocket come contract time.

Bottom line is this, Rondo is too inconsistent to be relied upon as the primary or secondary scorer for the Celts. So really there is only one question. Will we match whatever Rondo’s value is on the open market next year? And if we do so, do we still have enough cash to get future hall of fame stars to surround him with, plus Posey type sub players to compete for championships?

If the answer is yes, then Doc and Danny can go on playing all the mind games they want. If the answer is no, Rondo is not worth matching $$$ wise on an extension, then we can still get #18 with a quality trade. The thing is #18 is attainable with or without Rondo, the key is do we regret trading or not trading him based on all this double talk coming out of the mouths of Celt brass?

There are a lot of capable players in many positions on various teams wanting to shed longer term contracts. There are free agents out there now at bargain prices. Many teams wanting to shave payroll for the free agency sweepstakes and/or the hard economic times.

If a deal is going to happen, I would think the prospects of getting a quality return is better this year than next year on a trade. I also think next year teams that lose out on the Bosh, Lebron, Wade sweepstakes are going to have cash to spend on the second tier of free agency players of which Rondo will be one. I could see a team, say the Cavs who lose out to the Knicks on Lebron, offer Rondo the max deal to appease fans as much as can happen being Lebronless while sticking it to us at the same time (assuming we won’t match a max type offer).

If Celts think Rondo is already worth the max contract now based on potential than shut down the charade and just give it to him because next summer we won’t get a Rondo discount, we are already getting it now.

I love Hobbs’ simple but succinct take on all this. I’ve grown to admire Danny’s craftiness (though I don’t like his free agent pick-ups). But this is the craftiest (if he’s really angling for a deal). As in, if he trades Rondo, it might be his riskiest trade ever. Tough to figure this one out.
I will say while Rondo’s growth has been impressive, I don’t think he’s worth a max contract. And I do wonder what kind of ‘tude we’d get from him with a max contract hanging around his neck.
And how many players in this league really ARE worth max contracts these days? Just wondering.
Gonna be interesting.

Mountain out of a mole hill.

1. Danny said specifically they weren’t trading for a draft pick/project.
2. Also said “we love the kid.”
3. AND “some of the 30yr olds on this team have some growing up to do.”
4. also that no one on the team was untradeable. no one . . .
5. another thing he said is that Rondo was a player they “wanted to move forward with,” as in he is part of the long term future of the team.
6. How many times has Danny said that these rumors out there are NOT true. How many times has he said that none of things pointed out are relevant or a reason why the Celtics would trade him. Danny has emphatically stated he’s not an attitude problem, he’s not a lockerroom cancer, and the only reason that they would trade Rondo is A. it helps them win now, and B. helps them in the future. If both of those criteria are not met: no deal.

Danny Ainge has no intention of trading Rondo, or any of the “core.” He’s only looking to add a free agent big man (did folks really not listen to his WEEI interview?) and make a run at other free agents to add depth.
It’s awesome to see the parts of what Danny said get ignored to make great press and generate more hype. One of these guys in the press even gave you the answer: it isn’t that the Celtics are actually shopping Rondo, it’s people making what they think are logical assumptions regarding play availability, and printing it to get people reading and talking. Danny has come out TWICE in TWO DAYS to say “none of this is true.” Maybe folks ought to listen.
Rajon isn’t being traded.
Rajon is only going to get better. A lot better.

Boston already has the big 3 money makers, can they really afford to pay $40 mil for Rondo? Is he worth it? I think he will be in the future but not right now. Boston will have to shed some weight before they can meet those kind of demands for a future gamble. I love Boston and Rondo. I really don’t want to see him, Salabrine, or R. Allen traded and I agree with tmcdon, Ainge has said he wasn’t going to trade Rondo plus the fact that he has made a few negative statements about Rondo which I’m sure he wouldn’t do if he really wanted to trade him. That’s like a used car salesman telling you a car is a lemon then asking you to buy it.

I think that is the solution. So he should turn in the cell phone and head to Kenya for the next 6 weeks. Because mo matter what he does it isn’t the right move.

Obviously, no one on this board wants him to make any trades unless he confer with them.

But then I read some of the BS trades that are proposed here and wonder what people are thinking. Most of the trades are deals that the other team won’t make, he won’t do, can’t be done due the salary cap or would kill us in the future.

There have been so many rumors that have been floated that he felt compelled to comment on them. He did that. I think the one theme we need to keep in mind during his press conference was that the only good trade is one that makes us better next season. Or isn’t that what we want to hear.

I don’t care and neither do the Celtics, that Rondo was late for a playoff game or that he’s moody or difficult to coach. Shit Happens. And all of this is BS. We are not going to trade him for those reasons. I think the reason that he’s been mentioned in trades is that he and Ray are really our only tradable assets.

 I think both he and his agent understand that he’s not a max deal player right now. He needs to work on his game. So Danny confirms what anyone with any common sense knows and he’s dissing Rondo. And Rondo is not really an expiring contract, we have the right of first refusal after next year. Someone please tell me how many players have left a team as restricted free agents. The only thing that does is cut the players salary. Check some of the guys who brought back offer sheets and see how much money they lost by letting their current team match the offer sheet rather than take the teams tender and then shop their services as an unrestricted free agent. We also have the possiblility to do a sign and trade fi we decide we really don’t want to match his contract. That would give him more years and money. I’m not sure but I think his agent and Rondo might like be amenable to that.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, his team mates don’t like him, but he’s a member of Perk’s Wedding. Pahleeeeeeaaaase!!!!!!!!!! He’snot Kobe, who you can tell that his team mates can’t stand.

I really think Danny’s job has something to do with listening to other teams and what they are looking for and then deciding if it makes us better. He is also looking at how it affects us in future years not just next year. I think that is Danny’s job, maybe I wrong, but that’s what I think.

Just a guess, but when Mitch Kupchak swindled Memphis, do you think that other names on the Lakers might have been involved? But Kupchak figured out that Memphis was in a salary dump and moved quickly and presto, Gasol to LA for 2 Cheeseburgers and a Chocolate Milk Shake.

We were the laughing stock in the league for 10 years prior to Danny coming in. Since he’s been here we’ve won #17, could have won 18 this year and may win 18 next year. Let’s face it he’s a horrible GM. Maybe we can trade him to Memphis for Chris Wallace??????

That’s really a bad news.