Jackie Mac "Rondo has told the Celtics he wants out- it will happen"

[LarBrd33]

Rondo wanting out shouldn't surprise anyone who has been paying attention.   Last interview I heard with him, two things stuck out.

#1 - He said if he was in LeBron's shoes, he'd leave Miami, because they no longer could win a title and the whole point is to win championships in this league.  INteresting considering the Heat had just been to the Finals.  What's that say about Rondo when he plays for a 25-35 win team? Clearly shows that Rondo wants to play for a contender.

#2 - He suggested he wanted to stay in Boston, but it all seemed very contingent on the idea that we were going to have some fireworks.  He expressed his faith in Danny Ainge.  He hinted that the Celtics were a player for Kevin Love and even suggested that the Celtics could land someone like Melo.   Now that this dreadful offseason has come and gone with a whimper, I doubt Rondo is beeming with faith in Ainge. 

Also, we drafted his replacement.  We've made public comments about this being a long process.  There is no potential star acquisition on the immediate horizon.  THe team has consistently tried to trade Rondo.   It's not surprising in the slightest that at this point a sitting duck Rondo would ask to be traded.  I've said this before, but if Rondo reaches unrestricted free agency, Boston will not be the frontrunner to sign him... unless between now and then we somehow luck into a superstar that Rondo can latch onto.  Not happening.  He's most likely gone.

Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of trade options.  Not a lot of suitors for him.  We'll end up getting pennies on the dollar.  Shame, because I feel like had Ainge jumped on trading him prior to the draft, we could have landed something substantial from a team like the Kings or Rockets, but maybe their interest was overblown.  Instead we whiffed on Kevin Love and will probably end up moving Rondo along with Gerald Wallace in a salary dump.

[chambers]

I agree with some others throughout this thread and call "bull s" on Jackie MacMullan's "report."

It just doesn't add up.

Why are we suddenly hearing about this now and not earlier in the offseason?

Don't buy it.

That said, if it's true, I stand by my Brooklyn idea.

They would consider it for cap relief so they can be players in free agency in the next few years.

For the Celts, not only do they return to being competitive, but perhaps other free agents would now consider Boston because they'd have a better roster.

Also, I am not quite sure how the Celts "fleeced" the Nets in the KG/Pierce trade last year.

Brooklyn gave up 3 picks, but it's not like they became worse by adding KG and Pierce.

If they really want, give them one of their picks back.

Let's not forget, we also got strapped with Gerald Wallace's contract.

You're hearing about it now because the Kevin Love trade was just completed.  This team will be lucky to sniff 30 wins this season, even with Rondo healthy.  If Danny had managed to bring Love to Boston, things would be different - make a couple other moves, and a Rondo/Love combo gets you into the playoffs, certainly. 

And Jackie Mac's about as credible a reporter as there is for Boston sports.  If you don't want to believe her...  I hope you've got some q-tips to clean the sand out of your ears.

  The Love deal's been done for quite some time. I doubt the official announcement of it impacted anything.

  A quick question for people who think the rumor is true. Why would we have only have heard about this from an off the air clip of a tv show? Why wouldn't she actually report it? Has anyone seen claims by any credible reporter that Rondo's definitively told the team that he's leaving? Because if not it would have been quite a story to break. It's not like the story was new either. She'd known for a while that Rondo was definitely leaving the Celts yet never reported something that major that nobody else knew? Why would that be?

This is important, actually, because it's clear that the clip is mostly just the same sort of speculative BS'ing that takes up a large part of what we do here on a far more regular basis.

The takeaway, though, is that she's positive that Rondo's 'definitely' leaving the Celtics, but she isn't getting enough people to go on the record with it to write a legitimate story about it (that is, at least, how it appears to me).

Good point, it's big news. I'm slightly under the influence of scotch whiskey as I write this but you're saying 'on the record' as in sources that will confirm it (secretly) 100%? Only way that would happen would be to protect  the source right?
That's a pretty small circle surely?
Can we then speculate that there are a handful of people who would know about this and it would be easy to narrow down who likely gave it up to the media?

[chambers]

Rondo wanting out shouldn't surprise anyone who has been paying attention.   Last interview I heard with him, two things stuck out.

#1 - He said if he was in LeBron's shoes, he'd leave Miami, because they no longer could win a title and the whole point is to win championships in this league.  INteresting considering the Heat had just been to the Finals.  What's that say about Rondo when he plays for a 25-35 win team? Clearly shows that Rondo wants to play for a contender.

#2 - He suggested he wanted to stay in Boston, but it all seemed very contingent on the idea that we were going to have some fireworks.  He expressed his faith in Danny Ainge.  He hinted that the Celtics were a player for Kevin Love and even suggested that the Celtics could land someone like Melo.   Now that this dreadful offseason has come and gone with a whimper, I doubt Rondo is beeming with faith in Ainge. 

Also, we drafted his replacement.  We've made public comments about this being a long process.  There is no potential star acquisition on the immediate horizon.  THe team has consistently tried to trade Rondo.   It's not surprising in the slightest that at this point a sitting duck Rondo would ask to be traded.  I've said this before, but if Rondo reaches unrestricted free agency, Boston will not be the frontrunner to sign him... unless between now and then we somehow luck into a superstar that Rondo can latch onto.  Not happening.  He's most likely gone.

Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of trade options.  Not a lot of suitors for him.  We'll end up getting pennies on the dollar.  Shame, because I feel like had Ainge jumped on trading him prior to the draft, we could have landed something substantial from a team like the Kings or Rockets, but maybe their interest was overblown.  Instead we whiffed on Kevin Love and will probably end up moving Rondo along with Gerald Wallace in a salary dump.

I agree with most of what you've said except the bolded. There's no evidence to me that we've consistently tried to trade Rondo. I'd say the plan was to always try and keep him and get a Kevin Love type player with our lottery pick. Unfortunately, Cleveland's owners horsehoe up his @$$ decided to bestow them with Lebron James. It Happens.
 I think the only rumor I ever heard substantiated was Rondo to the hornets for Chris Paul which Danny Ainge admitted himself that Chris Paul shut down.
 Imagine if we'd had Chris Paul instead of Rondo and Rondo had started playing with Anthony Davis.
Wowweeee.

Question now is how many teams will actually offer him the max? I believe there's only 2 or 3 at most, and the Kings are the most likely ones to throw that much money at a guy that's so 50/50 in public opinion on how much he's actually worth.
 If we believe the Kings are the only ones that will offer the max, we should be able to at least get Mclemore or Ray Mcallum back for accommodating their wishes.
Regardless of what we get I've always said people will be devastated at how little we ultimately get back for Rondo if he is traded.

[LarBrd33]

Rondo wanting out shouldn't surprise anyone who has been paying attention.   Last interview I heard with him, two things stuck out.

#1 - He said if he was in LeBron's shoes, he'd leave Miami, because they no longer could win a title and the whole point is to win championships in this league.  INteresting considering the Heat had just been to the Finals.  What's that say about Rondo when he plays for a 25-35 win team? Clearly shows that Rondo wants to play for a contender.

#2 - He suggested he wanted to stay in Boston, but it all seemed very contingent on the idea that we were going to have some fireworks.  He expressed his faith in Danny Ainge.  He hinted that the Celtics were a player for Kevin Love and even suggested that the Celtics could land someone like Melo.   Now that this dreadful offseason has come and gone with a whimper, I doubt Rondo is beeming with faith in Ainge. 

Also, we drafted his replacement.  We've made public comments about this being a long process.  There is no potential star acquisition on the immediate horizon.  THe team has consistently tried to trade Rondo.   It's not surprising in the slightest that at this point a sitting duck Rondo would ask to be traded.  I've said this before, but if Rondo reaches unrestricted free agency, Boston will not be the frontrunner to sign him... unless between now and then we somehow luck into a superstar that Rondo can latch onto.  Not happening.  He's most likely gone.

Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of trade options.  Not a lot of suitors for him.  We'll end up getting pennies on the dollar.  Shame, because I feel like had Ainge jumped on trading him prior to the draft, we could have landed something substantial from a team like the Kings or Rockets, but maybe their interest was overblown.  Instead we whiffed on Kevin Love and will probably end up moving Rondo along with Gerald Wallace in a salary dump.

I agree with most of what you've said except the bolded. There's no evidence to me that we've consistently tried to trade Rondo. I'd say the plan was to always try and keep him and get a Kevin Love type player with our lottery pick. Unfortunately, Cleveland's owners horsehoe up his @$$ decided to bestow them with Lebron James. It Happens.
 I think the only rumor I ever heard substantiated was Rondo to the hornets for Chris Paul which Danny Ainge admitted himself that Chris Paul shut down.
 Imagine if we'd had Chris Paul instead of Rondo and Rondo had started playing with Anthony Davis.
Wowweeee

Fine... to clarify, Ainge has always been open to moving Rondo... and there's been countless reports over the years that we've shopped him.  I know there's plenty of denial about that from a large sect of this forum... it's not worth arguing about it at this point.

I think the bottom line is that Rondo had previously expressed interest in staying here... but he also expressed a homeristic outlook on the future of this organization.  It's easy to play the company man when you believe your boss is about to land Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony.   Gotta imagine that seeing this offseason come and go with no significant improvements (other than drafting his replacement) must change Rondo's perspective a bit on the team.

I think at this point there's probably nobody interested in trading for him.  We could maybe wait until the deadline and hope to get lucky.  We could also maybe try to get through a season with disgruntled Rondo and hope that the trade market improves next summer... I guess there's a scenario where we make a trade for an impact player or two and Rondo decides to resign.   But right now, it's not looking good.

[KJR]

1. These "behind the scenes" comments are now common "made for internet" marketing pieces to draw attention to TV programs.  They occur almost every week now on almost every channel.  When guests are miked up and the cameras are rolling they well understand that everything they say might be "aired."  This might have been new five years ago.  It is now routine.  It is the same as if the comments were made "live" and neither more nor less accurate or candid for having been made "behind the scenes".

2. Jackie also said emphatically that KG was definitely retiring after the 2012 season.  I don't think she knows any more than anyone else.  And in addition, people change their minds all the time.  Rondo will do what he wants to do.  He can't know what that is until a definite situation is presented.

3. I've suggested that by far the likeliest scenario is that he plays the season out.  I didn't say a trade was impossible.  Sure, if the exact team that he wants to go to also wants him during the season, and if they are willing to offer him a max contract, and if they are willing to trade a package that the Celtics also want, then a trade could occur.  I'd put the odds of that happening at less than 10%.  If you include his top three choices, less than max money, and a less than stellar trade package, you might bump that up to 35%.  Still believe the likeliest scenario is he plays the season out.

4. He occasionally has emotional outbursts, but after he settles down, he's a strategic thinker ... Mr. Connect 4.  He's going to consider every angle and not just accept whatever random deal happens to be available.  Best time to evaluate everything and move the family is after the season.

5. Sometimes waiting is the best option.  Sometimes getting nothing in return is the best option.  Ainge has publicly stated this several times.  He's a smart guy also.  I realize most people don't understand these types of jiu jitsu moves.  But then again, most people take the extra donuts.

[Tr1boy]

This is my thought on all of this drama

1. Rondo wants to stay.  Ray Allen made a comment several seasons before about rumors that both of them might be gone by the deadline. Maybe it was a joke or nothing serious, but Rondo took it seriously and this is where their relationship went downhill

2. He wants to stay but also wants the money and more star quality players in the lineup. If Danny won't offer the type of money Rondo is looking for and/or can't add star level players (nobody to dance with) and Rondo does get the money he is looking for and guys like Harden, Cousins are begging him to come over,  there is a real good chance he will leave

3.  Danny knows Rondo has to play for his life this upcoming season. If he does, he can get ready to make an offer by the all star festivities.  If he does but won't commit to resigning for the long term, then Danny can trade him for more at the deadline. 

4. If Rondo just plays a little better than last season and his injury looks like it will permanently affect him,  Danny will definitely look to trade him to a playoff bound team (but likely won't get as much as if we traded him now).

5. Danny has Marcus Smart and worse case AB ready to take over the starting PG spot.


So bottom line is, Rondo has to have a great year in order for him to stay with/lead the team for the long term.  The team has to produce wins also and be better than last seasons version. If not, DAnny knows Rondo might walk by the end of the year.

Imo the realistic outcome is going to be what happened in 2012-2013 season.  Rondo does put up decent numbers, but hogs the ball, doesn't play focused defense and the team doesn't get anywhere.  Rondo knows how to stat pad and learned to do it from the best (PP, KG). But those guys also knew what it took to win games, if it meant  to give up the ball to a hotter scorer or take charges and do different things on the defensive end to get stops.   The worse thing Danny can do , is sign Rondo for the next 5 seasons, we keep finishing 9-11th, never get a decent draft pick ,  nobody wants to come here to play and remain stuck in mediocrity

[crimson_stallion]

How about Brooklyn?

Maybe they'd be willing to make a deal to get out of DWill and JJ's contract.

Rondo/Jeff Green/Bass/Anthony/Bogan's deal for
DWill and JJ.

Brooklyn gets future cap relief and reunites KG with more former Celt teammates.
Celts rebuild gets expedited, they return to being a playoff team with a lineup of DWill/AB/JJ/Sullinger/Olynyk/Zeller.

Plus, a "5 for 2" move helps clear up the Celts roster jam.

A win/win for both teams.

I think both Brooklyn's fanbase and management is so jaded after the Piece/KG trade that they would never consider this.

That's funny because that's the same we heard about Love and MN.  Danny has to quit raping these other GM's.

Also why would WE consider it?

DW and JJ are probably THE two worst contracts in the league - i'd go so far as to say worse than Wallace.  They are as close to untradeable as there is in this league.  Both players are a mediocre shell of their former selves, yet acquiring even one of them is enough o cripple a teams payroll - let alone both. 

[SparzWizard]

If we trading Rondo, please ship Gerald Wallace out too.

[Ogaju]

why would Indiana give up Hibbert for Rondo. Too many on this site over-value Rondo and undervalue Hibbert. So Hibbert had a bad year, unless there is something personal going on with him that Indiana needs to trade him they are not giving him up at all, much less giving him up in a fire sale.

I must admit that I have never thought of Rondo as fire sale talent.

When the word is out that your head case, no defense, no jump shot, PG has demanded a trade then you are dealing with a fire sale.

[GetLucky]

I'm going to start a conspiracy theory here. Join me if you would like something fun to do on a Sunday night.

It is pretty universally accepted that Jackie Mac is not the biggest fan of Rondo. She questions his character, reports he will be traded (as pointed out by many here), and just simply does not have a pleasant disposition towards him. Jackie is speaking pretty definitively here, but no other major reporter broke the news or supported it right away. As pointed out, JM is in a lose-lose where she either loses a lot of credibility, loses sources near the Celtics, or both.

So: What if Rondo''s agent told JM this to publicly discredit her? It would explain her certainty. It would also make sense for Rondo to do, as it gives Danny a kick in the rear to "pick it up or we leave." In addition, if Rondo actually wants to stay, it decreases his trade value (regardless of his play, which he could still earn big bucks for), which gives him some peace of mind because he knows how highly Danny values him. And if Rondo stays, Jackie will lose credit in all things Rondo, which will save Rondo from some extra criticism.

Let it be known that I like and respect JM. I just am throwing a hypothetical out there to spice up the conversation.   

[BballTim]

Rondo wanting out shouldn't surprise anyone who has been paying attention.   Last interview I heard with him, two things stuck out.

#1 - He said if he was in LeBron's shoes, he'd leave Miami, because they no longer could win a title and the whole point is to win championships in this league.  INteresting considering the Heat had just been to the Finals.  What's that say about Rondo when he plays for a 25-35 win team? Clearly shows that Rondo wants to play for a contender.

  That's likely just gamesmanship though. Why wouldn't Rondo want LeBron to leave? That broke up the team that won the east 4 straight years.

[BballTim]

I agree with some others throughout this thread and call "bull s" on Jackie MacMullan's "report."

It just doesn't add up.

Why are we suddenly hearing about this now and not earlier in the offseason?

Don't buy it.

That said, if it's true, I stand by my Brooklyn idea.

They would consider it for cap relief so they can be players in free agency in the next few years.

For the Celts, not only do they return to being competitive, but perhaps other free agents would now consider Boston because they'd have a better roster.

Also, I am not quite sure how the Celts "fleeced" the Nets in the KG/Pierce trade last year.

Brooklyn gave up 3 picks, but it's not like they became worse by adding KG and Pierce.

If they really want, give them one of their picks back.

Let's not forget, we also got strapped with Gerald Wallace's contract.

You're hearing about it now because the Kevin Love trade was just completed.  This team will be lucky to sniff 30 wins this season, even with Rondo healthy.  If Danny had managed to bring Love to Boston, things would be different - make a couple other moves, and a Rondo/Love combo gets you into the playoffs, certainly. 

And Jackie Mac's about as credible a reporter as there is for Boston sports.  If you don't want to believe her...  I hope you've got some q-tips to clean the sand out of your ears.

  The Love deal's been done for quite some time. I doubt the official announcement of it impacted anything.

  A quick question for people who think the rumor is true. Why would we have only have heard about this from an off the air clip of a tv show? Why wouldn't she actually report it? Has anyone seen claims by any credible reporter that Rondo's definitively told the team that he's leaving? Because if not it would have been quite a story to break. It's not like the story was new either. She'd known for a while that Rondo was definitely leaving the Celts yet never reported something that major that nobody else knew? Why would that be?

This is important, actually, because it's clear that the clip is mostly just the same sort of speculative BS'ing that takes up a large part of what we do here on a far more regular basis.

The takeaway, though, is that she's positive that Rondo's 'definitely' leaving the Celtics, but she isn't getting enough people to go on the record with it to write a legitimate story about it (that is, at least, how it appears to me).

   Apparently everyone she knows well enough to talk to about this has lot less faith in her having any credible sources on the Rondo's plans than you do.

[SparzWizard]

Or let's wait till the Woj bomb!

[RJ87]

I'm going to start a conspiracy theory here. Join me if you would like something fun to do on a Sunday night.

It is pretty universally accepted that Jackie Mac is not the biggest fan of Rondo. She questions his character, reports he will be traded (as pointed out by many here), and just simply does not have a pleasant disposition towards him. Jackie is speaking pretty definitively here, but no other major reporter broke the news or supported it right away. As pointed out, JM is in a lose-lose where she either loses a lot of credibility, loses sources near the Celtics, or both.

So: What if Rondo''s agent told JM this to publicly discredit her? It would explain her certainty. It would also make sense for Rondo to do, as it gives Danny a kick in the rear to "pick it up or we leave." In addition, if Rondo actually wants to stay, it decreases his trade value (regardless of his play, which he could still earn big bucks for), which gives him some peace of mind because he knows how highly Danny values him. And if Rondo stays, Jackie will lose credit in all things Rondo, which will save Rondo from some extra criticism.

Let it be known that I like and respect JM. I just am throwing a hypothetical out there to spice up the conversation.

I don't think so at all. As BballTim asked, why hasn't she run the story?

This is a juicy story. If you're a reporter and you've got the player's agent as your source, how do you not write and run that story?

[BballTim]

why would Indiana give up Hibbert for Rondo. Too many on this site over-value Rondo and undervalue Hibbert. So Hibbert had a bad year, unless there is something personal going on with him that Indiana needs to trade him they are not giving him up at all, much less giving him up in a fire sale.

I must admit that I have never thought of Rondo as fire sale talent.

When the word is out that your head case, no defense, no jump shot, PG has demanded a trade then you are dealing with a fire sale.

  We should just keep him then. It's the only smart thing to do under those circumstances.