We have reached the unofficial halfway point of the NBA season and a few storylines have jumped to the top of the news.
The Pelicans logo ain’t half bad.
The Old Sacramento Kings are the new Seattle Sonics.
Stephen Curry was the only real snub from the All-Star team.
Last Sunday, the Boston Celtics took an unexpected hit when the team learned All-Star point guard, Rajon Rondo, will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Coming into the season, Rondo was set to show offensive growth. Saying so himself just before he began the year. Instead, Rondo gave us more of the same: lots of assists, an inconsistent jump shot, and an inability to carry the offensive load for Boston.
Now that Rondo is done for the season, the Celtics are at a crossroad. Do they start the rebuilding process early by trading Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce? Or do they stay the course and keep pushing toward an unlikely trip to the Finals.
Rebuilding isn’t really an option for Boston –
And there’s one major reason: No team on Earth is trading valuable assets for Garnett or Pierce (the only tradable players on the roster) at this point. Those guys are worth way more to Boston than any other team. Plus they aren’t cheap options for another team. Pierce will make $17 million this year (and over 15 next season) while Garnett is due around $12 million for this season and the next two. Even if Boston could move one or both of these players, they won’t receive a young, talented player or a decent draft pick in return…so they wouldn’t actually be rebuilding anything.
Since the Celtics are stuck with that they have, they need to look down the roster and assess the players that are left. The truth is, the C’s aren’t that much worse off without Rondo the remainder of this season. Consider…
The Celtics aren’t that great right now with Rondo –
…so no need in acting like the team was perfect. The Celtics have been up-and-down this year in part because of Rondo. They are currently 21-23, with a firm hold on 8th place in the East. Way below expectations when the core of the team was brought back for another run.
![Rondo-ABC-ESPN-Broadcast-ACL-Injury-1[1]](http://www.singleblackmale.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Rondo-ABC-ESPN-Broadcast-ACL-Injury-11-300x168.jpg)
With Pierce and Garnett past their primes, Rondo had every opportunity to take more of a leadership role and carry the team when needed. He’d chosen instead to remain mostly in his comfort zone, passing the responsibility back to Pierce and Garnett. The results haven’t been pretty. The Celtics had lost six in a row (including one to Detroit) before an exciting double overtime win over Miami this Sunday…without Rondo. You saw glimpses of the team Boston can be when motivated. You also saw…
The offense running like…a regular NBA offense –
You might think, by this point, that I don’t like Rondo. That is absolutely untrue. I love Rondo’s tenacity on the court. He played with a dislocated elbow(!). He guarded LeBron in the fourth quarter of playoff games. AND he’s a damn good point guard.
I also acknowledge Rondo’s major flaws. His jumper is so inconsistent you are genuinely surprised when he makes a three pointer. He passes out of open shots in the lane to rack up assists trying too hard to get his teammates involved. And his temper has gone too far at times, costing him several games in suspensions (including some in the playoffs).
When you add the positives and negatives, you get an elite point guard…but one you have to make certain allowances for. Without Rondo, the Celtics will rely on Avery Bradley handling the ball, Courtney Lee at shooting guard, the improving Jared Sullinger, and the majority of plays running through Pierce/Garnett. That’s not a bad starting five! Given the age of the primary scorers for Boston, that puts pressure on Jason Terry and Jeff Green to score points when Pierce and Garnett have to rest.
This begs the question…
Can Jeff Green continue to be that Jeff Green? –
Jeff Green can do this?
Whoa.
Watching Green play against Miami this weekend was a lot of fun. He was aggressive, hit a three, and played good defense on LeBron and Dwyane Wade. He looked like the guy Boston thought they’d be getting when they signed him to a four-year contract…instead of the guy they actually got thus far this season.
If Boston can rely on solid contributions from Green on both sides of the ball, Boston can keep improving despite the loss of Rondo.
It would help if Terry could find his jumpshot sometime soon.
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Before you write off the Celtics, consider these four points and the 15-13 record Boston struggled to by the midway point of last season (albeit a condensed one). Despite the bad start last year, Boston finished the season a game away from the Finals. There is reason to hope, Celtics fans.
What do you think, NBA Fans? Are the Celtics done for? Would they be better off trading who the can to prepare for the future? Let me know in the comments below!
Joe, I agree with some of your points. Green was and could be the man. Terry definitely needs to step it up and bring that veteran prowess we know he has. I will say they are done because I don't see them being any higher than a 7th or 8th seed, which will lead them to play potentially Miami (lost) or the NY Knicks (another lost). So making the playoffs is definitely not a stretch, but they definitely will be out in the first round.
I see what you mean. They put themselves behind the 8-ball with their record thus far. They are 4.5 games away from the 6th seed, behind Atlanta who's freefalling and Milwaukee who's not that good. I think they have enough to play their way there.
A run to the Finals would seem to be out of the question…but we said that last year. It certainly helped that Rose was hurt though.
i think milwaukee are better than they get credit for, but if atlanta takes w.e bs the lakers are selling, brooklyn goes back to playing like brooklyn the celtics can avoid miami/nyk in round 1
My recent post Today’s Word is… WEIGHT
Oh well. Slide Brandon Jennings into that open point-guard slot for the All-Star Team! #bucks
I was in Milwaukee last week for the first time. Didn't realize how big a sports town it was. People really give a crap about the Bucks. Here's hoping Jennings can make it. Though I think Deron Williams and Brook Lopez are more likely.
Milwaukee is a huge sports town, but the Bucks are usually last in the hierarchy behind the Packers, Brewers, and UW-Madison football.
I think you're right that a Net will likely be Rondo's replacement, but I think Brandon deserved it over Deron. If the "Dwight is having a bad year by his standards" is a valid argument for people saying Dwight Howard shouldn't be an All-Star, it should also apply to Deron.
I'm not saying Brandon is a definite All-Star (he's borderline), but I'm curious as to the people who say winning matters, then turn around and Jrue Holiday (18-26) and Kyrie Irving (13-32) make it in over someone who's team is in the playoffs. Jrue is nice, and Kyrie is nicer, but still.
Yeah I can only imagine how crazy it gets around there when the Packers are still playing. The Lions fan in me is turning his nose up.
I agree with your Deron/Dwight comparison, which is why I said 'more likely' instead of 'more deserving' lol. I'd put Brook ahead of both Jennings and Deron…but he's a big and I wonder if they want to replace a guard with another one.
I think they should just let Stephen Curry switch sides and play for the East. He deserves to be in the ASG.
Madison is an hour and fifteen minutes west of Milwaukee and Green Bay is two hours north. When the Brewers play the Cubs at Miller field, the Cubs fans outnumber the Brewers fans two to one. No one really cares about the Bucks. I would not call Milwaukee a good sports town. I would call Wisconsin a good football state.
Well they put up a good front for three days, lol. I'm sure I'll be back (my new company has a plant in MIL), so I'll get a better sense as time goes on.
I'm a born and bred Milwaukeean, still living here. I can certainly testify that Milwaukee is a huge sports town. The reason most people care more about the Brewers and Packers more than the Bucks is because the MLB and NFL are bigger than the NBA (in addition to the NBA being the black sport).
There are two reasons Cubs fans outnumber Brewers fans at Miller Park, which are the same reasons there were more Bulls fans than Bucks fans at the Bradley Center yesterday.
1. Chicago is only 90 miles away (even closer than Green Bay).
1a. Tickets are cheaper for Bucks/Brewers games than Bulls/Cubs games.
2. Several people born in Chicago live in Milwaukee.
In order for your statement to be true, you have to explain why no other opposing team's fans, except Chicago teams, outnumber Milwaukee fans.
i been on the Jennings bandwagon for a while now
The Celtics cause matchup problems for the Heat and Knicks, just saying.
Rondo…leading the league in Triple Doubles and Assists…and you're saying Boston can win/have a better record without him???
It must be that mid-western cold affecting your thought process.
Not saying any one player can fill in for Rondo (no one can), but look at their offense. Rondo holds the ball A LOT and gets his assists at the expense of ball movement and open shots for himself. Without him, the ball will move more so they'll get their points, just a different way. He's a great rebounder for a guard…that will definitely be missed.
Remember they are the 8th seed right now with him. They can hold things together and finish in the bottom half of the playoffs in the East.
I'm not giving up on my Celtics yet, Pierce does a pretty good Rondo impression when he needs to. Doc is still the best coach in the conference and a 5th-6th seed and a series win isnt exactly out the question. It would have to take some stars aligning for things them to go any farther.
My recent post Today’s Word is… WEIGHT
"The Celtics aren’t that great right now with Rondo "
This more or less sums up my thoughts on the subject. They weren't beating the Heat in a 7 game series, regardless (as evidenced by the last two post-seasons). Can they still win games? Of course they can and they will. Those other PGs on the roster get paid, too. I mean…Jeremy Lin wasn't THAT long ago, folks, lol.
On topic, the Celtics will be fine…this year. If they can tread water by going .500 the rest of the way, they can easily fend off the Sixers for the last playoff spot. That shouldn't be hard in the East because there are so many bad teams.
Next year is another story, with Pierce, Garnett and Terry another year older.
I think we're being very short sighted right now. Traditionally, older veteran teams don't really turn it on until after the All Star break. You just saw the Celtics beat the Heat, a Heat team with no real health concerns, they beat them. Also, I would say this… if the Bulls can win without Rose and he contributes for a larger % of their offense than Rondo, then the Celtics can win without Rondo. It may even help them too. Rondo is a great PG but sometimes he's an awkward fit in the offense and defense.
There's a ton of guys in the D-league and we're nowhere near the trade deadline. You really just need a point guard to come in and give you some production without turning the ball over. You can use Jeff Green, Pierce and Garnett and do some things. They still have some bench pieces of note. This may also open up some things for A. Bradley to finally get the burn he deserves. The point is, this team can win without Rondo. They still pose a serious threat in the Eastern Conference because the matchup with the Knicks and Heat that they have is glaringly obvious.
"Traditionally, older veteran teams don't really turn it on until after the All Star break."
I co-sign with this. Which leads me to believe the Miami Heat might take it up one more notch post All-Star break. Considering their three best players are in their 10th year in the league and they have 8 players over the age of 30 on their roster they qualify as an older, veteran team as well, I'm sure.
Celtics will win some games…and may even get into a 6th seed at the highest, all things staying relative. Can they beat the Knicks or the Heat in a playoff series? Yeah, it's possible, but not highly probable. Match up issues work both ways. Heat have proven over the last couple seasons in the Eastern conference they're better at exploiting their match up advantage then teams are against them.
As a basketball fan, I’m sorry Rondo got hurt. But…as a Lakers fan? See ya next year youngin’. I know my squad isn’t going anywhere this year either, but at least Boston will be home with us. They need to blow up the squad. This 5 year run they had was good, but it’s over .
Somehow i still have faith in my Lakers… They're hitting the road tomorrow, let's see how it will turn out… They just won their last 3 games at home… I mean, Just don't give up yet :D!
This Grammy road trip will tell a lot. Which I guess you could predict since they have no more room for error, lol.
I wonder how long "Passing Kobe" will be around. Seems like it's working, but you know "Gunner Kobe" will be back. I think it's just a matter of how well he can balance the two. I'm not a fan, but things are more interesting when the Lakers are involved.
… Oh you know what… just never mind my previous comment… My team is too confused to go anywhere… They just blew a 13points lead against the Suns, and all these turnovers… What a bad way to start this road trip… ANLALALALALALALALALA I REALLY AM FAN… IT H-U-R-T-S!!!!!