I would tend to agree, although I left off that Rondo is actually a significantly better rebounder than Parker. And he's also probably a somewhat better passer than Parker. Rondo is just much further from a finished product, and it is a gamble to give out a big contract to a young guy with many glaring omissions from his game.
While not a great shooter, Parker is a better outside shooter than Rondo. He does still finish a bit better than Rondo in my opinion, and he is a much better FT shooter. Those differences become even bigger when both guys rely so much on beating their opponents off the dribble and getting to the basket area. On the other hand, both guys are on good rebounding teams with powerful defensive anchors in Duncan and Garnett, so Rondo's rebounding and defensive advantages (though due to inconsistency, I think the defensive advantage is slighter than many would believe - in many circumstances, it would be better if he just stayed in front of guys instead of gambling for steals) are relatively less important.
Parker's better consistency is also crucial in a point guard. While Rondo doesn't turn the ball over a lot by any stretch of the imagination, Parker has an even lower turnover rate because he doesn't have the poor stretches Rondo can have. And Parker has very good court vision and awareness, something Rondo is again, good at, but just less consistent with.
So I don't think there's an enormous difference between the two, but it is rather apparent to me that right now, Parker is a better player. Maybe the fact that I emphasized my belief that Parker is underrated overshadowed my opinion that it's not a big discrepancy. But Parker has been relied on more over a longer period of time and has proven significantly more. I just think that Parker's significantly better scoring ability puts him a level above Rondo because while Rondo can do other things better, Parker does it more consistently. If Rondo matched Parker's scoring ability, he'd be a better player by virtue of his superior rebounding and passing.
Right now, if Rondo got Tony Parker money, he'd be overpaid. Doesn't mean I wouldn't do it on potential and ability to fit in on a team with a small championship window, but he'd be overpaid. If he goes out this year and plays in the same league as Parker - specifically by being more consistent on both ends and by making say one more out of every 7 or 8 open shots (jumpers and free throws) - then I'd be fine giving him Parker money. I think he needs a lot of improvement in shooting to hit the max level.
