I almost feel bad for Rondo...

[Drucci]

Remember when Rondo signed a 5 years, 55$ million extension in early November? At the time, some people thought it was a bargain and some thought it was too much.

But now... I mean, sure, the Celtics are the winners in this story and this extension looks more and more bright as we see incredible contracts signed for players who are not worth of such amounts of money, but I almost feel bad for Rondo when I see that he got 55$ million for 5 years by opting for the security and a long-term contract instead of going to free agency, and that a guy like Rudy Gay makes 80$ million for 5 years or Joe Johnson and his ridiculous 119$ for 6 years!

Rondo is way better than both these players and way underpaid compared to them. Shocking. With that said, owners shouldn't even have the right to complain about the ridiculous contracts of the players next summer when discussing the new CBA, because we thought they had learned the lesson of not overpaying players, especially second bananas, but they striked again this year and maybe even more than in previous years... well done, geniuses.

[KungPoweChicken]

I was just going to start this thread. Rondo would definitely have gotten a max deal. Lucky for us.

[sk7326]

Remember when Rondo signed a 5 years, 55$ million extension in early November? At the time, some people thought it was a bargain and some thought it was too much.

But now... I mean, sure, the Celtics are the winners in this story and this extension looks more and more bright as we see incredible contracts signed for players who are not worth of such amounts of money, but I almost feel bad for Rondo when I see that he got 55$ million for 5 years by opting for the security and a long-term contract instead of going to free agency, and that a guy like Rudy Gay makes 80$ million for 5 years or Joe Johnson and his ridiculous 119$ for 6 years!

Rondo is way better than both these players and way underpaid compared to them. Shocking. With that said, owners shouldn't even have the right to complain about the ridiculous contracts of the players next summer when discussing the new CBA, because we thought they had learned the lesson of not overpaying players, especially second bananas, but they striked again this year and maybe even more than in previous years... well done, geniuses.

ALMOST.  Rondo took job security.  Basketball is like any other occupation.  It's a lot cheaper to keep your current employees happy than to go and hire new ones (of similar experience level etc).

[KCattheStripe]

The third best player from his draft just got a max deal. That's gotta sting a bit.

[BballTim]

  I predicted he'd get a big offer but most people didn't buy it.

  In a way, it will probably turn out to be a good thing for Rondo. I think that those contracts will turn out to be fairly burdensome for those players, in terms of what's expected of them, how they're viewed and who they're compared to. Rashard Lewis gets a lot of "not worth the money" comments, but the situation would be much more pronounced if Howard wasn't on the team. Dwight makes similar money and makes the team a title contender. If Lewis was making miles more money than anyone else on the roster and unable to lead the team anywhere things would get pretty ugly.

[ManUp]

TP for the last point on the owners. Joe Johnson who right now in his prime is barely better than a washed up VC is about to make 125 million. The owners are idiots you don't give Kobe/Lebron money to 3rd option guys. It seems to me the fans understand this better then the people running the teams.

[Mr October]

I think Rondo got a good deal. An all star PG who can't shoot shouldn't be making more than 11 million per year.

Heck, I don't think any PG is worth the max. Magic Johnson would have been the only exception because of his size.

Size and defense win championships.

[rkls134]

I think Rondo got a good deal. An all star PG who can't shoot shouldn't be making more than 11 million per year.

Heck, I don't think any PG is worth the max. Magic Johnson would have been the only exception because of his size.

Size and defense win championships.

My thoughts exactly, particularly the can't shoot part. Plus wouldn't he had been a restricted FA, thus not eligible for a Joe Johnson type of deal, and I don't think anyone would have offered a deal that the C's wouldn't or couldn't match.

[twinbree]

I'm sure Rondo is fine with his decision. He had to know a lot of overpaying would go on this season and wanted to sign the extension anyway. He did say he didn't want to be greedy so there could be money left over for others. He and his agent came up with that figure and they stuck to it. It's not like Danny lowballed him.

He's young and he'll have another chance at a max contract if he wants. Hopefully he understands there's more important keys to success than wringing every last available dollar out of his employers.

[misha]

I think Rondo got a good deal. An all star PG who can't shoot shouldn't be making more than 11 million per year.

Heck, I don't think any PG is worth the max. Magic Johnson would have been the only exception because of his size.

Size and defense win championships.

Yeah, but there's no doubt he could have gotten a better deal this summer from other teams. The last thing C's need right now is fighting for Rondo with desperate teams that have tons of cap space. It worked out good for both sides.

[gileyal]

Does it really matter that much? So you make 11 mil a year while someone else is making 16 even though you are currently a better player. It's not like the difference between 100K and 1Mil. This is enough to get you anything you ever wanted and much more. The additional 5 really wouldn't change his life that much.

[cdif911]

55 mil still buys a lot of rollerskates

[cdif911]

Does it really matter that much? So you make 11 mil a year while someone else is making 16 even though you are currently a better player. It's not like the difference between 100K and 1Mil. This is enough to get you anything you ever wanted and much more. The additional 5 really wouldn't change his life that much.

with the way guys like Antoine Walker, Scottie Pippen and (according to the NY Times) 60 percent of the league bankrupt within 5 years of being out of the league, another 5 million may make a difference, or may just be more blown money... man I wish I was friends with an NBAer, I'd totally protect 2 million for him and when he's broke give him 1 back...that's what friends are for

[ScoobyDoo]

I definately get the OP's point but don't really feel bad for Rondo at all. I think he got very good money for a highly talented, playmaking, rebounding and defensive guard.

But he is a major liablity on the offensive end in certain games because of his lack of a consistent jump shot. That affects the entire team's offensive might on some nights and Ainge has constantly searched for the right "shooting point" to offset that since Rondo's been here; hopefully he has found it with Bradley.

I think the 5 year, $55 mil is a very good deal for him, given his shooting. It sets his life up and if he develops a very reliable jump shot over the next five years he will be completely worthy of a max contract and he will get it, from Boston.

What's most amazing to me is that Rondo can actually dominate games without scoring; the mark of a truly great player.

Rondo got a good eal, Ainge made a nice salary read on the reality of who Rondo is at this point.

[cdif911]

Rondo got a good eal, Ainge made a nice salary read on the reality of who Rondo is at this point.

not who he is, but who he was

you're telling me in the open market this summer, he doesn't get a max deal from someone? If Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson get what they got, Rondo is a max guy...we got a steal