Rondo's a bit difficult. As one of a multi-star team, he doesn't create those Durant-Westbrook, James/Wade scoring clashes, so you like having Rondo as one of your stars. On the other hand, I would say that a ball-dominant scoring wing who isn't a good three point shooter is probably a bad choice of a star to be paired with Rondo.
So, if you believe you need to have multiple stars to contend for a championship, building a team with a Rondo probably means you avoid pairing him with iso-ball stars whose skills are similar to Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony or Dwyane Wade.
I'd argue that if you wanted to build a team around Rondo, you should look for a good big man and a wing who can pass and shoot threes.
So, basically, the key to building around Rondo is probably finding a star SG or SF who has many of the same strengths as Paul Pierce. I think the end result is that it is harder to build around Rondo, but if you find a second (and third) star who fits him perfectly, you can attain higher highs than surrounding some equal players with the same level of talent.
Pierce was an iso-ball star before Rondo's emergence. If Kobe or Melo had the right mindset they'd feast on the shots Rondo got for them. Wade probably wouldn't work that well, just like he and LeBron don't.
Or the right teammates. 'Melo played with AI, Chauncey Billups, and a rotating cast of "meh" in NYC. Not a pass-first point guard among them.
Kobe... well... Kobe played the triangle. Even if he hadn't, Fischer has been his most constant on-court co-guard.
I dunno if mindset is the right word, but its definitely habit at this point. I would love to see what would happen if you paired either of them with a floor general like Rondo. We all saw what happened with Paul (though Doc's influence can't be discounted).
You could still build a championship-caliber team around 'Melo. The Nuggets got to the finals. If the Knicks ever stop being the Knicks they could provide a serious threat to the East.
Kobe's probably too old.
Anyway, easiest player to build around is LeBron, hands-down no contest. He's an athletic force who can muscle his way to the rim at will, has an above-average jump shot, great passing skills, and is big enough to pull down rebounds. Oh, and his defense isn't too shabby (although a portion of that is how much he gets away with).
His biggest problem is his own head. So far he seems to be the most destructive when his team has a sizable lead, and he can "win the game" with a soul-crushing transition alley-oop. The kind that says "sorry team X, I know there's five minutes left on the clock, but I just pushed us to double digits with that slam, and we're winning this game."
(In fact, if you put him at the three and 'Melo at the four and a coach with the cojones to call them out, ala Stan Van, you'd have some serious damage to deal every game.)
Topic: Top players to build around. (Read 21082 times)