Rondo next shoe to drop?

[LarBrd33]

The undervaluing of Rondo in this thread has been quite impressive.

Do you think Orlando would give up the #2 pick for him?  I'm not sure if they would.

[KGs Knee]

As much as I haet this crap sandwich of a deal with LA, if the end game is Danny deciding to go forward with a rebuild centered around Rondo, I can sorta buy into that.

Rondo should be the future of the C's.

[Juneauz]

Any GM in his right mind would want Rondo on his team to build a contender.

That's why we shouldn't give it to him.

[NocturnalRebel]

Rondo would be tha last of tha mohicans if Doc, Pierce, and KG are gone. I'm not sure if he would request a trade or want to stay a Celtic if they're gone but I want Rondo to stay. He should definitely be a part of tha C's future going forward and should be tha piece to build around.

[RJ87]

I doubt we trade for Josh Smith. I think adding Smith to the core we have (had) then it made some sense. Adding Smith to a rebuilding team is bad for us and bad for Smith. He's 27 and probably doesn't want to wait 2-3 years to contend. Truth be told I expect Smith to be a Laker next year.

With Doc and KG gone I expect Rondo to be traded either before the draft or at the deadline this upcoming season.

No way Smith is a Laker next. One of the penalties of being over the hard cap is that the team can't do sign & trades. Lakers are way over the hard cap.

And I don't think Rondo gets traded, unless its for a superstar talent. There are none of those slated to be available.

[aporel#18]

Don't trade Rondo if you aren't getting LeBron, Durant, Chris Paul, and maybe Marc Gasol, Paul George or Wiggins/Jabari in return.

He's the future of the Celtics unless they are getting a bigger star. Not happening, so the best way is build a team around him with

- A big who can block shots and defend with the best while keeping defenses honest (Melo? unlikely. Go for Aldridge if you get enough pieces to trade in 2014)

- A great shooter to spread the floor (2014 rookie?)

- A 2nd option on offense like Uncle Jeff.

- A big who can score in the post and rebound like a madman, like Sully

Rondo can be the 3rd option on offense while being the best player on the floor. He just needs to 'get it' and act like the best player on the floor every game.

[crimson_stallion]

Why ? The point of rebuilding is filling out the roster with a proper starting 5 with above average to star players and then putting role players around them. We already covered pg and sf with very good deals why mess with that ?
The best route is what danny has in mind , trade for pics , go after a third guy who's pretty good (J-smith or millsap) , tank next year hope for a good draft pick and BAM you are competing again. We wouldn't be contenders but I could see us where golden state is right now.

I agree.  Smith has been arguably the best player in Atlanta for a while now.  Joe Johnson was in Brooklyn last year and Hortford was injured much of tree previous year.  Smith had a big part in leading Atlanta to the playoffs with pretty strong regular season records both seasons .

Josh Smith it's a lot like Rondo in that he can impact the game in so many ways, and can be absolutely dominant at times.  He gives us the rebounding and shoot blocking we've wanted for years, he's a very good passer, he can score inside/out and he is a beast on the fast break, and he can send two or three positions.

The interest in Millsap is what throws me.  Jefferson I understand, but Millsap?  His 14/7 from last year are prerty much bass numbers from a season before...not exciting...

[jay]

Orlando would be a better trade partner.

Can they trade Turkoglu with either Harkless or Nicholson and take back Bass with Rondo?

You get the #2 pick instead of #4, which gives you a chance of getting Noel.  He is a better player going forward, PLUS his injury allows you to be shorthanded and have an even better excuse to tank.

2015:

 PG: Schroeder   Bradley
SG: (top 4 pick)   Turkoglu(expiring)
SF: Green   Butler(expiring)
PF: Sullinger  Nicholson
C:  Jordan  Noel

[Casperian]

It makes no sense to even talk about trading him now while he´s still injured. If we want to trade him, we got to do it when he´s come back healthy.

Then, however...

[EJPLAYA]

I certainly hope so. You don't dump Doc, KG, and PP if you aren't committed to a full rebuild. Trying to build a championship team around an extremely talented PG with big glaring flaws in his game, is fools gold. He isn't capable of being the centerpiece of the team if you want to hang a banner. Sure he could get you to the playoffs with the right 3-4 other pieces, but if he's the best player on your team you don't win it all.

On the other hand, you don't give the guy away either. He has a very cap friendly contract for his ability and even though he is hurt I am sure there would be some serious interest out there. I would be looking either for a legitimate all star 2-3, or some upside players with a couple of likely lower lottery picks. If not, he's better on the roster.

[Celtics18]

If any value can be had for a Top 10 PG coming off major ACL surgery, yeah... it would be the smart move.

I guess if all we got for KG was Deandre and a 1st, we should look into flipping DeAndre for cap space and another pic (someone mentioned we could send him to Portland for the #10).  I'd try to get a draft pick for Pierce... like send him to the Cavs for a late 1st rounder... or maybe you could send him to Dallas for the #14 and expiring.  Then, if the value is there... I'd try to trade Rondo for a high pick.

For example, could you use Rondo to shed another salary?  Rondo + Jason Terry to Orlando for the #2 pick and Turkaglu's expiring?  Would Orlando hang up the phone? 

Anyhow, bottom line is that this team isn't contending for a title next season no matter what we do... sans trading for Chris Paul and Dwight Howard.  So it's probably as good a time as any to dump everyone for cap space, young talent and lots and lots of draft picks.  Embrace the tank and lock up a top 5 pick int he 2014 draft.  Even if we miss out on Wiggins, there will be some serious talent taken in the first 5 picks of the 2014 draft... we'll have lots of assets, lots of cap space... and we can have plenty of chips to build a franchise.  If we play our cards right, we'll be in the playoffs again by 2018 and potentially a contender in 2020.

Nah, keeping Rondo allows us the ability to be able to return to contention much sooner than tearing the whole thing down and starting from scratch. 

One of the keys to to building our recent successful run was not just who we acquired, but also who we managed to hang onto. 

[Celtics4ever]

Next show to drop ought to be up the OP's rear end.

Still have to sell tickets.   He is still young and is injured.  I am seeing it happen.

[eugen]

How about trrading Rondo+Melo, for Kirilenko and Rubio?

[Celtics18]

I certainly hope so. You don't dump Doc, KG, and PP if you aren't committed to a full rebuild. Trying to build a championship team around an extremely talented PG with big glaring flaws in his game, is fools gold. He isn't capable of being the centerpiece of the team if you want to hang a banner. Sure he could get you to the playoffs with the right 3-4 other pieces, but if he's the best player on your team you don't win it all.

On the other hand, you don't give the guy away either. He has a very cap friendly contract for his ability and even though he is hurt I am sure there would be some serious interest out there. I would be looking either for a legitimate all star 2-3, or some upside players with a couple of likely lower lottery picks. If not, he's better on the roster.

If Tony Parker is the best player on your team, you probably aren't winning it all, either, right?

[greg_kite]

I think Rondo makes Bradley, Green and Jordan better players.

That said, Rondo for MKG and the #4 pick doesn't sound so bad.  McLemore might be worth the gamble.

One thing to remember, Rondo always got by without a jump shot because he was so much more athletic than everyone else.  Will that advantage be gone if he loses even a half step?  Think of how many small guards became shells of themselves after leg injuries.  Penny Hardaway, Tim Hardaway, Marbury, Steve Francis, Michael Jordan.  Ok, well maybe not the last guy, but you get my point.

This might be the best time to trade him, before people realize he's not the same player.