13 minutes a game. Man, people really are overanalyzing. Talking about the "2nd unit" as if it is an interchangeable and equal to the "1st unit" in terms of minutes. Many teams don't even play a whole 2nd unit. I think everyone is spoiled having an elite point guard, and the inevitable drop off in play when he is out of the game. Most teams would love to have Rondo, and then anybody else.
Can't we just be happy we have Rondo, and understand games are usually not won or lost during the 13 out of 48 minutes of the game when he is out? Why is it all anaylsis is based on comparing the Celtics to the uberteam, not just the rest of the league? How many teams have a dynamic 1st point, let alone 2nd point?
In the games that really require Rondo's skills, don't we think he is capable of playing even 42 minutes, meaning only 6 minutes without him on the floor? This topic is 3 years old now, and is no more relevant now than it was then. There is 1 team in the league with a better record right now, would you rather have this traditional 2nd point and have the 4th best record?
TP
This is exactly right. People are making a mountain out of a mole hill. This was a legitimate argument two years ago when Rondo was an untested 22-year-old, but now that he's proven he's a champion, the need for a backup is minimal. As KJ33 points out, we're talking about 13 mpg or less in the regular season, and probably something closer to 5 or 6 minutes come playoff time. Is the House/Daniels combo really that much of a problem that people don't think we can win #18 with them bringing the ball up the in the playoffs for 5-6 mpg?
More boggling to my mind is the OP's opinion that Lester Hudson is somehow the solution to the problem. First, the solution to our problem of having shooting guards handle the ball is to put a rookie, untested shooting guard at point guard? Doesn't make much sense to me. Second, what I don't think people are remembering is that in with the unit of House, Daniels, Wallace and Williams/Scal is usually Pierce or Allen. So putting Hudson on the floor would mean one of two things: we either don't have Pierce or Allen on the floor or we don't have Daniels or House. And both of those ideas make us a worse team, ball-handling or pushiness be darned.
Excellent post Jon. I now view Lester Hudson as a 2 guard who might one day replace House on the roster, with a lower shooting percentage possibly but better defense and driving ability. He's not going to help at PG except for a few seconds here and there. But these young players like Hudson, before they can be seen as eventual replacements for anyone, have to learn to play mistake-free ball, which is why, along with his excellent shooting, House is an integral part of the Celtics. He does a good job limiting his mistakes.
On the other hand, I'm sure the Celtics will have another, more pure PG on the roster by the time the playoffs roll around. We do need ball handling insurance imo.
Thank you. I'm not sure about another PG this year, though. It may happen; however, I'm not sure Danny is all that worried about it. Rondo is likely to play 40 mpg or more come the playoffs, so do we really have to sweat House playing the remaining 8 per game? I mean, can't we live with Marquis, Paul, or Ray bringing the ball up for 8 mpg?
Plus, when the playoffs come and Rondo, Ray, and Paul are all playing around 40 mpg, there's going to be very little time left at the 1-3 spots. So if the C's get another backup PG, that likely means that Eddie House is out of the rotation. That might be an OK thing; however, will that new backup PG give enough with his "playmaking" and "ball handling" to makeup for Eddie's shooting? I don't know. But I don't think we'll be able to have both.
