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The following is nothing we haven't covered and nothing that you aren't very familiar with at this point, but I wanted to highlight this article from Matt Moore because I think he did a fine job of encapsulating the Celtics previous season, current offseason, and position going forward.
One key thing I think he got right is questioning the rationale behind the "you have to pick a direction" narrative.
2014 Offseason Report: Boston Celtics - CBSSports.com
You can argue that Boston needed to set a path ... but did it? General manager Danny Ainge has opted to not really choose between rebuilding with young talent and trading Rondo or finding a star to fit beside him. He has kept his options open. He snagged multiple draft picks and kept Rondo. Do the Celtics need to resolve their future before Rondo hits free agency next summer? Probably. But there's also the chance that they simply keep going as they have, adding good players through the draft while keeping their flexibility open to acquire a star. There's a good chance they can re-sign Rondo even without being a contender.
I agree. Why do the Celtics "have to pick a path?" What's the danger in keeping your options open? If anything I'd argue that right now there's more to lose by picking a path.
If you trade Rondo right now, while his value is pretty low, you won't get enough return and you miss out on the potential of keeping an All Star long term.
Taking a "win-now" approach could be foolish because if you aren't getting a star, you are using up your trade chips for guys that might not be worth the trouble. For example: Michael Pina wrote about a few guys that might be available in exchange for some of our picks. Pekovic, Hibbert, and Millsap are all quality players, but I'm not sure if I'd be willing to pay the price it would take to get them to Boston (leaving us without the ammo to get a bigger star down the line).
So I fully support the process of keeping our options open. Even if it means another painful rebuilding year. If the right deal comes along (either to trade Rondo for a great return package or to cash in our chips for a star), I'm all for it. But there's no need to rush into a band-aid plan.