Tag Archives: rondo

Celtics Fall Short In Miami

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Surprise, surprise, the Heat won. As if anyone gave the Celts a chance in the first place. I may sound like a broken record with this, but again I feel good about the team. Not often are you going to hear that about a team starting off the season 0-2. With 3 minutes left to play the Celtics had Miami within three points. What killed them for the second game in a row was the slow start. They found themselves digging out of a hole once again. I mean a 39 point second quarter is inexcusable. It just can’t happen. The defense needs to step it up. They can’t give up 69 points in a half, even if it is to Lebron and the Heat. Excuse me, especially if it’s Lebron and the Heat. Rondo wasn’t exactly as outstanding as on Christmas Day but he quietly put up 22 points and continues to be the glue that’s going to hold this team together. With that said, Ray’s going to do Ray. Give him the ball with .05 seconds and an inch of space and watch what he does with it. But that stuff is a given. What the Celts need is a bench that can keep them in games. Brandon Bass continued to show what he can do tonight and even Keyon Dooling showed some veteran fire late in the game with 13 points off the bench. If it wasn’t for Miami’s rookie point guard Norris Cole and his miracle shooting down the stretch, the game could’ve went either way. Throw Mickael Pietrus into the mix and return the Truth, C’s win this game for sure. Again, it’s hard to sit here with an 0-2 team and be happy, but you can’t be too worried. Anyways, things can only go up from here, right?

Not All Lost in New York

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The best Christmas for any basketball fan yesterday was the return of the NBA. The only thing that could have made it better for Boston was watching the C’s come out of New York with a win. Unfortunately, we all know how that played out. Losing to the Knicks, especially with their all-star elf Spike Lee jumping up and down courtside, is always tough to swallow. But not all was lost in New York for the Celts. I think it’s safe to thank Danny Ainge for holding on to Rondo, even if he didn’t mean to. Throughout the short preseason, we could see improvement in Rondo’s shot and overall play, but yesterday he made a statement. His stats were amazing, with 31 points and 13 assists, while almost single handedly bringing the Celtics back into the game, but his aggressive manner and matured nature of play is what shone through the loss. With an aging team, Rondo is the key to the Celts this season. If he can continue to play like a first team all-star, the Celts are going to be alright this season. Not to mention having guys like Brandon Bass slip on a green and white uniform and make a statement of his own. He ended the day with 20 points and 11 rebounds, letting everyone know which team got the better deal in Orlando trade. Bass coming off the bench is going to prove to be a great addition to the Celtics squad, both offensively and defensively. Bring Pierce back and throw Mickael Pietrus into the mix, I think the C’s are going to be just fine.

Media Day – Celts Ready to Play

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20111213-141823.jpgIf you didn’t catch it on Twitter this morning, I was lucky enough to be at the Waltham practice facility today for Celtics Media Day. For the most part, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Players come out sporting their team’s gear and are introduced to a number of media outlets. But after seeing and hearing all the Celtics players today, I feel pretty good about going into the season. All the big names were amped up to be back on the court, especially KG. They displayed a collected, confident presence about the team and an eager mindset to get the new guys settled in. The rookies were excited to start their careers on such a historic team, alongside several future hall of famers. Even Jeff Green was feeling good about things, as he was spotted taking shots prior to the event’s start. His message was simple: Don’t listen to the rumors. Keyon Dooling, a new face to the organization, expressed his excitement of becoming a Celtic, despite the 5 other teams he has been a part of. He even laughed off the incident he had with Ray while he was still on the Sonics. Overall a very friendly, funny guy. With some lingering doubt heading into the season prior to media day, spirits were high in Waltham today. I left the facility feeling much better than I have in the past few days. The boys are back in green and eager to put banner 18 up into the rafters. Good news all around for Boston Celtics fans!

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Rondo, Green and Two Picks for Paul is Not Worth it

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ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported earlier today that the Celtics are still in the running for Hornets point guard Chris Paul. Reportedly the Celtics have offered Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green, and two future first-round picks.

First off, I am all for the Celtics making a run at Paul but this trade makes absolutely no sense to me unless one thing comes from it; and that is if they are able to get Dwight Howard to join up with Paul here in Boston. I am content with trading away Rondo for Paul, and even including one or two draft picks.

Yes, Paul is better than Rondo, not by a landslide, but he is better. How can you also throw Jeff Green into the deal along with two first-round picks though? Let’s reverse back to last season. The Celtics gave up Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to land Jeff Green, so they must have some faith in him. I was one of the few who were not very upset when that deal went down. Jeff Green is a quality player who has averaged just less than 16 PPG as a starter in the NBA. Then you are also going to throw in two first-round picks? I think the Hornets would be stupid not to take the offer, but that’s not the argument here.

Lets just say that trade does happen. How do the Celtics get Dwight Howard? Does anyone actually think Orlando would deal Howard to the Celtics in exchange for what is left on this roster? Obviously they wont trade Pierce. So what is left? You have no draft picks to trade, and no young talent without Green. Orlando doesn’t want Allen or Garnett. They would much rather ship him to L.A. for a Bynum/Gasol combination. Not only do they get more value for Howard, they also keep him out of the conference. So assuming they can’t land Howard this is what their future will look like in three years or so. Chris Paul. That’s it. Allen, Pierce and Garnett are all on their way out and the Celtics would have no picks to draft a quality player, and no Jeff Green to help build around Paul.

The fact that they are willing to trade Rajon Rondo and his underpaid $11 million a year contract, along with the only other player on the team with some upside, and include two first round picks just to have a somewhat minor upgrade from Rondo to Paul just doesn’t make any sense to me. Not to mention they will have to sign Paul to a deal paying him almost double of what Rondo makes.

Some people will try to say if we get Paul, Howard will follow here next season when he is a free agent. The only issue is that Howard won’t be a free agent. If he won’t resign in Orlando they will trade him. There is no way they take the chance Cleveland took and just let their star player walk away and get nothing in return.

 

 

Your take on the Paul situation?

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With all the trade rumors going around the NBA prior to the shortened season beginning, I thought it would be fun to get your guys take on who will be the best team in the league come June.  It looks like the Heat are signing Shane Battier who will most likely be the biggest role player in the league this year.

All of these scenarios are based upon the rumors that are going around. For example, the only way the Lakers will most likely get Paul is if Howard goes there too to create their own big 3, and that the Celtics will only get him by giving up Rondo, Green, and 2 first round picks.  Any other teams that you think have a legitimate shot, post in the comment section.

Rondo Rumors

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20111130-121904.jpgAlthough there was much speculation about Chris Paul coming to Boston in place of Rajon Rondo (which would be amazing and anyone who says otherwise does not know what they are talking about), it looks like it will not be happening because Paul knows the age of our team. He will not sign an extension beyond this first year. Besides, there are still rumors floating around that he is making a dream team #2, with Melo and Amare in New York. Keep in mind though, KG said the same thing in ’07, as well as Melo. Hmmm.

The Indiana Pacers are also trying to work a deal out to bring Rondo to their team but without a third team involved, Danny Ainge would be foolish to look too far into this. They do not have anyone that can replace Rondo’s athleticism and we cannot rely on Delonte West as a starter (assuming that we re-sign him and he doesn’t get caught with guns on his motorcycle or fornicating Lebron’s mommy). With most of our team entering senior citizen status next season, it will be tough to get any big name player to sign a contract here. Therefore we need to stop remembering the past big 3 for what they were and think about alternative scenarios that could give us the best opportunity to compete with the Big 3 of the Heat, which will be stronger than last year, and the possible Big 3 in New York.

Fight Club

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They certainly weren’t playing in the Garden or wearing Celtic green, but Rondo and Pierce were in town this weekend for a charity game at Harvard University. Unfortunately, news of a scuffle took precedent over the event, and it too was certainly not on the court or while wearing the Celtic green.

If you haven’t heard already, early Saturday morning Rondo was allegedly part of an altercation while leaving a night club in downtown Lowell. By altercation I mean there was some pushing as a crowd shuffled out of the club (that never happens), and one person ended up swinging at Rondo, supposedly unknowingly. The nightclub, Brian’s Ivy Hall, had been hosting an event featuring the Celtics star, accompanied by a few other notable NBA stars including Nate Robinson, Rudy Gay, and Josh Smith. Apparently there was no report of intoxication by the alleged attacker in the police write up, nor was Rondo drinking at all that night. Now I’ll be the first to admit inebriated decisions are completely null and void, but soberly making the decision to go after a hometown star, accompanied by other NBA stars and several rather large body guards (could be an understatement), probably wasn’t the best way to confront the issue, that is, unless Micky Ward had his back. Gotta love downtown Lowell.