What about Rondo? He's one of my favourite players but I don't believe he's getting his number retired. Pierce of course, Garnett yes because of the culture impact on the team. Rondo and Ray, nah I don't think they deserve it solely because they were part of a championship team
For any other team but Boston, Ray gets his number retired. Rondo, not so much. He arguably wasn't even the fourth most important player on a championship team and, outside of several magical moments, had just a largely good career in Boston that ended disasterously.
Mike
No. There is no rational argument where Rondo is not the 4th best player in 2008. Those magical "moments" were the length of entire playoff series and entire playoffs.
1. I said "most important," not best. There is a serious argument that Posey or PJ Brown were more important to winning that championship.
No. There isn't. The starting PG is the more important player than the backup energy wing or spot-minutes big. It's like arguing that
Dave Roberts Alan Embree or Pokey Reese was more important to the Red Sox in '04 than Derek Lowe. It's absurd. Here's the flaw in the idea that Posey or Brown were more important than Rondo because without Posey or without Brown we don't win the title: How do you think we'd have done without Rondo? You think we beat the Hawks, and the Cavs, and the Pistons, and the Lakers...if Sam Cassell had been our starting PG, or Telfair if we had switched the decision to trade him and keep Rondo? No. Absolutely not. The importance of the bench veterans has been overpromoted in hindsight and the importance of Rondo has been criminally demoted.
2. You made my point for me. The best player in one non-championship season. One other really good regular season. Two or three great runs in the playoffs. That would barely get a number retired in Minnesota, even putting aside how bad things ended for Rondo in Boston.
I did not make your point. I made mine. Mine was better.
Four great runs in the playoffs.
One led to a championship. In the Finals he had good games in three out of four of the Celtics' wins. He was easily the fourth most important and the fourth best player on that very, very important and magical championship team.
The best player in
at least two non-championship playoff runs, possibly a
third with that one being as close to a title as one can get without winning.
Mike
Why.
Why do you do this? Why are there other Mikes here who also do this? Are you the same person? Do you have split personalities? Is one of them Michael Felger? Do you end every post with "Mike" because you're afraid that people will confuse you with all the other Mikes, but you tragically fail to grasp that it only makes you even less distinguishable from them? Inquiring minds want to know.