AB may make All Defensive Team and I think AB can handle the PG position just fine.

I agree with the defensive part.  Bradey did have trouble tonight dribbling the ball against Holiday. The Celitics need to have someone help Bradley bring the ball up the court.

 

 

 

The combination of Bradley and Green should more than make up for Rondo in the play-offs.

Rondo will bring us a good BIG.

In response to BirdLewsBias's comment:

He'd make an excellent backup PG & cup warmer for those cold northeastern winters!

AB is NOT a point guard, he can be trapped and doesn't handle the ball all that well, he can be pressured by good teams. Bradley's offense is spot-up jumpers, he's better off the ball running and spotting. It's disappointing that you would compare two players who play two different positions. 

Rondo also beat the Heat singlehandedly in two games last playoffs. At his best Rondo is a far more dominant player than Bradley. Bradley could never do that. You do realize that beating the Heat in a seven game series is kind of the key right? Not just beating a terrible Philly team? 

That said Bradley is fantastic in his own right and I'm glad we have him. 

I'll tell you who is a point guard: Terrence Williams. Ainge obviously understands this which is why TWill has been signed through next year. 

People don't understand it's not about who is better, it's about who plays what position and where we have depth. 

At this point, as long as TWill works out, we have depth at both guard positions (Bradley can certainly play some backup PG for a bit as can a couple others). 

Because Ainge was not able to trade Pierce or Garnett he has no choice given our guard depth but to trade Rondo next season for a big...

He might even be able to package Rondo and Green together now that Green is playing well and trade them both for a disgruntled max salary guy. I'd have to spend some time with the NBA trade machine but it's a possibility. 

 

 

Wait a second, so you would rather trade Rondo AND Green for a max salary guy...forget that! We can just trade Rondo and get a decent big. It's an ACL, he didn't get a foot taken off.

I know what Rondo has done against the HEAT but when you have AB, Lee, Terry, Crawford, TWill that is a good rotation of guards. We need a big man and none of those players can land us a good big man like Rondo could. AB handles the ball well enough, we don't need Curly Neal, the ball moves faster by passing it.

You can give examples of Rondo playing well against the HEAT but I can also point to a ton of games against below .500 teams where he didn't show up. If we had AB in the ECF last year we win that series...no doubt.

These fans hold on so tight to the handful of games Rondo played against the Heat, like it proves something.  Of the 100 or so games we played last season, those 2-3 games all that mattered...

Of course, its an automatic Rondo would duplicate his greatest games ever again in the playoffs vs the Heat....in which we lost the series anyway. So Rondo could have averaged 100 pts, so what if we lost???

Hopefully he heals 100% so the C's, if theyve finally learned their lesson, dump this diva for whatever they can get.

Exactly! Someone said it a few weeks ago, Rondo plays the regular season for stats because that's what gets him the recognition as a top PG...getting triple doubles and assists. Then win the playoffs start it's about wins and then he starts to play like his hair is on fire. Well what does it mean when we don't get any consistency from him? It means he's playing when he wants to play.

I would rather have AB who brings defense EVERY night and may not score 20 per night but at least we know what we're getting. Rondo will have a triple double against the Knicks and then do absolutely nothing against the Magic. He always leaves you scratching your head. PGs hate playing against AB.

It is not necessary to have a true point guard, if the team compensates for deficient areas. After all, Lebron is playing point for the Heat.

Bradley struggles with bringing the ball up the court under pressure, like he did last night. Doc and Bradley can compensate for that deficiency by having a second player come up the court and others down court watching for ball pressure or trapping. If Bradley has someone to pass the ball to, the problem is minimized.

While it is true that half court play dominates in the play-offs, the presence of Jeff Green should more than compensate for the loss of Rondo's Offense, In addition, having the ball in several hands seems to improve the play of several of the other players, Terry for one. 

It is also likely that like Collins 76ers, teams will start to play the passing lanes more to get turn overs like last night. It seemed to work well for Collins. It is better that the Celitcs get used to it now rather than in the play-offs.

As you said: Why to we need Rondo again?

Yep! So we had 20+ turnovers last night that wasn't because of AB...that was PP and others just being careless with the ball. It's a good sign that this team likes to pass and sometimes they over pass...thus creating turnovers. It's still better than one guy pounding the air out of the ball.

 

Billups played pt guard for the Pistons as well.  We had a great assist ratio last nite, and I haven't looked it up but I think I heard them say something about our assists being up since RR has been gone. I have asked this question a few times,  what would you rather have,  one guy getting 12 assists a game or 3 guys getting 4 assists a game.  I like it spread out.  With that said I am not ready to cut RR loose unless he brings us a very good player.  

You may have misinterpreted may post. I don't think that we need Rondo either, 

The turn overs were more than careless play. It was Doug Collins coaching as well. He intentionally had his players play the passinng lanes to get turn-overs. This was done because we have been passing more as a team using multiple individuals. The team will have to compensate for that moving forward.  KG had 6 turnovers, and Pierce had 5 turn overs.

If we do trade Rondo, it should be for a game changer, not just a good big man. They will have to wait until the trade deadline next year because Rondo will have to prove he is all the way back to get such a player.

In response to KG-LB-KM's comment:

Not sure I can recall 3 inbounds passes being picked...it was 3 wasnt it?

I can maybe see one, being careless and figuring nobody presses these days. On the second, Doc should have immediately called timeout and ripped their heads off...  didnt happen...

In response to debrit's comment:

I would have laughed at this comment 6 months ago but now... Rondo is a brillliant star, but he does have a downside,  like everyone else. Perhaps by now,as the team began to gel, he wold have let go of his put people where they belong approach. My sense, even before the injury is that the team was 3 man ball, leaving competent players like Lee and Green as by-standers. The emergence of both guys is as much a key to recent success as the great play by Brdley, Garnett, and Pierce. Both are flexible, talented, and especially agile- which is the new direction in the NBA over the past couple of years.

Off the topic, but Ainge continues to build anhistoric career out of finding low-cost  skilled ball players. The Cs are now a playoff-bound team while still actively involved in rebuilding the franchise. With their  more open offense and tough defense (younger and quicker) they could very well part with Rondo (who does have real limits in covering his man) for a younger and quicker big man. What the Cs don't need- and won't buy- are established bigs with a history of chronic injury, including Bynum, Howard, Oden, et al.

In response to geneb81's comment:

Very well put.  I wouldn' mind taking a chance on Oden if he is cheap enough but Bynum could cripple a team, just as he has done the sixers.  He also doesn't appear to be someone that actually likes playing.  He has been paid more money on the injured list than I will make in a lifetime.

In response to KG-LB-KM's comment:

 

The only deficiency I see in AB's ball handling is his inability to seamlessly switch hands, but I seriously think we can part ways with Rondo in the off season and get the big we need. Plenty of top tier teams doing just fine with mediocre point guards.

I just looked back at when Rondo went out at the teams we have played and lost to.  We lost to Charlotte after a grueling triple overtime game the night before and then traveling that same night.  After that the worst team we have lost to is Portland.  While they are not going to be in the playoffs,  they have beaten some good teams,  beat Houston 2 or 3 times,  San Antonio, Chicago, Denver, Knicks, Memphis, Miami, Indiana, and the Clippers.  They have always been a good home team.

I am not bashing RR just showing some facts.  RR is going to have to come back a better player than he was and that could be a scary thing.  I personally think RR is seeing what is going on and will adjust his game.  I sure hope so.  If he is half as smart a player as Doc says then I don't see any way he doesn't come back a different and better players.  All great players seem to add something to their game each year.  With Rondo it should be easier,  he doesn't have to add to,  just remove something.  Not holding the ball.  His jumper improved a lot this year in the 15-18 ft range.  He just needs to take it when its there.

In response to OneOnOne's comment:

AMEN! It better be market value! Dude is the starting PG for the EAST ALL-STARS! How many years in a row?

In response to geneb81's comment:

 

In response to debrit's comment:

 

Rondo will bring us a good BIG.

 

I would have laughed at this comment 6 months ago but now... Rondo is a brillliant star, but he does have a downside,  like everyone else. Perhaps by now,as the team began to gel, he wold have let go of his put people where they belong approach. My sense, even before the injury is that the team was 3 man ball, leaving competent players like Lee and Green as by-standers. The emergence of both guys is as much a key to recent success as the great play by Brdley, Garnett, and Pierce. Both are flexible, talented, and especially agile- which is the new direction in the NBA over the past couple of years.

 

Off the topic, but Ainge continues to build anhistoric career out of finding low-cost  skilled ball players. The Cs are now a playoff-bound team while still actively involved in rebuilding the franchise. With their  more open offense and tough defense (younger and quicker) they could very well part with Rondo (who does have real limits in covering his man) for a younger and quicker big man. What the Cs don't need- and won't buy- are established bigs with a history of chronic injury, including Bynum, Howard, Oden, et al.

 

 

I would be happy with a healthy Dwight Howard, LaMarcus Aldridge or Al Jefferson. Nothing more and nothing less.

I would not want Kevin Love.

In response to KG-LB-KM's comment:

  Teams aren't trading a game changer for Rondo, that's why he's still a Celtic, Ainge tried to get too much for him.  Al Jefferson and Mo williams, if we give them Rondo, Bass and our #1.  If the Kings grow tired of Cousins, they may lose their mind for a moment and trade for Rondo, if we were to take back a bad contract.

In response to DaCeltics' comment:

Actually never! This year WOULD have been his first start.

In response to BirdLewsBias' comment:

Rajon could net us the first overall pick in the draft this year...just sayin'

demarcus cousins in the off season and a first for RR