Rondo Voted the 12th Best Player to Build Around

[indeedproceed]

Btw. I can't believe that Blake Griffin is on the list, and not Kevin Love. Griffin is one of the most fun players to watch, but he has yet to show the same killer instinct, that Love has developed tremendously this year.

I don't think they need to be evaluated as a pair. I think just "I can't believe Kevin Love isn't on that list" is probably a better statement.

And, FTR, Love's defense is still really awful. Offensively, he deserves a nickname, like 'Assassin' or something, but defensively he's got a longgggg ways to go.

not that Blake Griffin is some kind of defensive savant, I just think he's farther down that road than Love is.

[wdleehi]

SI polled 137 NBA players about who they would want to build a franchise around, and here was the top 15:

1. Lebron James
2. Dwight Howard
3. Kevin Durant
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Derrick Rose
6. Chris Paul
7. Dwyane Wade
8. Steve Nash
9. Blake Griffin
10. Deron Williams
11. Pau Gasol
12. Rajon Rondo
13. Eric Gordon
14. Ricky Rubio
15. Andrew Bynum

Now, I will say that some players seem off their rocker if Steve Nash is a better player to build around than, say, Russell Westbrook, but it's interesting. Building would imply younger players to me, and I'm surprised not to see Melo, Westbrook, Irving or Monroe on the list. Gasol is a great player but I wouldn't want to build around a guy in his 30s unless he's Kobe. Rubio over Westbrook or Irving was confusing to me as well.

But, the point of this post is that it's cool to see Rondo up there at #12. One of the most important things for this franchise moving forward is if other players think Rondo can be a primary building block, and if they would sign here to play with him. Clearly, this poll is evidence for those who argue for building around Rajon since other impact players would want to play with him.

Here's a link: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1203/nba.poll.franchise.player/content.1.html

The way I see it is this.  Without a passer, the bigs and the olds don't do much.  Ask current-day Orlando.  New list:

1. Lebron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Derrick Rose
4. Chris Paul
5. Dwyane Wade
6. Rajon Rondo
7. Deron Williams
8. Blake Griffin
9. Eric Gordon
10.Brian Scalabrine (from intense practices)

There you have it. Rondo = 6th best.

No Howard is crazy.


He has carried a team to the Finals.  He would be 2nd only to Lebron in terms of building a team. 

[guava_wrench]

Most players would not make very good GMs, I see.

Nor would most fans.

Not surprising to not see Melo or Westbrook. Melo is a great guy to build a team around if you want to guarantee mediocrity. A team built around Westbrook would be incredibly inconsistent and I wonder how involved players will be if Westbrook is the man.

[Moranis]

Most players would not make very good GMs, I see.

I don't think that is the point. NBA Players made this list. NBA Players that sign Free Agent contracts. NBA players want to play with the players on that list. NBA Players would like to play with Rondo.

  The same players that I've repeatedly been told won't consider signing with Boston unless we trade Rondo away.

the only two free agents that really matter are Deron Williams and Dwight Howard and they want to play together.

  So you're saying that you're fairly certain that they'll end up on the same team next year?

I would be surprised if they didn't unless Dwight is traded and extended before the deadline.

[droopdog7]

SI polled 137 NBA players about who they would want to build a franchise around, and here was the top 15:

1. Lebron James
2. Dwight Howard
3. Kevin Durant
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Derrick Rose
6. Chris Paul
7. Dwyane Wade
8. Steve Nash
9. Blake Griffin
10. Deron Williams
11. Pau Gasol
12. Rajon Rondo
13. Eric Gordon
14. Ricky Rubio
15. Andrew Bynum

Now, I will say that some players seem off their rocker if Steve Nash is a better player to build around than, say, Russell Westbrook, but it's interesting. Building would imply younger players to me, and I'm surprised not to see Melo, Westbrook, Irving or Monroe on the list. Gasol is a great player but I wouldn't want to build around a guy in his 30s unless he's Kobe. Rubio over Westbrook or Irving was confusing to me as well.

But, the point of this post is that it's cool to see Rondo up there at #12. One of the most important things for this franchise moving forward is if other players think Rondo can be a primary building block, and if they would sign here to play with him. Clearly, this poll is evidence for those who argue for building around Rajon since other impact players would want to play with him.

Here's a link: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1203/nba.poll.franchise.player/content.1.html

The way I see it is this.  Without a passer, the bigs and the olds don't do much.  Ask current-day Orlando.  New list:

1. Lebron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Derrick Rose
4. Chris Paul
5. Dwyane Wade
6. Rajon Rondo
7. Deron Williams
8. Blake Griffin
9. Eric Gordon
10.Brian Scalabrine (from intense practices)

There you have it. Rondo = 6th best.

No Howard?  I put Howard second and he isn't even on your list.

[bdm860]

Do you know how many votes you need to finish 12th when only 137 people voted?  Not many.

Maybe it went something like this:

1. Lebron James   40
2. Dwight Howard   35
3. Kevin Durant   30
4. Kobe Bryant   7
5. Derrick Rose   6
6. Chris Paul   5
7. Dwyane Wade   4
8. Steve Nash   2
9. Blake Griffin   2
10. Deron Williams   1
11. Pau Gasol   1
12. Rajon Rondo   1
13. Eric Gordon   1
14. Ricky Rubio   1
15. Andrew Bynum   1



If anything though, I'd imagine the SI questioner to players went something like: "List in order, the top 3 players you'd want to build a team around." Like an MVP ballot.

I'm sure LeBron, Dwight, and Durant were 1-3 on most people's ballots.  Also maybe the questionnaires were sent to someone in the team office, who distributed it to players, so maybe somebody in the Lakers and Suns organization made sure every player filled it out (hence 3 Lakers and Steve Nash) while other organizations like the Knicks and Mavs probably blew it off. Some players are probably loyal to their current teammates too (I wouldn't be surprised if someone on the Hornets voted Eric Gordon, and purposefully didn't vote Chris Paul out of spite).  Really Rondo probably got like two or three 3rd place votes, or maybe one 2nd place vote at best.  And maybe that one vote came from Big Baby or Nate Robinson or Sasha Pavlovic, not the kind of players you're hoping want to play here with Rondo.

This is like when PJ Brown and Marcus Camby both finished 14th in MVP voting in 2005, each getting one 5th place vote.  It does not mean either were the 14th best player in the NBA.

[snively]

Most players would not make very good GMs, I see.

I don't think that is the point. NBA Players made this list. NBA Players that sign Free Agent contracts. NBA players want to play with the players on that list. NBA Players would like to play with Rondo.

  The same players that I've repeatedly been told won't consider signing with Boston unless we trade Rondo away.

Certainly is an interesting piece of information. Most things you read about Rondo paint him as squarely outside the 'cool kids' circle that many NBA superduper stars seem to run in.

When you see he's the 4th most valued PG by NBA stars, that's something new. Even if the methodology is flawed, or there aren't any real-life coincidences of this, it does certainly fly in the face of what we've been led to believe.

What have you read that's led you to believe that?

[BballTim]

Most players would not make very good GMs, I see.

I don't think that is the point. NBA Players made this list. NBA Players that sign Free Agent contracts. NBA players want to play with the players on that list. NBA Players would like to play with Rondo.

  The same players that I've repeatedly been told won't consider signing with Boston unless we trade Rondo away.

Certainly is an interesting piece of information. Most things you read about Rondo paint him as squarely outside the 'cool kids' circle that many NBA superduper stars seem to run in.

When you see he's the 4th most valued PG by NBA stars, that's something new. Even if the methodology is flawed, or there aren't any real-life coincidences of this, it does certainly fly in the face of what we've been led to believe.

  I think it's more a case of people here leading themselves or each other to believe something.

[indeedproceed]

Most players would not make very good GMs, I see.

I don't think that is the point. NBA Players made this list. NBA Players that sign Free Agent contracts. NBA players want to play with the players on that list. NBA Players would like to play with Rondo.

  The same players that I've repeatedly been told won't consider signing with Boston unless we trade Rondo away.

Certainly is an interesting piece of information. Most things you read about Rondo paint him as squarely outside the 'cool kids' circle that many NBA superduper stars seem to run in.

When you see he's the 4th most valued PG by NBA stars, that's something new. Even if the methodology is flawed, or there aren't any real-life coincidences of this, it does certainly fly in the face of what we've been led to believe.

  I think it's more a case of people here leading themselves or each other to believe something.

Disagree, but we've done this dance before. No need to do it again. Good for Rondo to get on the list, hopefully if he doesn't get moved, it'll reap some positive results.

EDIT: Not that I think Rondo is a 'negative draw', I just never saw him as a guy like CP3 or LeBron that people are just dying to play with, or that other players would see him as an ideal player to build around.

[European NBA fan]

Btw. I can't believe that Blake Griffin is on the list, and not Kevin Love. Griffin is one of the most fun players to watch, but he has yet to show the same killer instinct, that Love has developed tremendously this year.

I don't think they need to be evaluated as a pair. I think just "I can't believe Kevin Love isn't on that list" is probably a better statement.

And, FTR, Love's defense is still really awful. Offensively, he deserves a nickname, like 'Assassin' or something, but defensively he's got a longgggg ways to go.

not that Blake Griffin is some kind of defensive savant, I just think he's farther down that road than Love is.

I wasn't counting them as a pair. I just think that Griffin is the one on the list who has yet to prove himself to be more than a highlight reel (even though a quite efficient one), while Kevin Love by many is considered the best pf in the game.

[Roy H.]

12th shows that Rondo is respected, but I've got to think that 95% of player votes were for one of the top six players or so.  No player in their right mind would ever choose Rondo to start their franchise with, assuming that they had a pick of any player.

[indeedproceed]

Btw. I can't believe that Blake Griffin is on the list, and not Kevin Love. Griffin is one of the most fun players to watch, but he has yet to show the same killer instinct, that Love has developed tremendously this year.

I don't think they need to be evaluated as a pair. I think just "I can't believe Kevin Love isn't on that list" is probably a better statement.

And, FTR, Love's defense is still really awful. Offensively, he deserves a nickname, like 'Assassin' or something, but defensively he's got a longgggg ways to go.

not that Blake Griffin is some kind of defensive savant, I just think he's farther down that road than Love is.

I wasn't counting them as a pair. I just think that Griffin is the one on the list who has yet to prove himself to be more than a highlight reel (even though a quite efficient one), while Kevin Love by many is considered the best pf in the game.

Who considers Kevin Love to be better than Pau Gasol, Lamarcus Aldridge, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Amar'e, etc..?

He's a heck of a player, but even if I was starting from scratch I'd rather have LaMarcus Aldridge or Blake, just because of how much Blake can improve with his amazing athleticism.

[nickagneta]

I didn't see when they did the poll or how they did it. Did they ask just for one player's name or top 5 players or what?

I think the methodology would be good to know?

That said I read where someone said that they would trade Rondo straight up for Rubio. Why?

Rubio might be a worse shooter than Rondo and is probably a worse defender and passer than Rondo. Also, Rondo is the type of player that separates and elbow and comes back to play in the same game and Rubio is the type of player that has to have his coaches complain to the league because he is being handled too physically.

Sorry Ricky, NBA basketball is a contact sport

[Moranis]

I didn't see when they did the poll or how they did it. Did they ask just for one player's name or top 5 players or what?

I think the methodology would be good to know?

That said I read where someone said that they would trade Rondo straight up for Rubio. Why?

Rubio might be a worse shooter than Rondo and is probably a worse defender and passer than Rondo. Also, Rondo is the type of player that separates and elbow and comes back to play in the same game and Rubio is the type of player that has to have his coaches complain to the league because he is being handled too physically.

Sorry Ricky, NBA basketball is a contact sport

Rubio is 33% from three and 81% from the line.  I think it is pretty safe to say he is not a worse shooter than Rondo.  He is also a 21 year old rookie in a foreign country.

[European NBA fan]

Btw. I can't believe that Blake Griffin is on the list, and not Kevin Love. Griffin is one of the most fun players to watch, but he has yet to show the same killer instinct, that Love has developed tremendously this year.

I don't think they need to be evaluated as a pair. I think just "I can't believe Kevin Love isn't on that list" is probably a better statement.

And, FTR, Love's defense is still really awful. Offensively, he deserves a nickname, like 'Assassin' or something, but defensively he's got a longgggg ways to go.

not that Blake Griffin is some kind of defensive savant, I just think he's farther down that road than Love is.

I wasn't counting them as a pair. I just think that Griffin is the one on the list who has yet to prove himself to be more than a highlight reel (even though a quite efficient one), while Kevin Love by many is considered the best pf in the game.

Who considers Kevin Love to be better than Pau Gasol, Lamarcus Aldridge, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Amar'e, etc..?

He's a heck of a player, but even if I was starting from scratch I'd rather have LaMarcus Aldridge or Blake, just because of how much Blake can improve with his amazing athleticism.

Kevin Love himself thinks that he is the best, so at least there is one person And Sekou Smith, among others, agrees with him. I have heard numerous announcers on league pass say the same.

Although I love Aldridge, the choice for me would be between Love or Griffin, if I should start with a pf from scratch, and I would probably go with Love, simply because I know that he can take over and win games.