Ainge: Rondo is "the centerpiece of our future"

[BballTim]

People are really not understanding the seriousness of Rondo's free agency. He can basically walk away from the Celtics in 18 months- something is going to happen before then and Ainge is sewing the seeds now. He's keep all his options open and will dangle each option out to see who bites- and who wants the biggest piece.

  Most of the players who are moved before they leave the team in free agency telegraph (or outright state) their intentions well in advance. Have you heard anything from Rondo about wanting to leave? Because all I've heard is the opposite.

[PhoSita]

Of course Rondo is the centerpiece; he's the only major asset they have right now.

I think it's far more likely he'll contribute to the team's future by being traded for key pieces, but he could also stick around if the team gets a nice high pick even without trading him.

Rondo + top 5 pick + decent free agent addition could turn this team into a competitive bunch pretty quickly.  I wouldn't be surprised if that's Ainge's dream scenario right now.

  He's probably hoping for a good draft pick, he's probably also aware that he's got a boatload of upcoming picks that he could trade with a contract for a star if necessary. There are plenty of ways forward.

Well, sure.  A good GM has to have a Plan A - Z basically at all times. 

Still, I believe Ainge when he says he wants to keep Rondo around.  It would be much easier to rebuild if the team could get a star in the draft right away this year without trading Rondo at all and then add a second or third star in free agency in a season or two.

I'm not counting on everything breaking that well for the team, though.

[tyrone biggums]

In a year or two, the Cs core will average less than 25 yrs old.  Rondo is what?  28?

Is Rondo part of the future?  maybe. but will have to take that a season at a time....

28 isn't exactly the end of the line so I don't exactly know where you're going with this. Celtics will have a high draft pick this year and will be in the hunt to make some moves while Rondo is under contract. Star point guards don't exactly grow on trees in the NBA so I'm always surprised when fans want to deal him because "he's a star" and most of these proposals are junk too. Jimmer? Lin? Stat? Come on!

[BleedGreen1989]

In a year or two, the Cs core will average less than 25 yrs old.  Rondo is what?  28?

Is Rondo part of the future?  maybe. but will have to take that a season at a time....

28 isn't exactly the end of the line so I don't exactly know where you're going with this. Celtics will have a high draft pick this year and will be in the hunt to make some moves while Rondo is under contract. Star point guards don't exactly grow on trees in the NBA so I'm always surprised when fans want to deal him because "he's a star" and most of these proposals are junk too. Jimmer? Lin? Stat? Come on!

Yeah, this reason to trade Rondo is one my biggest peeves.

People are acting like Rondo MUST be 29 years old when this team wants to win a championship. So a 31 year old Rondo is old and washed up then?

With Rondo's intelligence and natural playmaking abilities, I think he will be extremely effective well into his mid-30's.

[chambers]

People are really not understanding the seriousness of Rondo's free agency. He can basically walk away from the Celtics in 18 months- something is going to happen before then and Ainge is sewing the seeds now. He's keep all his options open and will dangle each option out to see who bites- and who wants the biggest piece.

  Most of the players who are moved before they leave the team in free agency telegraph (or outright state) their intentions well in advance. Have you heard anything from Rondo about wanting to leave? Because all I've heard is the opposite.

That's great that most players do. Many players don't though.
You could probably rattle of a few names that didn't give much info before hitting the open market.
I haven't heard anything about him leaving- it's 18 months away.
I also haven't heard anything about him clammering to re-sign the minute Ainge is allowed to do so.
What worries me is how much can happen in that 18 months.
We might stink for the next two seasons and Rondo will potentially want out. Hopefully Ainge can find a franchise guy and another lackey to put next to Rondo. But knowing Ainge, he's not paying for other guys just to make Rondo happy- they must be real stars.
The problem is that the odds of us getting even one star, let alone two stars are pretty similar to lottery picks odds- very slim.
*The luck of having the #5 pick to get Ray Allen
*Getting KG to come here and getting the Wolves to agree to our trade package for a superstar with plenty of years left.
*Having these things come together at the perfect time- WHILST having Rondo turn out to be an incredible talent at the same time.
Ainge isn't going to settle for mediocre players and overpay for scrubs. If there aren't genuine championship pedigree guys available- then he won't bite.

If he does decide the draft is the best route, that doesn't mean Rondo is gone- it means he'll find that star to pair with Rondo in the draft. If Rondo leaves then we still have (potentiallY) at least one nice premium asset.

That's why I think he has three plans.
1)Find Rondo some superstar help- we need 2 legit guys. One via trade and one via free agency is most likely.
2)Can't find that superstar help? Cultivate it yourself and while you're at it, Rondo is not giving indications he'll sign on for another 5 years. Trade him and get some value back in the form of more draft picks.
3)Use our lottery pick to get the potential 'superstar'.
 
It's the best strategy to keep your options open. If he can't find championship pedigree guys to complete a triangle then he'll look at going to the draft.

[BballTim]

People are really not understanding the seriousness of Rondo's free agency. He can basically walk away from the Celtics in 18 months- something is going to happen before then and Ainge is sewing the seeds now. He's keep all his options open and will dangle each option out to see who bites- and who wants the biggest piece.

  Most of the players who are moved before they leave the team in free agency telegraph (or outright state) their intentions well in advance. Have you heard anything from Rondo about wanting to leave? Because all I've heard is the opposite.

That's great that most players do. Many players don't though.
You could probably rattle of a few names that didn't give much info before hitting the open market.
I haven't heard anything about him leaving- it's 18 months away.
I also haven't heard anything about him clammering to re-sign the minute Ainge is allowed to do so.

http://nba.si.com/2013/10/09/rajon-rondo-commitment-boston-celtics/?xid=nl_siextra

  I'm pretty sure he's said as much more than once. Obviously you rarely hear a player claim that they'll re-sign at the first available minute, but he hasn't given any indication at all that he wants to leave.

[Moranis]

People are really not understanding the seriousness of Rondo's free agency. He can basically walk away from the Celtics in 18 months- something is going to happen before then and Ainge is sewing the seeds now. He's keep all his options open and will dangle each option out to see who bites- and who wants the biggest piece.

  Most of the players who are moved before they leave the team in free agency telegraph (or outright state) their intentions well in advance. Have you heard anything from Rondo about wanting to leave? Because all I've heard is the opposite.

That's great that most players do. Many players don't though.
You could probably rattle of a few names that didn't give much info before hitting the open market.
I haven't heard anything about him leaving- it's 18 months away.
I also haven't heard anything about him clammering to re-sign the minute Ainge is allowed to do so.

http://nba.si.com/2013/10/09/rajon-rondo-commitment-boston-celtics/?xid=nl_siextra

  I'm pretty sure he's said as much more than once. Obviously you rarely hear a player claim that they'll re-sign at the first available minute, but he hasn't given any indication at all that he wants to leave.

Tim and I don't agree on much where Rondo is concerned, but on this we do.  Rondo has given no indication at all that he isn't happy in Boston and that he won't re-sign here.  A lot can happen in 18 months, but as of now, Boston should feel pretty good about Rondo staying long term (of course dollars will always come into play and I'm not sure Ainge will want to give Rondo a max deal while some team surely will (assuming health of course)).

[PhoSita]

I take Rondo to be a creature of habit.  I don't feel like he's the kind of player who is especially attached to specific teammates, particularly after the trauma of Perk getting traded away.  I think he's probably become a bit hardened to the business after that.  I really don't think Rondo craves a bigger media market or anything.

That said, Rondo hasn't been on a truly bad team since his first year in the league.  He is very competitive.  He does strike me as the sort of player who would like to prove he can make a team better himself rather than going elsewhere to find better teammates.  But he could get frustrated.

[TwinTower14]

these headlines crack me up....what's Ainge suppose to say.  Yes, I am going to move Rondo once he proves he is healthy? Of course he is going to say he is in our plans....the facts are, if DA gets a deal he is comfortable with, he will move him.  He has had him on the block for years now...

[BballTim]

these headlines crack me up....what's Ainge suppose to say.  Yes, I am going to move Rondo once he proves he is healthy? Of course he is going to say he is in our plans....the facts are, if DA gets a deal he is comfortable with, he will move him.  He has had him on the block for years now...

  He used to look at flipping Rondo and Ray's salary for top players in their primes but I don't think he's been on the block since the CP3 trade rumors. He'd trade anyone for the right price though.

[LooseCannon]

In a year or two, the Cs core will average less than 25 yrs old.  Rondo is what?  28?

Is Rondo part of the future?  maybe. but will have to take that a season at a time....

28 isn't exactly the end of the line so I don't exactly know where you're going with this. Celtics will have a high draft pick this year and will be in the hunt to make some moves while Rondo is under contract. Star point guards don't exactly grow on trees in the NBA so I'm always surprised when fans want to deal him because "he's a star" and most of these proposals are junk too. Jimmer? Lin? Stat? Come on!

Yeah, this reason to trade Rondo is one my biggest peeves.

People are acting like Rondo MUST be 29 years old when this team wants to win a championship. So a 31 year old Rondo is old and washed up then?

With Rondo's intelligence and natural playmaking abilities, I think he will be extremely effective well into his mid-30's.

I even go the other way and like to speculate about the possibility that some other team will decide to blow up after a disappointing half-season and give away a top player who might be older than Rondo.

[RJ87]

from today's Globe:

"Ainge called Rondo, a four-time All-Star, "the centerpiece of our future."

He added, "Guys that are starting All-Star players just don’t come around. The special players, the transcendent players in our league, are very difficult to find and acquire. We believe Rondo is one of those guys. He’s a very special player. We value him a great deal.""

"What’s real is, he’s going nowhere," Ainge said. "That’s what’s real."


http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2013/11/danny_ainge_said_no_teams_have_contacted_him_about_rajon_ron.html

Ainge is a tricky son of a gun. Prob increased Rondo's value another 20 percent by telling the world he is not going nowhere.

Ainge was ready to trade Rondo for Paul or Curry in the past. So i can't believe he is a total untouchable

Again, people bring up Curry for Rondo rumors - but that was also an attempt to net CP3. NOH had been trying to pry Curry from GS as the centerpiece of the CP3 trade, but they wouldn't budge. The alleged story goes that Ainge was trying to get Curry for Rondo and then flip Curry to NOH for CP3.

[wdleehi]

Rondo has to be at this point.



There is little trade value in moving him.


1)  He is coming off an injury.
2)  His contract ends after next year.
3)  PG is the most loaded position in the NBA right now. 




Rondo's value for the Celtics is in his play when he is healthy. 



(good for the Celtics that is an extremely high on the court value)

[Vermont Green]

The thing with Rondo and how happy he is to play in Boston is that for the last 5 years, he has been able to play on a winning team with 3 future hall of famers and a very likeable coach.  What is not to like?

Once he comes back this year, he is going to be playing on a bad team that has some guys shooting off their mouths (cough cough Wallace) and an infantile (by NBA coaching standards) rookie coach.

Next year is likely not going to be all that much different.  We may have a top rookie or two added but we are also likely to have traded some of limited veteran talent we have for more young players.

Rondo may stay and play out his career in Boston and be a key part someday of the next really good team.  He may also sign with another team that has a more immediate chance at titles.

That is the dice you are rolling if you decide not to trade Rondo.  If someone offers a really good deal (and of course the definition of really good deal is debatable) do you pass that up?  I would not because I fear that Rondo is not going to be so happy playing on a bad team.  I feel there is enough risk that he will sign elsewhere that you have to try and get something for him now.  That doesn't mean do a dumb trade but I think some team will offer good value for Rondo (something like Drummond).

[Fred Roberts]

Rondo is the man. There are no good trades for him.

True Celtic. Keep him. He's our core, and he'll excel with younger, more athletic play makers once he's back.