RONDO IS SIGNED!

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Rondo agrees to five-year, $55 million deal
E-mail|Link|Comments ()Posted by Gary Washburn November 2, 2009 09:37 AM
According to a source close to Rajon Rondo, the Celtics guard has agreed to a five-year, $55 million contract extension with the Celtics, ending a summer-long saga that appeared to agitate both sides until the end.

Rondo, 23, has led the Celtics to one NBA title in his three seasons and is considered one of the NBA's best young point guards. Rondo was eligible for a three-to-five-year contract extension, with a Nov. 2 deadline. If the two sides were unable to agree, the guard would have been a restricted free agent after this season.

The deal gives the Celtics a talented point guard for the next five years. Rondo will be paid a step below the league's top point guards -- Deron Williams ($17.5) and Chris Paul ($17 million) are the highest paid, but Rondo exceeds veteran Steve Nash ($10 million).

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Reaction from Rondo's Agent, Doc Rivers
E-mail|Link|Comments (4)Posted by Gary Washburn November 2, 2009 02:36 PM
The Rajon Rondo contract extension was sparked by a Sunday afternoon phone conversation between Rondo's agent, Bill Duffy, and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. And according to Duffy, the deal was completed before the Celtics' 97-87 win over New Orleans at TD Garden and Rondo was told of the deal after his heated altercation with Chris Paul.

The five-year, $55 million deal is completed and all sides appear happy, although Duffy told the Globe that he and Rondo were willing to test restricted free agency had the deal not been done.

"We were pretty adamant about that the whole time," Duffy said Monday afternoon. "All you look for is fairness in a contract. But it's my responsibility to assess the situation with players and obviously this is a perfect situation for Rajon to continue where he started. We don't take that lightly."

The question for Rondo is whether he could have earned more money as a restricted free agent with cap-friendly teams looking for a quality point guard.

"Sure, you go into the free agent market and maybe he could have earned more money," Duffy said. "The grass is always greener on the other side. But I also look at this as his second contract and he'll be in his prime when this contract expires so there's still more ahead. If we were shortsighted, maybe we go to a better situation, perhaps more money. But if it's not the right fit, you'll suffer later."

Rivers said he tried to ease Rondo's tensions over the past few days.

"It wasn't a distraction," he said. "Rondo has been playing terrific and our record indicates that. But I'm a big believer, if you can take care of anybody's stuff, then you eliminate the chance of [distractions] happening. I think he is more mature than his age. He is on the same stage [as Chris Paul]. I don't think he has anything to prove."

In 239 games, Rondo has averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds. He is averging 6.5 points and 11.8 assists through four games this season.

The story was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.

On to Banners 18,19, 20, 21 & 22.

We locked Rondo up. To me he is doing his job as well as anybody wearing green. I think he just flat bugs the players he defends. His passing has gone up a notch due to who he is passing to. I think this is the best news since SEEING KG go all out.

What do yall think?

Jeb

I think we're seeing the begininng of Rondo the distributor----not as many leave your feet shots off the drive.Still "herky jerky" at times but with a more defined role with the abundance of scorers.He can really play with no pressure to triple double----just lead the league in assists and get us 8-10 pts a game.

DJ

I think he was the most important player on the floor in 3 of the wins.

Jeb

I have, as many can remember, not been an ardent Ainge backer. This time he did the wise thing. Locking Rondo in for a fair price was reasonable and prudent. The longer negotiations would drag on even though the deadline was extended, the more chance for misunderstandings to arise and others to get into Rajon's head and plant seeds of distrust. Now, I feel he knows he is a valued member of the team and figures prominently in the team's long range plans. Ainge & Wyc have given Rondo reason to feel he has a vested interest in his future in Boston!-MD.

MD

I think we are all glad this is done. As with Rondo's head all he had to do was look around the locker room and think. If I'm not here who replaces me? There are adequate replacements now for everyone but Rondo really.
As much as Doc may "rest" and limit the older players minutes, Rondo's minutes too will need to be looked at closely. If we continue to play this well perhaps no starter will need to log much beyond 30 minutes in many games.

beat