Gerry Callahan, never shy, has declared that it is time to trade Rajon Rondo. To his credit, he does list the reasons to hang onto him (he's young, healthy, and reasonably priced for a top 10 point guard) but gives the following pitch to pitch the point guard.
Tempered enthusiasm - BostonHerald.com
Trade him? Seems wiser to trade everyone else and build anew around him. But then you wonder: How long will that take? Three years, maybe more? Rondo has three years (and $36 million) left on his contract after this season, and even when things are going OK, he appears impatient, annoyed, petulant. You think that guy will provide veteran leadership and a steady hand in the post-Kevin Garnett era? Or is the Rondo we saw Sunday night the player we will see on a nightly basis after Garnett and Ray Allen have left the building?
Predictably he offers up no possible trade scenarios. Just advocates trading him away. Personally I would like to see what the return is before I sign up for this plan. I was ok with offering him up for Chris Paul. There are probably other deals out there that could make sense, but not many in my opinion.
For Ainge's part, he's not going to admit to anything and if anything he has to make sure that the vultures aren't circling.
No push for panic button - BostonHerald.com
"My feelings haven’t changed yet," Ainge said yesterday. "You don’t panic when things aren’t going well and when your lineup isn’t 100 percent."
Nobody wants to head into trading season when the whole league knows you are desperate for help but that's kind of where we're at. Even if Danny was thinking of trading Rondo or outright blowing it up, it wouldn't serve him well to admit to that fact before he started negotiating with teams. So no surprises here.