Chauncey Billups would be perfect for this Celtic team.

[Roy H.]

I'd love to see Chauncey in green again some day, and I agree that he'd be a very good fit with our starters.  However, Rondo brings a dynamic in the transition game that Chauncey doesn't, and Rondo is a better defender, as well.

[BballTim]

In Jsaad's defense, I think some people are underrating Billups' leadership and are just painting him as a good outside shooter. The reason Denver is good now and has been good the past couple of years is solely because of the trade that brought him there (the reason Detroit stinks now is because Billups got traded). Billups is an incredibly smart player and can control the game at his pace.

  Denver, with the addition of Billups (and Birdman and Nene) won 4 more games than they did the year before.

[Roy H.]

In Jsaad's defense, I think some people are underrating Billups' leadership and are just painting him as a good outside shooter. The reason Denver is good now and has been good the past couple of years is solely because of the trade that brought him there (the reason Detroit stinks now is because Billups got traded). Billups is an incredibly smart player and can control the game at his pace.

  Denver, with the addition of Billups (and Birdman and Nene) won 4 more games than they did the year before.

. . . but made it to the Western Conference Finals, rather than getting swept in the first round like the year before.

[BballTim]

In Jsaad's defense, I think some people are underrating Billups' leadership and are just painting him as a good outside shooter. The reason Denver is good now and has been good the past couple of years is solely because of the trade that brought him there (the reason Detroit stinks now is because Billups got traded). Billups is an incredibly smart player and can control the game at his pace.

  Denver, with the addition of Billups (and Birdman and Nene) won 4 more games than they did the year before.

. . . but made it to the Western Conference Finals, rather than getting swept in the first round like the year before.

  Sure, but Billups wasn't the only major difference between the two teams.

[BballTim]

I'd love to see Chauncey in green again some day, and I agree that he'd be a very good fit with our starters.  However, Rondo brings a dynamic in the transition game that Chauncey doesn't, and Rondo is a better defender, as well.

  I don't think you can really get away with playing our other starters without Rondo's athleticism.

[Vermont Green]

Rondo is considered by the rest of the league to be a top 3 point guard...

I chose to quote Screwedupmaniac not to pick on him as he is pretty much saying the same as everyone else although I am not sure how he could substantiate the statement that I highlighted above (more on that below).

I will also say that I think Rondo is a very good player but overrated on this board.  The main thing that I don't think people take into account to the degree it should is the impact of his defender playing 10 feet off him.  That makes everything harder for everyone else on the floor.  Rondo gets his numbers but everything else bogs down.  That wouldn't happen with Billups.

Also keep in mind that there is one person whose judgement I trust who made a very clear statement that he thought Billups and a couple of other guys were better than Rondo (and certainly not top 3) and that would be Coach K.  Now don't jump all over me with the arguement that the Intl game is different.  I get that but I don't think you can discount what Coach K was saying by who he chose for Team USA and why.

And finally, Billups was the best player on a championship team not too long ago.  I believe he would be better than Rondo for this team for the next few years; in fact I think it would make us the favorite.  You can say oh what about defending Tony Parker (for example) but what about Tony Parker covering Billups?

The problem is after those 2 years, then what.  You give up quite a bit of the future but I think I would do it and I don't think Jsaad or the idea is stupid nor do I think Coach K would.

[thirstyboots18]

I like Billups but Rondo has one chink in his armour and that is shooting. The rest of him game is at a near elite level. We have and will win with Rondo and he IS getting better. Even if he has peaked, I can live with his level of PG play for the next 10 years.

Billups can shot from the outside but Rondo is sperior to him in every other phase of the game.

Everyone has at least one "chink,"   .  Rondo has maybe 10+ productive years ahead of him....Chauncy, not so long...and when you consider the level of Rondo's play, that is a huge advantage to keeping Rondo.  A  high quality starter replacement would be harder to find than a back up point guard.

[FatjohnReturns]

He's a playoff tested winner, loves the game, and has a short term contract aligned to expire with the rest of our savvy vets. Also, Denver is prepping to blow it up with Melo wanting out! So now is the time.

I know there's a lot of Rondo love on these boards, but his "hit or miss" performances and inconsistencies have really stagnated our offense in the playoffs (Not to mention he shot 26% from the line in the Finals). The problem is too, I think "he is what he is" and has peaked. I say we trade high now, grab Billups and Ty Lawson, win back to back titles and evaluate rebuilding in 2012 with Pierce, a boat load of cap space and some nice young mid level prospects with playoff experience on the roster.

Rondo is not a winning future and I would love to see Danny move in this direction:

Rajon Rondo and Nate Robinson

for

Chauncey Billups and Ty Lawson

Have to agree about Rondo. How about Melo and Billips for Rondo/Baby and Perkins(sign and trade).  Would you do it?

[housecall]

I think Danny should have had a decent veteran pg to back Rondo up his since becoming a starter.The few he got either moved on or just didn't pan out.One of Danny's priorities should have been is make the pg position as solid as he can.A good backup pg throughout the past 3-4 seasons would have helped this team a lot.Last season when Rondo struggled in second halves of games a veteran pg would have come in and ran the team without skipping a beat.I don't think we need a Rondo replacement as much as we need a decent back up pg.A Chancey-type would be nice as a backup.

[Jon]

As great as Chauncey is, I don't think he's a good fit here.  And it's really more because of his offense than defense.  Yes, his shooting would be a nice luxury; however, like our aging Big Three, Billups is no longer the scorer he once was.  Like our Big Three, he's getting his offense more and more off of jumpers in transition and kickouts.  And that's precisely why things fell apart for us in the 4th quarter in Game 7: no one could create a shot. 

Now assuming Rondo can get his head on straight and take it to the hole regardless of who is guarding him and whether he makes foul shots, he can be that scorer.  Will he lead the team in scoring?  No.  He might not even be in the top 3.  But he can be that guy who gets the buckets when the offense breaks down. 

I don't see Billups filling that role. 

[Who]

Now assuming Rondo can get his head on straight and take it to the hole regardless of who is guarding him and whether he makes foul shots, he can be that scorer.  Will he lead the team in scoring?  No.  He might not even be in the top 3.  But he can be that guy who gets the buckets when the offense breaks down. 

I don't see Billups filling that role. 

I am doubtful Rondo becomes that scoring threat with this roster. There are a lot of players in this supporting cast that like their touches + shot attempts. I don't think Rondo takes a larger role as a scorer with this supporting cast ... I think he concentrates more on setting everyone else up and I think Doc Rivers will be pointing him in that direction too.

I'd love him to take that step because he is the best player at creating his own shot on this team. He was for most of last season too ... but Doc wanted him to keep feeding the Big Three in the second half of last season instead of making a change and giving Rondo some more responsibility (scoring wise).

Rondo is the only player who is athletic enough (explosive athleticism) to beat whatever defender they put on him. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are more vulnerable to top defenders effecting their offense. Garnett can still create his own shot at an extremely high level but getting him to do that more often is easier said than done. I'd rather bet on Rondo.

[Who]

In Jsaad's defense, I think some people are underrating Billups' leadership and are just painting him as a good outside shooter. The reason Denver is good now and has been good the past couple of years is solely because of the trade that brought him there (the reason Detroit stinks now is because Billups got traded). Billups is an incredibly smart player and can control the game at his pace.

  Denver, with the addition of Billups (and Birdman and Nene) won 4 more games than they did the year before.

. . . but made it to the Western Conference Finals, rather than getting swept in the first round like the year before.

  Sure, but Billups wasn't the only major difference between the two teams.

Denver's improved defense led by Nene + Kenyon was a huge factor. Just as big as Billups' arrival.

[BballTim]

I will also say that I think Rondo is a very good player but overrated on this board.  The main thing that I don't think people take into account to the degree it should is the impact of his defender playing 10 feet off him.  That makes everything harder for everyone else on the floor.  Rondo gets his numbers but everything else bogs down.  That wouldn't happen with Billups.

  If Rondo's guy played that far off him all the time and everything else bogs down he'd average about 5-6 assists a game. I think when the season starts again you'll be shocked and amazed to see that the Celts get a lot of good looks at the basket in the half court with Rondo in the game.

Also keep in mind that there is one person whose judgement I trust who made a very clear statement that he thought Billups and a couple of other guys were better than Rondo (and certainly not top 3) and that would be Coach K.  Now don't jump all over me with the arguement that the Intl game is different.  I get that but I don't think you can discount what Coach K was saying by who he chose for Team USA and why.

  Coach K's offense consisted of transition baskets and 1v1 isolation moves whenever I watched them play. Very little ball movement. A playmaking pg wasn't really a necessity.

  Oh, and Billups was mainly a sg for coach K.

And finally, Billups was the best player on a championship team not too long ago.  I believe he would be better than Rondo for this team for the next few years; in fact I think it would make us the favorite.  You can say oh what about defending Tony Parker (for example) but what about Tony Parker covering Billups?

  When you say "not too long ago" you mean 6-7 years ago. Billups would have been better for the team in 2008, but I don't know that a point guard that doesn't get many assists is what we need at this point in time, aside from the drop in defense and our transition game.

[BballTim]

Now assuming Rondo can get his head on straight and take it to the hole regardless of who is guarding him and whether he makes foul shots, he can be that scorer.  Will he lead the team in scoring?  No.  He might not even be in the top 3.  But he can be that guy who gets the buckets when the offense breaks down. 

I don't see Billups filling that role. 

I am doubtful Rondo becomes that scoring threat with this roster. There are a lot of players in this supporting cast that like their touches + shot attempts. I don't think Rondo takes a larger role as a scorer with this supporting cast ... I think he concentrates more on setting everyone else up and I think Doc Rivers will be pointing him in that direction too.

  I wouldn't be surprised to see him take the ball to the rim more aggressively in transition next year. I don't think 16-17 a game is out of the question (he's done it in the playoffs the last 2 years) and that would put him within a few points a game of the top scoring point guards.

[Who]

Now assuming Rondo can get his head on straight and take it to the hole regardless of who is guarding him and whether he makes foul shots, he can be that scorer.  Will he lead the team in scoring?  No.  He might not even be in the top 3.  But he can be that guy who gets the buckets when the offense breaks down. 

I don't see Billups filling that role. 

I am doubtful Rondo becomes that scoring threat with this roster. There are a lot of players in this supporting cast that like their touches + shot attempts. I don't think Rondo takes a larger role as a scorer with this supporting cast ... I think he concentrates more on setting everyone else up and I think Doc Rivers will be pointing him in that direction too.

  I wouldn't be surprised to see him take the ball to the rim more aggressively in transition next year. I don't think 16-17 a game is out of the question (he's done it in the playoffs the last 2 years) and that would put him within a few points a game of the top scoring point guards.

I hope so ... I fully agree that he is capable of scoring at that level.