I think a more realistic scoring goal to hope for from Rondo would about 12 ppg. While that may not sound super impressive, if it comes along with 9+ assists and 4+ rebounds per game, (which both seem very realistic for Rondo) the overall result ends up being extremely impressive.
but that isn't any where near a max contract player.
By who's definition?
You do understand that the number of people who have posted seasons like that is a very short list and of some pretty good players, right? Aside from Rondo, 4 of the other 6 players who had done that since 2000 are are Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Deron Williams. All 4 received a max contract in their careers. Of the other two, Vasquez and Andre Miller only did it once. Vasquez is still young, just off his rookie deal.
I suspect that GMs value players a little different than a lot of fans do.
You know what those other 4 players did/do that Rondo doesn't. They shoot the ball very well from the outside. They score points at a much great clip than Rondo. They could all be a #1 or #2 scoring option. Rondo isn't that guy. I mean even Kidd could be that guy (Kidd is nearly 10% points higher on his career from 3 point range and over 15% from the line, and Kidd is the second worst shooter of that 5 man grouping).
Rondo is not a max player because he can't be the best player on a championship team. He could certainly be a second player on a title team with the right #1 guy, but I think he slots more realistically as a #3 player. His skill set serves a complimentary role and as such he should be paid as a complimentary player, which I would peg in the 10-15 million range annually depending on how he looks this year (if he returns to form 15 million, if he doesn't something less).
So, basically, your definition of a max player (PG edition) is that they MUST be able to shoot threes?
Or is it that they MUST be "the best player on a championship team"?
Those aren't necessarily the same thing.
The latter itself of course, begs for definition. Does your definition of "the best player on a championship team" require that they must be able to shoot threes? Is that your basis for asserting that Rondo "can't be" that? Pretty convenient logic there.
I'm not finding your definition here to be very compelling. 'Pretty sure there have been quite a few max contract players who couldn't shoot threes. Also pretty sure that there have been quite a few max contract players who weren't "the best player on a championship team".
I'm going to bet that Danny (and most GMs) use a different definition.
So many logic leaps in your assessment, I don't know where to begin, but lets start with the obvious. What separates those 4 max players from Rondo is their ability to score and shoot at a better than average rate. Iverson, Westbrook, and Rose were (or are) also max contract players from the PG position, because they could/can score with the best of them and can be or were their teams go to player (despite not being the best from long range). Rondo is not a #1 player and as such he should not be paid like he is one. And contrary to Bill's continued assertions, Rondo was not the best player on the 2010 and 2011 teams, that was Paul Pierce (and Garnett was second).
Okay, so more specifically, your distinction is that a max player needs to take more shots than Rondo?
Because what the real distinctions are between Rondo and those other players is (a) He doesn't shoot 3s and (b) he shoots fewer shots overall. He is, however, similarly effective at scoring points on the shots he does take. He just doesn't take that many.
Of course, what might be more relevant for winning is how many shots (including 3s) and how well that the _team_ shoots as an effect of the player touching the ball. But apparently that's not important for defining a 'max contract' player to you.
Fair enough.
And your personal opinion that Rondo was not the best player on the 2010 and 2011 teams is just fine. Again, your opinion.
Again, though. I suspect Danny won't use the same criteria you use to determine whether he is going to offer a max contract.
What is it with all of your leaps in logic and only picking out a point here there. You can't very well have a reasonable discussion if you aren't going to actually comprehend the post you are responding to. Bill and I may disagree, but at least we are both consistent in our positions and our comprehension of each others positions.
It is about effectiveness of shooting, not just shooting. Rondo's points per shot is 1.144 for his career. The best PG in the league right now, Chris Paul is at 1.348 pps on his career (which is basically where Steve Nash is - who for the record was never a max contract guy). Even with Deron Williams less than stellar play the last couple of seasons he is at 1.279 pps on his career. Even the more volume shooters like Rose (1.195) and Westbrook (1.226) exceed Rondo. Even the young guys Irving (1.224) and Wall (1.196) far exceed Rondo in that category and they are just getting going and haven't hit max efficiency yet (which for a PG is around years 5-8). Those guys produce more PPG than Rondo on the whole. They are guys you can rely on to take and hit the big shot every game. They are guys where you can put the ball in their hands and they can finish. Rondo does it sometimes, but is not a guy you can rely upon consistently. Those guys are people you think of maximum top tier players. Rondo is not that guy. I don't live in Boston, believe me, Rondo is not thought of as a max contract player where I live. Not even close. Good player sure, but 20 million a year, heck no.
I personally question the logic in determining the value of one of the better passers in league history solely on scoring ability.
This is about if hes worth a "max" deal though. I don't think Rondo will get a max, he is a smart guy and should be realistic and know that there is no way a team will offer him that kind of deal. For better or worse in sports max deals or large contracts go to players that provide a large amount of offense on their own. Those being home run hitters in baseball, goal scorers in hockey, and scorers in basketball.
It doesn't make Rondo any less of a player to deem him not worthy of this kind of deal. He has really only 2 big faults in his game, but having two big faults like 3pt shooting and FT shooting make him not worthy of a deal that players KD, LeBron or KG in his prime could get.
I also would think we should be smarter than to pay for past performance, will Rondo in two years be worth 18ish million? I personally don't think so.