Emeka Okafor Should be the deal breaker in any CP3 for Rondo trade = No Dwight

[Marcus13]

Who cares.  You're getting the best point guard in the league.

Take it and be happy

[paulcowens]

Folks are hanging an awful lot on the idea that having Chris Paul guarantees us Dwight Howard.  I think Dwight Howard throws out a lot of chaff about what he might be wanting to do.  I think Rondo gives us at least as good a chance at attracting Howard as any other pg in the league would do.  I'm sure Howard is well aware of the potentially record-breaking numbers Rondo was putting up when he had Shaq hanging around near the basket, even if Boston fans have forgotten.

Listen, I just wish Danny would make a commitment.  Either commit to building around Rondo, Danny, or trade him.  

This business of building our future around a guy we don't even know we'll be able to get, Howard, is nonsense.  Also, Howard has not proven himself to be the kind of guy you build around anymore than Rondo has.  Unlike Rondo, he (and Chris Paul too, btw) has already had a team built around him, and yet he doesn't have a ring.  Like Lebron James, he seems to blame this on the personnel around him.  For some reason, fans find this to be a sign of weakness in James, but they don't see it as a fault in Howard (or Paul).   Yes, KG came to us and then busted loose and won a championship.   That doesn't mean that each and every outstanding player who has been frustrated with the team he is on is on the verge of a championship, if only he came to the Celtics.  Going into the finals, did the Mavs look like a better team than the Heat?  I don't think so.  Something happened in Mavs-land this year, some like what happened with our Big Three that became the Big Four:  older players like Nowitski, Terri, and Kidd, and a young player in Barrea, just somehow facilitated together a Will to Win.  There is something elusive about that will to win.  Did anyone figure Dirk Nowitski to the Man of Destiny at the beginning of this season?  Just acquiring Howard won't make us automatic champions.

But one way or another, decide about Rondo, Danny.  Either he is your cornerstone for the future or he is not.  Decide.  Now.  No more shillyshallying about this.  Make a decision, oh MR. BOLD DECISIONS.  That is what counts more than anything.  It's not so much about who we build around.  It's that we make a decision and stick to it.  

[paulcowens]

Who cares.  You're getting the best point guard in the league.

Take it and be happy

Right.  Unless Rondo is the best point guard in the league.

[tyrone biggums]

Who says were a chance for Howard anyway? Even if we have the money?

Howard doesn't mean championships anyway.

Who says we don't have a chance for Howard? Danny is obviously saving the free cap space for 2012, and why would Doc stay for 5 years if he didn't think the c's would be able to be contenders going into the future . The C's are clearly going after him if he reaches free agency.

Howard/ Rondo gives us a much better chance at a championship than Paul/Okafor

But

of course Paul/ Howard is the best scenario, but like I said there's no way that can happen if we take on okafor.

We would basically become the Hornets of the east with the aging big 3.

Okafor could be involved in a sign and trade for Howard at the end of the year...no risk here.

[MBunge]

Okafor is a bit undersized when matched up against the league's big centers, like Bynum, but he averaged 10.3 pts, 9.5 rebs and 1.8 blocks last year in only 31 minutes a game.  That's basically the same production that Perkins had in his best season to date and I don't think Okafor is a substantially worse defender.

If there's a deal breaker it's that to take Okafor, Boston would have to add Ray or KG to the deal.

Mike

[the_Bird]

Okafor's plenty good to play the 5 on a very good squad, he's just a little overpaid with 3/$40 left on his contract.  But really, he's probably only overpaid by ~$3M a year; you don't find bigs with his skillset at much less than $10M per.  He's not a dealbreaker.

As was noted, though, the issue is the other salary you'd have to send out - probably KG.  It would have to be one of those wink-wink deals, but you KNOW every other team in the league would be SCREAMING if New Orleans bought out KG and he re-signed here.  There's a real risk the League wouldn't allow him to re-sign.  

The biggest risk of the trade is Chris Paul's injuries.  If he's healthy through the remainder of his contract, he's >>>> Rondo (and I love Rondo).  If he's hurt, though, the combination of his deal and Okafor's deal would kill us for three seasons.

EDIT: Okafor's not a dealbreaker, IMHO, because I don't think the Dwight Howard fantasies are realistic.  But, if you could get CP3 and Okafor AND keep KG/Ray, that's be a helluva squad.

CP3
Ray
Pierce
KG
Okafor

JO
Jeff Green
Delonte (resigned)
J^3
Kwame (MLE?)
Wafer (resigned)

That's a team that can win it all next year, and you'd still have a pretty decent core once KG and Ray are retired.  You could do worse than CP3/Okafor/Pierce/Green in 2013.

[Moranis]

Okafor's plenty good to play the 5 on a very good squad, he's just a little overpaid with 3/$40 left on his contract.  But really, he's probably only overpaid by ~$3M a year; you don't find bigs with his skillset at much less than $10M per.  He's not a dealbreaker.

As was noted, though, the issue is the other salary you'd have to send out - probably KG.  It would have to be one of those wink-wink deals, but you KNOW every other team in the league would be SCREAMING if New Orleans bought out KG and he re-signed here.  There's a real risk the League wouldn't allow him to re-sign.  

The biggest risk of the trade is Chris Paul's injuries.  If he's healthy through the remainder of his contract, he's >>>> Rondo (and I love Rondo).  If he's hurt, though, the combination of his deal and Okafor's deal would kill us for three seasons.

EDIT: Okafor's not a dealbreaker, IMHO, because I don't think the Dwight Howard fantasies are realistic.  But, if you could get CP3 and Okafor AND keep KG/Ray, that's be a helluva squad.

CP3
Ray
Pierce
KG
Okafor

JO
Jeff Green
Delonte (resigned)
J^3
Kwame (MLE?)
Wafer (resigned)

That's a team that can win it all next year, and you'd still have a pretty decent core once KG and Ray are retired.  You could do worse than CP3/Okafor/Pierce/Green in 2013.

at a minimum JO and Green would both have to go to New Orleans just to get the dollars anywhere close to the same ball park (and Green is still an attractive piece).

[the_Bird]

Okafor's plenty good to play the 5 on a very good squad, he's just a little overpaid with 3/$40 left on his contract.  But really, he's probably only overpaid by ~$3M a year; you don't find bigs with his skillset at much less than $10M per.  He's not a dealbreaker.

As was noted, though, the issue is the other salary you'd have to send out - probably KG.  It would have to be one of those wink-wink deals, but you KNOW every other team in the league would be SCREAMING if New Orleans bought out KG and he re-signed here.  There's a real risk the League wouldn't allow him to re-sign.  

The biggest risk of the trade is Chris Paul's injuries.  If he's healthy through the remainder of his contract, he's >>>> Rondo (and I love Rondo).  If he's hurt, though, the combination of his deal and Okafor's deal would kill us for three seasons.

EDIT: Okafor's not a dealbreaker, IMHO, because I don't think the Dwight Howard fantasies are realistic.  But, if you could get CP3 and Okafor AND keep KG/Ray, that's be a helluva squad.

CP3
Ray
Pierce
KG
Okafor

JO
Jeff Green
Delonte (resigned)
J^3
Kwame (MLE?)
Wafer (resigned)

That's a team that can win it all next year, and you'd still have a pretty decent core once KG and Ray are retired.  You could do worse than CP3/Okafor/Pierce/Green in 2013.

at a minimum JO and Green would both have to go to New Orleans just to get the dollars anywhere close to the same ball park (and Green is still an attractive piece).

I'm working under the assumption that Jeff has on the front page, that it would be basically a salary dump for NO; Rondo and KG (subsequently bought out by NO and re-signed by the C's) for CP3 and Okafor.  NO basically downgrades from CP3 to Rondo in exchange for getting out from Okafor's contract.  That trade works.  

[blake]

Right.  Unless Rondo is the best point guard in the league.

he is not.

rose
williams
cp3
westbrook

[boscel33]

i'd take okafor if it meant getting paul.  maybe with kg, pp, and ra in the locker room, this guy breaks out.

[PosImpos]

a) The chances of us getting Dwight any way are extremely low.

b) If taking on Emeka's contract is what it takes to get Paul, you have to do it. 

If the choice is CP3 + Okafor or a small chance at snagging Dwight Howard in free agency, I'll take the superstar and the solid role player center.

OK, but know that your roster until 2014-15 is Chris Paul,PP,Okafor and Maybe KG and Ray if they agree to come back for 5 or 6mil a year( the rest of the cap space)

Like I said you are contenders for 1 year and then what ?  KG is likely going to retire anyway and you have no ability to replace him with a big free agent .

If you just keep Rondo and all your trade chips and cap space, you already have an allstar PG and tons of cap room and trade chips to get another star in here.

Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, and Emeka Okafor is a much better core until 2014 than anything we're likely to have sticking with Rondo, cap space, and youth.


Would you prefer Rondo, OJ Mayo, and Brook Lopez?  Because that's probably a more likely free agent haul for 2012 than Dwight Howard.

  How did you end up with PP on one team and not the other?

Oversight.  Heh. 

Still, I'd take CP3 + Big 3 + Okafor over Rondo / Mayo / Pierce / Lopez.  The latter group would be pretty awful, imo.

[arctic 3.0]

Right.  Unless Rondo is the best point guard in the league.

he is not.

rose
williams
cp3
westbrook

really? westbrook?

i think rose is a spectacular player but i've never been a fan of score first point guards. i'd have to rank rose at three behind cp3 &dw and rondo fourth.
westbrook isn't yet in the conversation.

[CoachBo]

Who cares.  You're getting the best point guard in the league.

Take it and be happy

Right.  Unless Rondo is the best point guard in the league.

Which he isn't. Not even close.

[cman88]

Who cares.  You're getting the best point guard in the league.

Take it and be happy

Right.  Unless Rondo is the best point guard in the league.

Which he isn't. Not even close.

he might not be, but "not even close"?? give me a break...even most analysts put him in the upper echelon of elite point guards..

whats this negativity towards Rondo on this site stem from??

[LooseCannon]

whats this negativity towards Rondo on this site stem from??

Fatboys who identify with Big Baby looking for a different player than Glen Davis to criticize?