I'll tell you what, I'll play along for just one brief moment. Maybe the team will play better without Rondo for a period of time.
The one thing I've noticed this year is that most all of the players on this team seem to defer to Rondo, even KG/Pierce to a point. They've become dependant on his exceptional play-making ability. As a result, it seems the effectiveness of these other players is entirely tied to how well Rondo plays in any particular game. On the whole, it may, at times, actually be a detriment to the individual games of the rest of the roster in some aspects.
This is absolutely NOT Rondo's fault, however. It is the fault of the coaching staff and the other players on the roster. These are highly paid professionals. It is inexcusable they rely so heavily on one player to "pick them up".
So, going forward, maybe now that the teams security blanket is gone, they'll be forced to sink or swim on thier own, and have to pick up their play. It happens in sports all the time. The "lead dog" goes down and the troops rally.
At the end of the day though, in basketball a team only can go as far as it's best player can take it. Point blank, Rondo is this teams best player. There will be title coming to Boston this year. Which at the end of the day, is really all that matters here in Boston. Or at least that seems to be the company line.