No matter his position, a teams best player must be able to consistently put the ball in the hoops at a high percentage if that team is going to have any real success. He does not need to be the team's leading scorer, but he must be able to score the ball consistently when needed. Rondo is not that type of player as is being proven this year. With Pierce and Garnett slipping and a silky shooter like Allen gone, Boston's offense has been horrible on the whole and it is because of Rondo's inability to score as clearly Boston's best player. Rondo can't be that guy and as such, is not a player to build around. Rondo can be a fine complementary piece as the 2nd or 3rd best player on a team, but he can't be a team's best player for that team to be a true contender. And sadly Boston has very limited means with which to obtain said player as long as Rondo is on the team, so he needs to go.
Moranis, this is a very sensible post except for the very last thought. Whether we keep Rondo or not, getting the next Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett is no easy task.
I am not looking to trade Rondo but I would also not hesitate if someone was willing to give up enough. I would not expect Rondo to fetch the next star in return though, unless we get really lucky.
I do agree with you totally though that a team with Rondo as their best player is not going far. To me, that is becoming painfully apparent this year but for saying so many will respond that you think Rondo sucks.
Rondo is a very good player and can help a team in a lot of ways. He can handle pressure and perform on the biggest stage but he can't be "the guy", at least not until he learns to shot better.
Irving can't either right now but I feel he is already slightly better than Rondo and has a higher upside. We will see how much of that promise he actually fulfills.