Celts want smart and rondo to work but imo it wont

[CelticsFanFromNYC]

SMart shot no better than Bradley Beal did in college. Look at yo boy now, runner up in a 3 point shoot out. Don't judge a gave you havent seen yet. I doubt half of you actually been following smart his last year of college, just hear analyst pro's and con's and saw a couple of highlight of him playing D. He's going to be great. Trust me. Low Low Low floor: Tony Allen, Cieling: slightly  not as athletic Westbrook

[bhbf08]

The big issue is when everyone brings up Parker/Mills or Dragic/Bledsoe, all of those combos feature at least one guy who has a capable perimeter game. Rondo/Smart is going to be a defensive terror, but offensively the floor spacing simply won't work. Even when Doc was running Rondo/Bradley, at least Bradley had developed a competent 3-point shot. It remains to be seen if Smart can develop a consistent three.

Yes, a lot of our assumption is that his 3 can get better.  And why shouldn't we think that?  We see a lot of college guys improve their shot.  And with his work ethic there is no reason to think otherwise.

Look at Avery's shot.  Remember his 1st year he would just throw shots straight off the backboard?  Look how far he's come.  Smart will have a decent 3 point shot next year and probably get better going forward after that.  He can at least hit the corner (shorter) 3 like Bradley does.  He'll be fine. 

[joepatsfan]

GUYS: Smart wasn't the primary ballhandler the entire season at OKST. Most games it was 50/50 as to whether it was Markell Brown or Smart bringing it up and running the offense.

[dreamgreen]

It can work for 10 mpg, no more.

[CelticsFanFromNYC]

The big issue is when everyone brings up Parker/Mills or Dragic/Bledsoe, all of those combos feature at least one guy who has a capable perimeter game. Rondo/Smart is going to be a defensive terror, but offensively the floor spacing simply won't work. Even when Doc was running Rondo/Bradley, at least Bradley had developed a competent 3-point shot. It remains to be seen if Smart can develop a consistent three.

Smart shot no better than Bradley Beal did in college. Look at yo boy now, runner up in a 3 point shoot out. Don't judge a gave you havent seen yet. I doubt half of you actually been following smart his last year of college, just hear analyst pro's and con's and saw a couple of highlight of him playing D. He's going to be great. Trust me. Low Low Low floor: Tony Allen, Cieling: slightly  not as athletic Westbrook

[Tr1boy]

You say it won't work...Danny says it will...who to believe...who to believe.

Besides, he's still a kid who has a lot to learn...who better to learn it from than Rondo?

Rak

Rondo is the last guy i want Smart to learn things from.  A guy that bosses people around, pads his stats , misses flights etc.

If Rondo can get humble fast and goes back to 2007-2010 version, i can see this thing working out.  I can see this team growing, sharing and becoming an actual cohesive team

[Gainesville Celtic]

 

We should probably give it a chance before completely dismissing the idea of it not working. 

^^ And this guy is a MOD?!?! 

j/k Don... I totally agree, and agree that Rondo and Smart will work well together.

[manl_lui]

I think it might work, but honestly, depending on how good Smart really is

my opinion is

if he has superstar or perennial all-star material, you can choose to trade Rondo

if he has that role player role, package him with other players and trade for a star

anyhow, I rather test them both out rather than blindly trading...you won't know what is a recipe for success without failing first

we're rebuilding anyways, we shouldn't rush...and it will take a few years...see it first, then judge

[chambers]

I think you need to consider that the plan A for Marcus Smart is to become the perfect version of Avery Bradley that Danny always wanted.

He's freakishly similar to Dywane Wade physically and skill wise, and Dywane Wade fit perfectly with Jason Williams when the Heat won the championship in 2006.

If Rondo and Avery and can work, then Smart and Rondo can work.
My guess is that Danny's two plans are:

Plan A :

Rondo starts at PG.
Smart starts at SG and works on his shooting.
Try and get Smart up to something like 35% from three and a more reliable jumpshot- but the focus is to get Smart the ball in the paint and around the basket so he can get to the free throw line..ala Dywane Wade.

When Rondo rests, let Smart play PG and see how he does at the NBA level. Remember he's only played strict point guard for one season, in his second year of college.

Rondo is perfect for finding a guy like Smart slashing and cutting to the basket, just like he did with Avery Bradley, he'll be perfect for finding Smart and Young coming off screens and getting them the ball in the right place for the best shot.

The reason this back court can possibly work out well is because they are both aggressive bulls who want to win. Smart, like Rondo, can guard most NBA shooting guards because of his wingspan and strength.


Plan B:

Smart gets given a season to see if he can play shooting guard and replace Avery Bradley long term at SG. If he looks terrible at SG, but he looks good at PG then it's more incentive to not over pay Rondo in free agency and let Smart rule the roost.

I think that Danny and Brad Stevens like the idea of putting Smart in a disciplined motion offense system so he is forced to take the shots that the offense gives him- the same way that the Pacers force Lance Stephenson to go through their offense.
They let him go wild sometimes when they need a spark, but particularly in his first year or two he'll need some structure and Rondo is the PERFECT guy to make sure he understands how an offense works at both PG, while Smart learns SG.

Rondo is only ball dominant in the sense that he facilitates the offense- because no one else can. Pierce could run it well, but Avery was hopeless. He's never had a decent backup point guard in all his time here other than Dooling and Eddie House. He's not like Tony Parker who's had Ginobli, Patty Mills, George Hill, Bruce Bowen etc. who can all run an offense very well.

Even more importantly, he has only run Doc's offense with good players- and he did it very well. Stevens will encourage a multiple guard set up like Butler or San Antonio and Rondo has two nice pieces in Smart and Young to work with on the perimeter.

You've got arguably the best passing point guard in the world- Rondo, and a beast of a combo guard in Smart who will attack the basket and work on his shot. They'll probably try and make it work, and Stevens must think it can possibly work because he's had a huge say in these picks working with Rondo.

[The Rondo Show]

I think you need to consider that the plan A for Marcus Smart is to become the perfect version of Avery Bradley that Danny always wanted.

He's freakishly similar to Dywane Wade physically and skill wise, and Dywane Wade fit perfectly with Jason Williams when the Heat won the championship in 2006.

If Rondo and Avery and can work, then Smart and Rondo can work.
My guess is that Danny's two plans are:

Plan A :

Rondo starts at PG.
Smart starts at SG and works on his shooting.
Try and get Smart up to something like 35% from three and a more reliable jumpshot- but the focus is to get Smart the ball in the paint and around the basket so he can get to the free throw line..ala Dywane Wade.

When Rondo rests, let Smart play PG and see how he does at the NBA level. Remember he's only played strict point guard for one season, in his second year of college.

Rondo is perfect for finding a guy like Smart slashing and cutting to the basket, just like he did with Avery Bradley, he'll be perfect for finding Smart and Young coming off screens and getting them the ball in the right place for the best shot.

The reason this back court can possibly work out well is because they are both aggressive bulls who want to win. Smart, like Rondo, can guard most NBA shooting guards because of his wingspan and strength.


Plan B:

Smart gets given a season to see if he can play shooting guard and replace Avery Bradley long term at SG. If he looks terrible at SG, but he looks good at PG then it's more incentive to not over pay Rondo in free agency and let Smart rule the roost.

I think that Danny and Brad Stevens like the idea of putting Smart in a disciplined motion offense system so he is forced to take the shots that the offense gives him- the same way that the Pacers force Lance Stephenson to go through their offense.
They let him go wild sometimes when they need a spark, but particularly in his first year or two he'll need some structure and Rondo is the PERFECT guy to make sure he understands how an offense works at both PG, while Smart learns SG.

Rondo is only ball dominant in the sense that he facilitates the offense- because no one else can. Pierce could run it well, but Avery was hopeless. He's never had a decent backup point guard in all his time here other than Dooling and Eddie House. He's not like Tony Parker who's had Ginobli, Patty Mills, George Hill, Bruce Bowen etc. who can all run an offense very well.

Even more importantly, he has only run Doc's offense with good players- and he did it very well. Stevens will encourage a multiple guard set up like Butler or San Antonio and Rondo has two nice pieces in Smart and Young to work with on the perimeter.

You've got arguably the best passing point guard in the world- Rondo, and a beast of a combo guard in Smart who will attack the basket and work on his shot. They'll probably try and make it work, and Stevens must think it can possibly work because he's had a huge say in these picks working with Rondo.

Well spoken, TP

[Tr1boy]

I think you need to consider that the plan A for Marcus Smart is to become the perfect version of Avery Bradley that Danny always wanted.

He's freakishly similar to Dywane Wade physically and skill wise, and Dywane Wade fit perfectly with Jason Williams when the Heat won the championship in 2006.

If Rondo and Avery and can work, then Smart and Rondo can work.
My guess is that Danny's two plans are:

Plan A :

Rondo starts at PG.
Smart starts at SG and works on his shooting.
Try and get Smart up to something like 35% from three and a more reliable jumpshot- but the focus is to get Smart the ball in the paint and around the basket so he can get to the free throw line..ala Dywane Wade.

When Rondo rests, let Smart play PG and see how he does at the NBA level. Remember he's only played strict point guard for one season, in his second year of college.

Rondo is perfect for finding a guy like Smart slashing and cutting to the basket, just like he did with Avery Bradley, he'll be perfect for finding Smart and Young coming off screens and getting them the ball in the right place for the best shot.

The reason this back court can possibly work out well is because they are both aggressive bulls who want to win. Smart, like Rondo, can guard most NBA shooting guards because of his wingspan and strength.


Plan B:

Smart gets given a season to see if he can play shooting guard and replace Avery Bradley long term at SG. If he looks terrible at SG, but he looks good at PG then it's more incentive to not over pay Rondo in free agency and let Smart rule the roost.

I think that Danny and Brad Stevens like the idea of putting Smart in a disciplined motion offense system so he is forced to take the shots that the offense gives him- the same way that the Pacers force Lance Stephenson to go through their offense.
They let him go wild sometimes when they need a spark, but particularly in his first year or two he'll need some structure and Rondo is the PERFECT guy to make sure he understands how an offense works at both PG, while Smart learns SG.

Rondo is only ball dominant in the sense that he facilitates the offense- because no one else can. Pierce could run it well, but Avery was hopeless. He's never had a decent backup point guard in all his time here other than Dooling and Eddie House. He's not like Tony Parker who's had Ginobli, Patty Mills, George Hill, Bruce Bowen etc. who can all run an offense very well.

Even more importantly, he has only run Doc's offense with good players- and he did it very well. Stevens will encourage a multiple guard set up like Butler or San Antonio and Rondo has two nice pieces in Smart and Young to work with on the perimeter.

You've got arguably the best passing point guard in the world- Rondo, and a beast of a combo guard in Smart who will attack the basket and work on his shot. They'll probably try and make it work, and Stevens must think it can possibly work because he's had a huge say in these picks working with Rondo.

yes but is Rondo willing to make it work??

again remember his contract runs out this season.  If the Celts are not going to offer him max now with Smart as the insurance pg on the side, he has to make sure another team will.

Rondo scoring on avg 14 ppg, 8 assists, 3 rebounds is not going to get him max money.  IF he doesn't  care about max money and truly just wants to win as a Celtic then yeah, it can work. Any two players can make it work if they want to bad enough

Rondo to me also is not a guy who will listen to BS majority of the time. He was freestyling out there most of the times last season. It was not BS plan for him to hold the ball as long as he did

I like both of your plans. Especially A. It's true Smart might actually be a better 2 guard vs pg.  So lets test him out a the SG first. And then see what he can do running the point with the 2nd squad.   IMO he will do a fine job at either spots but prob better as a pg bc he would have size adv plus can really pass the ball. As a sg he will fail a little bc he is not a natural jump shooter

The end vision with these picks imo is having Smart start at the PG spot and Young at the SG spot.

[Celtics4ever]

Reason: both guys need the ball in their hands to be most effective.  You can ask smart to play off the ball but then you wont utilize his passing skills properly. His ability to grab a rebound and go end to end would go down the toilet. Unless smart gets to play point when rondo sits

Rondo to me will be a guy reluctant to share the ball. He is up for a new contract and the last thing he wants is to lower his stat totals. He wants to win but with him putting up near triple double numbers

I cant see this duo being able to work like the bledsoe and dragic combo.

Solution imo is to trade rondo and or green and get that legit center the team needs to move fwd/complete the rebuild

I think the whole point of the motion offense is that you move and take what the other team gives you.   There is not supposed to be one guy hogging the ball.  If Stevens makes us play motion ( and that is his style folks) then it could work.   I trouble I see, is that teams will sag back into a zone almost all the time. 

Defensively, the other HALF of the game, you ignore, I think they would do just fine.

[manl_lui]

I think you need to consider that the plan A for Marcus Smart is to become the perfect version of Avery Bradley that Danny always wanted.

He's freakishly similar to Dywane Wade physically and skill wise, and Dywane Wade fit perfectly with Jason Williams when the Heat won the championship in 2006.

If Rondo and Avery and can work, then Smart and Rondo can work.
My guess is that Danny's two plans are:

Plan A :

Rondo starts at PG.
Smart starts at SG and works on his shooting.
Try and get Smart up to something like 35% from three and a more reliable jumpshot- but the focus is to get Smart the ball in the paint and around the basket so he can get to the free throw line..ala Dywane Wade.

When Rondo rests, let Smart play PG and see how he does at the NBA level. Remember he's only played strict point guard for one season, in his second year of college.

Rondo is perfect for finding a guy like Smart slashing and cutting to the basket, just like he did with Avery Bradley, he'll be perfect for finding Smart and Young coming off screens and getting them the ball in the right place for the best shot.

The reason this back court can possibly work out well is because they are both aggressive bulls who want to win. Smart, like Rondo, can guard most NBA shooting guards because of his wingspan and strength.


Plan B:

Smart gets given a season to see if he can play shooting guard and replace Avery Bradley long term at SG. If he looks terrible at SG, but he looks good at PG then it's more incentive to not over pay Rondo in free agency and let Smart rule the roost.

I think that Danny and Brad Stevens like the idea of putting Smart in a disciplined motion offense system so he is forced to take the shots that the offense gives him- the same way that the Pacers force Lance Stephenson to go through their offense.
They let him go wild sometimes when they need a spark, but particularly in his first year or two he'll need some structure and Rondo is the PERFECT guy to make sure he understands how an offense works at both PG, while Smart learns SG.

Rondo is only ball dominant in the sense that he facilitates the offense- because no one else can. Pierce could run it well, but Avery was hopeless. He's never had a decent backup point guard in all his time here other than Dooling and Eddie House. He's not like Tony Parker who's had Ginobli, Patty Mills, George Hill, Bruce Bowen etc. who can all run an offense very well.

Even more importantly, he has only run Doc's offense with good players- and he did it very well. Stevens will encourage a multiple guard set up like Butler or San Antonio and Rondo has two nice pieces in Smart and Young to work with on the perimeter.

You've got arguably the best passing point guard in the world- Rondo, and a beast of a combo guard in Smart who will attack the basket and work on his shot. They'll probably try and make it work, and Stevens must think it can possibly work because he's had a huge say in these picks working with Rondo.

TP for you for a very concise and detailed look at our possibilities and I agree 100%

[ssspence]

It'll work.

There, short and sweet.

It will if rondo respects smarts capabilities.  Rondo has to get back to doing other things on the court other than boss everyone else around. 

It works fine enough with Bradley, and Smart can do pretty much all Bradley can and then some. So you're exaggerating the problem.

Bradley can't dribble but can catch-and-shoot. Smart can dribble but can't shoot. The two players have very little in common.

[ssspence]

I think you need to consider that the plan A for Marcus Smart is to become the perfect version of Avery Bradley that Danny always wanted.

He's freakishly similar to Dywane Wade physically and skill wise, and Dywane Wade fit perfectly with Jason Williams when the Heat won the championship in 2006.

Except he's a PG. Ainge called him a PG this morning on T&R, and that's what he is.