Rondo vs. Love
After watching the Celtics get blown out in pathetic fashion and then experiencing a 5.0 earthquake, I have to say that I really felt like the sky was falling and I, of course, wanted to blow up the Celtics roster. Part of me feels like it is time to sell high on Rondo and try to find something more in a traditional point guard. I also wanted to move Perk who always annoys me and thought about dealing Ray who is an expiring contract this offseason. We might be able to pull a reverse Seattle deal and get a later pick but more useful player than Wally World.
One trade that I came up with quickly was Rondo to Minnesota along with Tony Allen for Kevin Love (and, ideally, the Celtics' #1 pick). If Minny gets Thabeet, they can afford to move Love and Rondo is the PG that they've been missing since Chauncey Billups fled town. (Rondo, being a restricted free agent after next season, wouldn't be able to leave so easily). The Celtics add a PF who would be able to spell KG and play alongside him at times. He'd be a great complement to both Garnett and Perkins.
But then the debate about PF's and PG's comes up. It's often pointed out that the great point guards of the NBA often end up ringless. And as impressive as Rondo was in the Chicago series, there's just something about him having a more influential role in the offense that makes me uncomfortable.
On the other hand, this season has seen more second round big men step up and become legit PF's. Even Big Baby improved his game to the point that he was a legit starting PF to some extent. Paul Millsap might have made Carlos Boozer expendable. David Lee wants at least 10 million dollars a year but why pay that when you might be able to find someone just as effective in the second round or floating around for less money?
It's a tough call and right now I'm in no mood to make pronouncements since I'll probably regret them when I snap out of it next week. But right now, I think there needs to be at least one major deal if the C's want to protect both their present and their future. While it's nice to say that KG being back would have made the difference, KG is getting older and if we can't afford a better backup who can spell him more often (and ditto for Pierce and Allen) then him being banged up or out for the playoffs might be more the rule than the exception. The C's couldn't afford the lousy offseason they had this year and they learned the hard way that banking on finding gems on the waiver wire at mid-season is a gamble that doesn't always pay off.
I'm still a fan of this squad but much like the last time they were embarrassed in a game 7 at home, changes need to be made, no matter how much I like the team.
