I think the memory of the KG and Ray trades is so vivid to some people that they have forgotten that those moves were plan B. AInge went in that directio AFTER we lost the lottery and missed out on Oden/Durant.
If we land the 1st or second pick next year, would you trade what is likely the next Durant/Lebron type of superstar?
I think he will take the same route this time and if we land a top 2 pick in 2014 we will keep it. That team when we traded for KG and Ray was not that different than now.
Sullinger=Jefferson, Pierce=Rondo, Brooks=Gerald Green.
Very similar situation, except Rondo is a bit younger and has already been to the top of the mountain once.
That's IF we land a high lottery pick. IF. And again, even if we get an absolutely riveting talent in 2014, how long will it take before he develops into someone who can carry the team? What if he busts? Will we be able to surround him with enough talent, or will he bolt to another team? There's a lot of risk behind tanking. There's significantly less risk in retooling. Neither is proven to get you a better result. When you already have a roster that includes Rondo and Green for a combined $20M, there's absolutely no sense behind throwing it all away to tank.
This team was barely an 8th seed last year before Rondo went down, with Pierce, KG, and Terry, and a healthy Rondo. We now lost Pierce, KG, and Terry, and Rondo will be out the first half of the season and will take the at least the rest of the season to fully recover.
We don't have to throw away Rondo and Green to tank, we are going to suck with them anyway. We can then see if we land a top 2 pick. If not, then we can cash in assets for disgruntled stars. If we land a top 2 pick, Rondo and Green are still young, and Sullinger, Bradley, and Olynyk will have some experience as well and can all help show the new superstar how it's done. Otherwise we can then trade Rondo after getting the top 2 pick, when he has already shown that he's healthy again.