Bradley leads C's Sunday workout

[tonyto3690]

People are quick to forget what rondo can do and how fiery a person he is.  He is Kevin Garnett in a point guards body, minus the consistency. 

This is the guy that demanded to guard Lebron James and took on a 7 footer in a "fight"


Great to hear about bradley, he's always been reserved and it's great To hear him vein more comfortable but this supplant rondo nonsense has got to stop.

[crimson_stallion]

I can't help but mention it --

Could Bradley be the team's leader going forward, as opposed to Rondo?  Does Bradley's emerging leadership make Rondo more expendable?

I think I'd err on the side of "no, it doesn't," but it's something to think about.

Maybe a team led by Rondo and a team that embodies Bradley's defensive intensity are not mutually exclusive.  But I can't help wondering if it enters into the team's thinking about whether to keep Rondo.

I don't think he'll be the leader of the team.  He'll always just be a defensive role player, but I think I like the idea of him as starting PG.  I had a thread about this a few weeks ago... this league is littered with elite scoring point guards.  If you can't land one of those elite scoring point guards, it seems the next big thing would to be have an elite defensive role playing point guard to counteract half the league.  A beautiful example of this just happened against Steph Curry.

Rondo is not a scorer at all.  His skillset is interesting, but not something you build a champion around.  I think leaving Bradley at starting PG and trading Rondo to the highest bidder makes a lot of sense.   Granted, you aren't winning a title unless Bradley is your 5th best starter, but he's a good cog to have and he's definitely not a shooting guard (weak offensively and far too small to play the position long term). 

It makes the most sense to shop Rondo for the highest package.  Thing is... that's exactly what Ainge has been doing essentially every single year and it turns out that Rondo's not all that valuable on the trade market.  So we'll more than likely just hang onto him.

  Danny shopped Rondo for CP3. Anything else is conjecture on your part. And Rondo's led teams on deep playoff runs, you'd end up dumping him for a decent but consistent player and spend the next 10 or so years looking for a player who can lead a team on a deep playoff run.

Tim, I adore your posts, but I have it on high authority you actually work for Danny Ainge and your sole job is to flood Celtics message boards with Pro-Rondo propaganda in a vain attempt to desperately keep the perception of his plummeting trade value above water.   So i'll try not to argue with you.  Keep the illusion alive, brotha... at least until we ship him out of here.  It's for the greater good.

LOL TP for you!

Rondo must be the most opinion dividing player in the league.  Everyone seems to either:

1. Believe he is the next "god" on the basketball court or

2. Think he's a cancer and wanta to trade him out first chance.

I believe he's a great and very talented player, but possibly not the best one for this team.  If I could get a great scorer or a very good big for him I'd do it in a heartbeat, but for anything less I would keep him.

Unless Bradley emerges as a very good leader and solid player at the PG spot, then i'd consider trading him out for solid pieces that fill key needs.

As effective as Rondo + AB backcourt has been in the past, I still believe were better off with one of those guys + a bigger SG (at least 6'5").  I think Bradley improves our D more than Rondo improves our O, and he also is more mentally focused and dependable (in terms of not getting himself suspended in critical playoff games). And he's younger.  Idvi had to trade one of those guys it would be Rondo.

[Celtics18]

I can't help but mention it --

Could Bradley be the team's leader going forward, as opposed to Rondo?  Does Bradley's emerging leadership make Rondo more expendable?

I think I'd err on the side of "no, it doesn't," but it's something to think about.

Maybe a team led by Rondo and a team that embodies Bradley's defensive intensity are not mutually exclusive.  But I can't help wondering if it enters into the team's thinking about whether to keep Rondo.

I don't think he'll be the leader of the team.  He'll always just be a defensive role player, but I think I like the idea of him as starting PG.  I had a thread about this a few weeks ago... this league is littered with elite scoring point guards.  If you can't land one of those elite scoring point guards, it seems the next big thing would to be have an elite defensive role playing point guard to counteract half the league.  A beautiful example of this just happened against Steph Curry.

Rondo is not a scorer at all.  His skillset is interesting, but not something you build a champion around.  I think leaving Bradley at starting PG and trading Rondo to the highest bidder makes a lot of sense.   Granted, you aren't winning a title unless Bradley is your 5th best starter, but he's a good cog to have and he's definitely not a shooting guard (weak offensively and far too small to play the position long term). 

It makes the most sense to shop Rondo for the highest package.  Thing is... that's exactly what Ainge has been doing essentially every single year and it turns out that Rondo's not all that valuable on the trade market.  So we'll more than likely just hang onto him.

  Danny shopped Rondo for CP3. Anything else is conjecture on your part. And Rondo's led teams on deep playoff runs, you'd end up dumping him for a decent but consistent player and spend the next 10 or so years looking for a player who can lead a team on a deep playoff run.

Tim, I adore your posts, but I have it on high authority you actually work for Danny Ainge and your sole job is to flood Celtics message boards with Pro-Rondo propaganda in a vain attempt to desperately keep the perception of his plummeting trade value above water.   So i'll try not to argue with you.  Keep the illusion alive, brotha... at least until we ship him out of here.  It's for the greater good.

LOL TP for you!

Rondo must be the most opinion dividing player in the league.  Everyone seems to either:

1. Believe he is the next "god" on the basketball court or

2. Think he's a cancer and wanta to trade him out first chance.

I believe he's a great and very talented player, but possibly not the best one for this team.  If I could get a great scorer or a very good big for him I'd do it in a heartbeat, but for anything less I would keep him.

Unless Bradley emerges as a very good leader and solid player at the PG spot, then i'd consider trading him out for solid pieces that fill key needs.

As effective as Rondo + AB backcourt has been in the past, I still believe were better off with one of those guys + a bigger SG (at least 6'5").  I think Bradley improves our D more than Rondo improves our O, and he also is more mentally focused and dependable (in terms of not getting himself suspended in critical playoff games). And he's younger.  Idvi had to trade one of those guys it would be Rondo.

I want to see a healthy Rondo/Bradley backcourt together for a full season.  I was hoping it would be this year, but, unfortunately it wasn't to be.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get luckier next year.

I know they're undersized, but I think they can be a very good defensive tandem.  The league's not exactly teeming with 6'6" or bigger high scoring shooting guards.  Let's just look at the top teams in the league as examples.  Both OKC and San Antonio play with relatively big shooting guards, but neither Sefolosha nor Leonard are exactly big time scoring threats.  I'd feel comfortable putting Bradley on Westbrook or Parker, respectively, and having Rondo play more of a free safety defensively off Leonard or Sefolosha.

As for Miami, we already saw (admittedly in a very small sample) that our backcourt can match up well against them with Bradley on Wade and Rondo on Chalmers.

I remember reading a lot about how Joe Johnson was going to destroy Avery Bradley in last year's playoffs, but that never happened. 

Sure, it's unconventional to start a 6'1" and 6'2" backcourt, but as I said, I'm really looking forward to seeing how they handle a full season together.  Hopefully, Danny gives them that chance.

[CelticsFan9]

I can't help but mention it --

Could Bradley be the team's leader going forward, as opposed to Rondo?  Does Bradley's emerging leadership make Rondo more expendable?

I think I'd err on the side of "no, it doesn't," but it's something to think about.

Maybe a team led by Rondo and a team that embodies Bradley's defensive intensity are not mutually exclusive.  But I can't help wondering if it enters into the team's thinking about whether to keep Rondo.

I don't think he'll be the leader of the team.  He'll always just be a defensive role player, but I think I like the idea of him as starting PG.  I had a thread about this a few weeks ago... this league is littered with elite scoring point guards.  If you can't land one of those elite scoring point guards, it seems the next big thing would to be have an elite defensive role playing point guard to counteract half the league.  A beautiful example of this just happened against Steph Curry.

Rondo is not a scorer at all.  His skillset is interesting, but not something you build a champion around.  I think leaving Bradley at starting PG and trading Rondo to the highest bidder makes a lot of sense.   Granted, you aren't winning a title unless Bradley is your 5th best starter, but he's a good cog to have and he's definitely not a shooting guard (weak offensively and far too small to play the position long term). 

It makes the most sense to shop Rondo for the highest package.  Thing is... that's exactly what Ainge has been doing essentially every single year and it turns out that Rondo's not all that valuable on the trade market.  So we'll more than likely just hang onto him.

  Danny shopped Rondo for CP3. Anything else is conjecture on your part. And Rondo's led teams on deep playoff runs, you'd end up dumping him for a decent but consistent player and spend the next 10 or so years looking for a player who can lead a team on a deep playoff run.

Tim, I adore your posts, but I have it on high authority you actually work for Danny Ainge and your sole job is to flood Celtics message boards with Pro-Rondo propaganda in a vain attempt to desperately keep the perception of his plummeting trade value above water.   So i'll try not to argue with you.  Keep the illusion alive, brotha... at least until we ship him out of here.  It's for the greater good.

LOL TP for you!

Rondo must be the most opinion dividing player in the league.  Everyone seems to either:

1. Believe he is the next "god" on the basketball court or

2. Think he's a cancer and wanta to trade him out first chance.

I believe he's a great and very talented player, but possibly not the best one for this team.  If I could get a great scorer or a very good big for him I'd do it in a heartbeat, but for anything less I would keep him.

Unless Bradley emerges as a very good leader and solid player at the PG spot, then i'd consider trading him out for solid pieces that fill key needs.

As effective as Rondo + AB backcourt has been in the past, I still believe were better off with one of those guys + a bigger SG (at least 6'5").  I think Bradley improves our D more than Rondo improves our O, and he also is more mentally focused and dependable (in terms of not getting himself suspended in critical playoff games). And he's younger.  Idvi had to trade one of those guys it would be Rondo.

I want to see a healthy Rondo/Bradley backcourt together for a full season.  I was hoping it would be this year, but, unfortunately it wasn't to be.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get luckier next year.

I know they're undersized, but I think they can be a very good defensive tandem.  The league's not exactly teeming with 6'6" or bigger high scoring shooting guards.  Let's just look at the top teams in the league as examples.  Both OKC and San Antonio play with relatively big shooting guards, but neither Sefolosha nor Leonard are exactly big time scoring threats.  I'd feel comfortable putting Bradley on Westbrook or Parker, respectively, and having Rondo play more of a free safety defensively off Leonard or Sefolosha.

As for Miami, we already saw (admittedly in a very small sample) that our backcourt can match up well against them with Bradley on Wade and Rondo on Chalmers.

I remember reading a lot about how Joe Johnson was going to destroy Avery Bradley in last year's playoffs, but that never happened. 

Sure, it's unconventional to start a 6'1" and 6'2" backcourt, but as I said, I'm really looking forward to seeing how they handle a full season together.  Hopefully, Danny gives them that chance.

One of the biggest advantages of having a Rondo-Bradley tandem is that most SGs (who we're assuming will be guarded by Rondo) cannot post effectively.

There's Kobe, Wade, Joe Johnson...  That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

This lack of posting allows Rondo to defend SGs.  The only problem that could arise is SGs just shooting over the top, as Rondo is only 6'1" and most shooting guards are 6'5" or taller.

I, too, would like to see Rondo and Bradley work together for a full season.

[Q_FBE]

Has Rondo surpassed Antione Walker on the all time most talked about player in Celtics messageboard history?

LOL - It seems like he has 

[CelticConcourse]

Has Rondo surpassed Antione Walker on the all time most talked about player in Celtics messageboard history?

LOL - It seems like he has 

Only since he's injured He can't prove us wrong now! But srsly, give him a break. Let's concentrate on 18

[BballTim]

I can't help but mention it --

Could Bradley be the team's leader going forward, as opposed to Rondo?  Does Bradley's emerging leadership make Rondo more expendable?

I think I'd err on the side of "no, it doesn't," but it's something to think about.

Maybe a team led by Rondo and a team that embodies Bradley's defensive intensity are not mutually exclusive.  But I can't help wondering if it enters into the team's thinking about whether to keep Rondo.

I don't think he'll be the leader of the team.  He'll always just be a defensive role player, but I think I like the idea of him as starting PG.  I had a thread about this a few weeks ago... this league is littered with elite scoring point guards.  If you can't land one of those elite scoring point guards, it seems the next big thing would to be have an elite defensive role playing point guard to counteract half the league.  A beautiful example of this just happened against Steph Curry.

Rondo is not a scorer at all.  His skillset is interesting, but not something you build a champion around.  I think leaving Bradley at starting PG and trading Rondo to the highest bidder makes a lot of sense.   Granted, you aren't winning a title unless Bradley is your 5th best starter, but he's a good cog to have and he's definitely not a shooting guard (weak offensively and far too small to play the position long term). 

It makes the most sense to shop Rondo for the highest package.  Thing is... that's exactly what Ainge has been doing essentially every single year and it turns out that Rondo's not all that valuable on the trade market.  So we'll more than likely just hang onto him.

  Danny shopped Rondo for CP3. Anything else is conjecture on your part. And Rondo's led teams on deep playoff runs, you'd end up dumping him for a decent but consistent player and spend the next 10 or so years looking for a player who can lead a team on a deep playoff run.

Tim, I adore your posts, but I have it on high authority you actually work for Danny Ainge and your sole job is to flood Celtics message boards with Pro-Rondo propaganda in a vain attempt to desperately keep the perception of his plummeting trade value above water.   So i'll try not to argue with you.  Keep the illusion alive, brotha... at least until we ship him out of here.  It's for the greater good.

  Sorry for interrupting your non-stop narrative about how Rondo isn't the player he's shown himself to be over the last 3-4 years. You seem to think that if you say the same thing often enough it will somehow become valid, like you're a one-man ground swell of support for your own claims. I will admit that your claims about Rondo are *probably* more accurate than your evaluation of this year's 70+ win Lakers team although it's a horse race at this point in time.

[kozlodoev]

Rondo must be the most opinion dividing player in the league.  Everyone seems to either:

1. Believe he is the next "god" on the basketball court or

2. Think he's a cancer and wanta to trade him out first chance.

No, not really. It's just that people that fall in (1) typically think everyone who doesn't share their elation falls in (2).

Rondo is a great player, but he's not irreplaceable (or, indeed untradable).

[Celtics18]

Rondo must be the most opinion dividing player in the league.  Everyone seems to either:

1. Believe he is the next "god" on the basketball court or

2. Think he's a cancer and wanta to trade him out first chance.

No, not really. It's just that people that fall in (1) typically think everyone who doesn't share their elation falls in (2).

Rondo is a great player, but he's not irreplaceable (or, indeed untradable).

Funny.  It always seems to me that it's the other way around. 

[BballTim]

Rondo must be the most opinion dividing player in the league.  Everyone seems to either:

1. Believe he is the next "god" on the basketball court or

2. Think he's a cancer and wanta to trade him out first chance.

No, not really. It's just that people that fall in (1) typically think everyone who doesn't share their elation falls in (2).

Rondo is a great player, but he's not irreplaceable (or, indeed untradable).

Funny.  It always seems to me that it's the other way around.

  Lol.

[BballTim]

Rondo must be the most opinion dividing player in the league.  Everyone seems to either:

1. Believe he is the next "god" on the basketball court or

2. Think he's a cancer and wanta to trade him out first chance.

No, not really. It's just that people that fall in (1) typically think everyone who doesn't share their elation falls in (2).

Rondo is a great player, but he's not irreplaceable (or, indeed untradable).

  Claiming that, while Rondo's shooting woes have been a hindrance to the team, his other skills allow him to make a positive contribution on offense is seen as claiming he's "perfect" or "a god". It's all part of the fun of posting here.I can remember arguing with people who thought we wouldn't win a title in 2008 unless we upgraded our starting point guard. This was followed (over time) by arguments that he'd never be an average starting pg unless his shooting dramatically improved, followed by he'll never be an all-star the way he shoots, followed by he'll never be an elite player because of his shooting. In each discussion I was told that my love for Rondo was preventing me from seeing the obvious reality of the situation. Such is life.

[TripleOT]

Getting back to Bradley, his shooting display in Philly,  going 10-15 and 2-4 from three, kicked his shooting percentages from 41.7 to 43% overall and from 30 to 32% from three. 

The bump up was even more dramatic when he was 9-10 from the field, but unfortunately he missed 4 of his last five shots.  Overall, he was 7 for 11 with his jumper, and made one more J than the entire Sixers team, who went 6-34 with their jumpers.   

[indeedproceed]

Rondo must be the most opinion dividing player in the league.  Everyone seems to either:

1. Believe he is the next "god" on the basketball court or

2. Think he's a cancer and wanta to trade him out first chance.

No, not really. It's just that people that fall in (1) typically think everyone who doesn't share their elation falls in (2).

Rondo is a great player, but he's not irreplaceable (or, indeed untradable).

  Claiming that, while Rondo's shooting woes have been a hindrance to the team, his other skills allow him to make a positive contribution on offense is seen as claiming he's "perfect" or "a god". It's all part of the fun of posting here.I can remember arguing with people who thought we wouldn't win a title in 2008 unless we upgraded our starting point guard. This was followed (over time) by arguments that he'd never be an average starting pg unless his shooting dramatically improved, followed by he'll never be an all-star the way he shoots, followed by he'll never be an elite player because of his shooting. In each discussion I was told that my love for Rondo was preventing me from seeing the obvious reality of the situation. Such is life.

Rondo will never recover from his knee surgery until he shoots 44% on contested jumpers from the left elbow.

[kozlodoev]

Rondo must be the most opinion dividing player in the league.  Everyone seems to either:

1. Believe he is the next "god" on the basketball court or

2. Think he's a cancer and wanta to trade him out first chance.

No, not really. It's just that people that fall in (1) typically think everyone who doesn't share their elation falls in (2).

Rondo is a great player, but he's not irreplaceable (or, indeed untradable).

  Claiming that, while Rondo's shooting woes have been a hindrance to the team, his other skills allow him to make a positive contribution on offense is seen as claiming he's "perfect" or "a god". It's all part of the fun of posting here.I can remember arguing with people who thought we wouldn't win a title in 2008 unless we upgraded our starting point guard. This was followed (over time) by arguments that he'd never be an average starting pg unless his shooting dramatically improved, followed by he'll never be an all-star the way he shoots, followed by he'll never be an elite player because of his shooting. In each discussion I was told that my love for Rondo was preventing me from seeing the obvious reality of the situation. Such is life.

And the reality of the situation is that he'll be shipped out of town in the bat of an eye when the right player becomes available. The problem is, of course, that the price is steep, so it likely won't be soon, if at all. But such is life.

[Yogi]

   There really isn't a divide in opinion about Rondo at least for anyone who knows anything about basketball.  Rondo's fan list boasts Doc Rivers, Danny Ainge, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, Magic Johnson, Tommy Heinson, Bob Cousy.  Rondo's detractors are usually casual fans and over sensitive, incompetent media looking to sell some magazines.  Rondo is the Celtics.  The Celtics are Rondo.  He was bred by Pierce, KG and Doc to be a Celtic.  He returned their favor by keeping them relevant by carrying them deep in the playoffs against multiple MVPs.  He'll get us some championships too as soon as we can catch a break with these injuries.