The real path to a rebuild

[CoachBo]

Is getting Rondo healthy and aggressively marketing him around the league, for younger, immediately useable assets.

And then letting Pierce and Garnett retire - whenever they choose.

It should be clear to everyone by now that Pierce and Garnett will not fetch useful building blocks for a rebuild. The Nets offer for Pierce was absolutely absurd; trading Garnett for a younger, more costly version of the center Ainge offloaded two years ago and a guard who is Rondo lite, including shooting issues, accomplishes very little more.

However, Rondo is a different story. His ball-stopping, stats-driven offensive game - along with his growing ambivalence to even try to defend - are of declining use in a Doc Rivers system.

He is the Celtics' most valuable asset, albeit one of the more flawed ones.

The clearest path for Ainge is to offload a player who no longer fits in Rivers' system for assets, and await the retirement of his stars.

Then, you can start contemplating a rebuild, not just a useless collection of scrubs in Gerald Green-redux.

[BudweiserCeltic]

I agree with much of what you say, but I don't think you NEED to shop Rondo to accomplish it.

I'd be very interested in turning Rondo + Bass into Al Jefferson, and maximize our championship opportunities, particularly with our strong guard depth/rotation.

[PhoSita]

I agree, for the most part.

The rest of this season is peanuts.  Hopefully they make the playoffs and don't get embarrassed.  If they win a series, cool.

After that, hopefully Garnett and Pierce retire.  I'd like to see them end their career with some grace, hopefully after a hard-fought playoff series against a worthy opponent.

Then spend next season getting Rondo back into shape.  Without Pierce or Garnett around, Rondo can start to prove what he is - or isn't - worth.  Hopefully it's the former.  Then either at the  next trade deadline, or next year just before or soon after the draft, they can trade Rondo for younger assets and really kick off the rebuild.

In the meantime, Danny should be always on the lookout for opportunities to unload the longer term salary we have tied up in guys with little trade value and no-upside: i.e. Jason Terry and Brandon Bass.  Move Green, too, if he puts up nice numbers in a starting role and improves his stock.  Lee should be made very available if any attractive offers come along, but not for a simple salary dump.

[D Dub]

If KG and P retire after this season, and Rondo takes awhile to rehab, our 2014 pick will be quite valuable. 

I'd actually rather keep Rondo.  As one of the only pass-first guards in the L, feel he's the kind of guy a franchise player would like to team up with.

Bradley + 2014 1st + Huge TE?  That could net a big fish

[LooseCannon]

I'd be very interested in turning Rondo + Bass into Al Jefferson, and maximize our championship opportunities, particularly with our strong guard depth/rotation.

I'd be very interested in how you expect maximize championship opportunities with a trade that does the opposite.

[vinnie]

8-3 now without Rondo and 2 straight losses. The offense did not look good either against Denver or the Lakers. If they lose the rest of the games on this trip, or win only one, will the Rondo hate stop or will people find other excuses on which to pin the losing?

[BudweiserCeltic]

I'd be very interested in turning Rondo + Bass into Al Jefferson, and maximize our championship opportunities, particularly with our strong guard depth/rotation.

I'd be very interested in how you expect maximize championship opportunities with a trade that does the opposite.

I thought it was self explainable.

[vinnie]

I'd be very interested in turning Rondo + Bass into Al Jefferson, and maximize our championship opportunities, particularly with our strong guard depth/rotation.

I'd be very interested in how you expect maximize championship opportunities with a trade that does the opposite.

I thought it was self explainable.

I guess defense won't matter anymore if they bring in Big Al. Not against it, but would NEVER trade Rondo for him, never mind Rondo and Bass.

[kgfor3]

I'd rather keep Rondo and send Doc packing. 

[BudweiserCeltic]

I'd be very interested in turning Rondo + Bass into Al Jefferson, and maximize our championship opportunities, particularly with our strong guard depth/rotation.

I'd be very interested in how you expect maximize championship opportunities with a trade that does the opposite.

I thought it was self explainable.

I guess defense won't matter anymore if they bring in Big Al. Not against it, but would NEVER trade Rondo for him, never mind Rondo and Bass.

I don't care for Rondo's or Bass' defense for starters, and the reason you do it is because we have plenty of talent on our roster in our guard rotation.

Al Jefferson would be huge alongside KG, and a player that can play with Sully since he has size.

[vinnie]

I'd be very interested in turning Rondo + Bass into Al Jefferson, and maximize our championship opportunities, particularly with our strong guard depth/rotation.

I'd be very interested in how you expect maximize championship opportunities with a trade that does the opposite.

I thought it was self explainable.

I guess defense won't matter anymore if they bring in Big Al. Not against it, but would NEVER trade Rondo for him, never mind Rondo and Bass.

I don't care for Rondo's or Bass' defense for starters, and the reason you do it is because we have plenty of talent on our roster in our guard rotation.

Al Jefferson would be huge alongside KG, and a player that can play with Sully since he has size.

I think you overrate the guard talent. Decent, but far from great. Over-the-hill Jason Terry, a guy in Bradley who still has not played a full season due to injuries, an up-and-down Courtney Lee (definitely the best of the bunch in my opinion), and a new guy reportedly with a bad attitude in Jordan Crawford. None of this is fatal, but each one of these guys has flaws. And, none of them can efficiently run an offense.

[Lightskinsmurf]

8-3 now without Rondo and 2 straight losses. The offense did not look good either against Denver or the Lakers. If they lose the rest of the games on this trip, or win only one, will the Rondo hate stop or will people find other excuses on which to pin the losing?

Is that all you're concerned about? This team played poorly with rondo so why would it stop?

[blink]

I'd be very interested in turning Rondo + Bass into Al Jefferson, and maximize our championship opportunities, particularly with our strong guard depth/rotation.

I'd be very interested in how you expect maximize championship opportunities with a trade that does the opposite.

I thought it was self explainable.

I guess defense won't matter anymore if they bring in Big Al. Not against it, but would NEVER trade Rondo for him, never mind Rondo and Bass.

I agree with this.  I want more value for shipping out Rondo and Bass.

[BudweiserCeltic]

I'd be very interested in turning Rondo + Bass into Al Jefferson, and maximize our championship opportunities, particularly with our strong guard depth/rotation.

I'd be very interested in how you expect maximize championship opportunities with a trade that does the opposite.

I thought it was self explainable.

I guess defense won't matter anymore if they bring in Big Al. Not against it, but would NEVER trade Rondo for him, never mind Rondo and Bass.

I don't care for Rondo's or Bass' defense for starters, and the reason you do it is because we have plenty of talent on our roster in our guard rotation.

Al Jefferson would be huge alongside KG, and a player that can play with Sully since he has size.

I think you overrate the guard talent. Decent, but far from great. Over-the-hill Jason Terry, a guy in Bradley who still has not played a full season due to injuries, an up-and-down Courtney Lee (definitely the best of the bunch in my opinion), and a new guy reportedly with a bad attitude in Jordan Crawford. None of this is fatal, but each one of these guys has flaws. And, none of them can efficiently run an offense.

Yes, the world isn't perfect. The impact of the low post threat Jefferson presents is underrated, particularly for our shooters and for KG.

Everyone laments our lack of low post presence, you get an opportunity to add one of the most prolific low post players in this era, and you don't go for it?

Oh... and rebounds!

[BballTim]

Is getting Rondo healthy and aggressively marketing him around the league, for younger, immediately useable assets.

And then letting Pierce and Garnett retire - whenever they choose.

It should be clear to everyone by now that Pierce and Garnett will not fetch useful building blocks for a rebuild. The Nets offer for Pierce was absolutely absurd; trading Garnett for a younger, more costly version of the center Ainge offloaded two years ago and a guard who is Rondo lite, including shooting issues, accomplishes very little more.

However, Rondo is a different story. His ball-stopping, stats-driven offensive game - along with his growing ambivalence to even try to defend - are of declining use in a Doc Rivers system.

  Clearly Doc Rivers disagrees with you. He wants Rondo on the floor as much as possible, healthy or not. Beyond that, despite your "ball-stopping, stats-driven" claims, Rondo's a dominant player in the postseason. Go back and watch last year's playoffs. The odds of getting someone that will play like Rondo did in a trade aren't that high. The odds of drafting such a player and having him reach that level in the next few years aren't that great either. The odds of your rebuilding being successful without  such a player are miniscule at best.