Chauncey Billups would be perfect for this Celtic team.

[scaryjerry]

I'd rather have Billups when the Celtics play the Lakers, but I'd rather have Rondo for when they play just about every other team in the league.

Why? Rondo was a big reason the celtics won 3 games (including a triple double) in that series, and the big 3 all played terrible in games 6 and 7 of the finals, rondo was far from being the reason the celtics lost in a 7 game series that came down to the last quarter..
Rondo had one of his best regular season games last season against the lakers, and he was the catylyst for that memorable game 6 in 08 when we clinched the finals against the lakers

[GreenFaith1819]

Well, at the end of the day I choose the package of Rondo and Nate - behind door number 18, please.

As far as Chauncey helping us against the Lakers? Interesting concept, but I thought that the reason we lost to LA was Rebounds.......

[GreenFaith1819]

Jsaad - you make good points, but I think I'd go with ThirstyBoots here.

If there was someway we could get Chauncey for nothing (I know - extremely unlikely), then I'd go for it - but backing Rondo up, only.

Like others have mentioned in the thread, though - I don't see Denver just giving Chauncey up for free.

I just believe that like I stated previously - our lack of Bigs and rebounds ultimately hurt us against LA, and I believe that we've picked up maybe the two best Centers out there that were available to rectify that issue. In those two, we added 14 feet of length.

Sure - if Rondo had a jumper or made his free throws at a good clip that would've helped against LA, but I know that he will be better next season. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Rondo comes back next season with a better J and freethrow %, and he will.

Rondo (and Nate, too) are so young.....they will improve. And a training camp in Green will only help Nate.

Plus - I can imagine that after Rondo left Team USA, he began working on that J of his in earnest.

Jsaad - your mindset is probably that Rondo needs to hurry it up for his improvement, and that's ok. The Big Three aren't getting any younger. But I believe it'll all come together next year. Rondo has too much pride in himself to not get better.

[BballTim]

As Celtics fans it's all we should be thinking about anyway, but when I say Billups is better than Rondo I'm referring to playoff basketball when the game is slowed down and more half court involved.

  Billups went for a combined 21/3/7 in the playoffs the last 2 years. Rondo went for 16/7/10 in the same timeframe. When Denver played LA in the playoffs in 08-09 Billups had 18/4/6. Rondo had 14/6/8 this year. The numbers don't favor Billups as much as everyone seems to assume.

  One could also state that Billups stretches the floor and his teammates get easier shots when he's on the floor. On the flip side, though, consider our inside game. Rondo (by 82games numbers) either took or assisted 842 inside shots last year, or 10.4 a game. Billups either took or assisted about 395 inside shots last year, or about 5.4 a game.

   Rondo scores or assists roughly half of our inside shots when he's in the game, while Billups is involved in about a quarter of such shots for Denver. In the 08-09 playoffs the numbers were about the same, about 9.5 a game for Rondo and just under 5 a game for Billups.  Is Chauncey's superior outside shooting and the better spacing that he brings clearly more beneficial than the better inside play of Rondo, as well as the extra 3 assists and 4 rebounds a game Rajon brings?

[BballTim]

Billups might help the Celtics more than Rondo against the Lakers but I think he makes the team worse against just almost everyone else.

The Celtics best chance at getting back to the Finals is with Rondo.

  When we talk about helping the Celts against the Lakers, it's worth noting that Rondo led the Celts in rebounds per game vs the Lakers in the playoffs. I'm not sure how much weaker we want to get in that area.

[Who]

Billups might help the Celtics more than Rondo against the Lakers but I think he makes the team worse against just almost everyone else.

The Celtics best chance at getting back to the Finals is with Rondo.

  When we talk about helping the Celts against the Lakers, it's worth noting that Rondo led the Celts in rebounds per game vs the Lakers in the playoffs. I'm not sure how much weaker we want to get in that area.

I thought Rondo's rebounding was offset by Kobe Bryant's increased rebounding from playing the PG position defensively + actively helping off Rondo both defensively and on the glass.

[BballTim]

Billups might help the Celtics more than Rondo against the Lakers but I think he makes the team worse against just almost everyone else.

The Celtics best chance at getting back to the Finals is with Rondo.

  When we talk about helping the Celts against the Lakers, it's worth noting that Rondo led the Celts in rebounds per game vs the Lakers in the playoffs. I'm not sure how much weaker we want to get in that area.

I thought Rondo's rebounding was offset by Kobe Bryant's increased rebounding from playing the PG position defensively + actively helping off Rondo both defensively and on the glass.

  Kobe's rebounding seemed to take off after Perk was hurt. He had 30 rebounds in the first 5 games and 26 in the last 2. Rondo was (slightly) outrebounding Kobe in the first 5 games and the two teams were pretty equal in rebounds up to that point.

[Mike-Dub]

Billups might help the Celtics more than Rondo against the Lakers but I think he makes the team worse against just almost everyone else.

The Celtics best chance at getting back to the Finals is with Rondo.

  When we talk about helping the Celts against the Lakers, it's worth noting that Rondo led the Celts in rebounds per game vs the Lakers in the playoffs. I'm not sure how much weaker we want to get in that area.

I thought Rondo's rebounding was offset by Kobe Bryant's increased rebounding from playing the PG position defensively + actively helping off Rondo both defensively and on the glass.

  Kobe's rebounding seemed to take off after Perk was hurt. He had 30 rebounds in the first 5 games and 26 in the last 2. Rondo was (slightly) outrebounding Kobe in the first 5 games and the two teams were pretty equal in rebounds up to that point.

Exactly the reason we lost wasn't because of Rondo's deficiencies, but because of Perk being out and 22 free-throws in the fourth quarter for LA.  UGH IT'S NOT FAIR!!!

[guava_wrench]

Billups might help the Celtics more than Rondo against the Lakers but I think he makes the team worse against just almost everyone else.

The Celtics best chance at getting back to the Finals is with Rondo.

  When we talk about helping the Celts against the Lakers, it's worth noting that Rondo led the Celts in rebounds per game vs the Lakers in the playoffs. I'm not sure how much weaker we want to get in that area.

I thought Rondo's rebounding was offset by Kobe Bryant's increased rebounding from playing the PG position defensively + actively helping off Rondo both defensively and on the glass.

  Kobe's rebounding seemed to take off after Perk was hurt. He had 30 rebounds in the first 5 games and 26 in the last 2. Rondo was (slightly) outrebounding Kobe in the first 5 games and the two teams were pretty equal in rebounds up to that point.

Exactly the reason we lost wasn't because of Rondo's deficiencies, but because of Perk being out and 22 free-throws in the fourth quarter for LA.  UGH IT'S NOT FAIR!!!

Rondo should have denied Gasol post position!

 

[guava_wrench]

One problem that Rondo will always face in the eyes of fans is that scoring is given an exaggerated importance. The majority of fans notice when someone is not contributing scoring, but don't notice as readily when players are not contributing in other facets of the game.

[Greenbean]

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.

[screwedupmaniac]

Rondo is considered by the rest of the league to be a top 3 point guard...why is it that we always take his strengths for granted? He is better for this team than Billups would ever be.

Remember what Doc says...this starting 5 has never lost a playoff series.

[jambr380]

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.

But, with all of that being said, I think Rondo is still the clear choice for this team, now, and moving forward. The next couple of years, the Celtics don't need any major changes. Rondo plays very well with this group and bringing in a different pg could 'hurt' chemistry. Also (as everyone has already noted), the age difference can't be ignored. Rondo has many many more years as top notch pg. His shot may not get much better, but he is excellent now and will help us for years after the big three are gone.

[ManUp]

Rondo for Billups

Pros:
Spacing (too bad we have no one to drive the open lanes though)

Cons:
Defense (Billups play solid D but he doesn't create turnovers)
Playmaking (Billups doesn't force defenses to react anymore)
Rebounding (Rondo rolls out of the bed with 3/4 rebounds)
Offense becomes even more predictable.

For all the crap Rondo gets for playing poorly in the finals I'm pretty sure he would've been MVP had we won. Statistically the only player that you can make an argument for other than him is Pierce. Outside of freethrows he shot better than Ray, Rebounded better than KG, and created more than half of our offense. Fans keeping saying the offense stagnates because he can't shoot, but the truth is that the offense stagnates when the Big 3 aren't hitting their shots. That's what I saw in the finals Ray (the greatest shooter of all time) missing a zillion wide open jumpers, KG's 18 footer going MIA when the 4th rolls around, and Pierce's late game ISO's failing time and time again. Our half court offense would be fine if our scorers hit just half of the wide open shots they got. Pierce is probably the only guy who has an excuse for not being as affective in the 4th because he had Artest houndinng him, but the other guys just weren't hitting.

[wdleehi]

The difference in talent this year is to small to give up the future gains.



If Rondo improvement continues, it is possible he passes Billups this year. 







It would take a much bigger jump in talent to give up Rondo at this point.