Rondo signs with LAL

Interesting

it IS interesting !
good catch, dboss. it wasn't on ESPN when i checked in last about an hour ago.

he can be a butt, but i confess i've never stopped liking his game and respecting his b-ball IQ.
one possible effect: Lonzo already sees the floor well, but he'll see it better after playing some with Rondo.

Hi,
Luke Walton will be relegated to Assistant coach, after all.

AK

Lakers not nearly done, I'm thinking.

They're going to revamp quickly around James.

Rondo is useless without the ball. Lonzo is useless without the ball. Lebron is Lebron, but part of his value is handling the ball and running the offense.

This will be the headache of all headaches.  Good luck Rondo, just remember, Wherever You Go, There You Are!!

The moves LAL are making will preserve CAP space for 2019.

Lebron James has NEVER played with a high end PG that can run an offense.  The fact that he has had to create so much for his teammates took a lot out of him.  Now he can get more rest.

Magic always loved Rajon Rondo.  I for one do not think he is useless without the ball but maybe if no one watched what he did it is easy to overlooked some things.

For example his stat line during the playoffs was 33 MPG, 10.3 PPG, 12.2 Assists and 7.6 rebounds.  Throw in 1.4 steals per game and 42% shooting from behind the arc (8-19) and it is easy to see how his addition to the Lakers is an excellent moves with no long term commitment.  Ball is supposed to have a procedure this summer on his knee so adding Rondo  solidifies their ball handling and distribution abilities.

NOLA wanted to keep him and I think he deserves a raise given what he did for them last year and the fact that he played on short money.  But NOLA is on course to make a major gamble with a ton on money to keeo Cousins.   So they signed Payton instead, a younger and more affordable player but not close to the distributor needed on a team with two high volume shooters.

Win for LAL.  They are going to scare the bejesus out of a lot of teams because they know how to run.

Rondo was also good finishing at the rim last year. When LeBron said he wanted to play with intelligent teammates, he must have had Rajon in mind. No one is smarter than Rondo.

I do not feel Rondo is useless either, I just feel he is a headstrong, sometimes hard to manage guy. Luke Walton is going to have his hands full with dealing with LeBron, Rondo, Stephenson??? Those contracts those players signed were one year, off the books next year when Magic can make another big move. He also renounced Randle, who was quoted yesterday as saying he was excited to be playing with LB, now he is gone. Welcome to the world of big business!!

Worcester I totally agree with that statement. So many players have said over the years that Rondo was a play or two ahead all the time. He willl make a great coach if that is what he wants to do. He really like Stevens, only he didn't always follow what Stevens wanted him to do and that was frustrating.

RosalieTCeltics wrote:I do not feel Rondo is useless either, I just feel he is a headstrong, sometimes hard to manage guy. Luke Walton is going to have his hands full with dealing with LeBron, Rondo, Stephenson???  Those contracts those players signed were one year, off the books next year when Magic can make another big move. He also renounced Randle, who was quoted yesterday as saying he was excited to be playing with LB, now he is gone. Welcome to the world of big business!!

Rosalie

I heard that the reason they renounced Randle was because he wanted a multi-year deal.

The Lakers are clearly on a path to add another star and in the process they are collecting a lot of one year deals that can be traded easier then long term contracts. February trading deadline may really come into play here or they will have CAP space going into 2019.

Magic is doing a great job. The key however is adding allstar level players and retaining promising young talent. Waiting to land a big time free agent next year will be the best way to have your cake and eat it too.

Meanwhile the Celts will be the Beast of the East with a starting lineup of stars and a bench SO strong. Can hardly wait for October.

I loved Rondo when he was with the Celtics, and I still love his game. He is truly a visionary with the ball in his hands. His ability to see the game and make the right pass is unparalelled and truly thrilling to watch, but I am sticking to my guns that his value is diminished if he is not handling the ball and running the offense. Of course he is not literally"useless" without the ball in hands - he is an nba player - but Rondo is no doubt most effective with the ball in his hands. He is a career 31% 3pt shooter (and I am rounding up). To be fair, last year he was closer to 34%, which is still nothing to  write home about. Regardless, both numbers are far more representative of his ability than the 42% dboss quoted (small sample size). Although I agree in principle that Rondo has/had the athletic ability to be a good finisher, he never reached that potential since his terrible ft% (60.4% career) causes him to avoid contact, and thus avoid driving.

When Rondo handles the ball, opposing defenses sag off him since he is not a great shooter. It is part of the reason Danny decided that he could not build around Rondo. At least in this scenario Rondo can drive and shoot or drive and dish. Without the ball in his hands, opposing defenses don't even have to worry about that. I may be exagerating a little, but only to make the point the Rondo's value is greatest when handling the ball and running the offense.

I don't know much about Lonzo, but from what I have read and the little I have seen, his most valuable skill is his passing and ability to run the offense. His shooting is not great, and thus he is similar to Rondo in some ways (caveat - I don't see the genius/savant/visionary passing ability that Rondo posseses in Lonzo).

James is a monster. I would still choose Jordan over him, but Lebron is pretty much as good as it gets. Much of his worth though comes from his bbiq, and the decisions he makes with the ball in his hands. This is the one area where almost everyone agrees that he is superior than MJ - he is an effective point forward, and usually makes the right play.

I thus maintain that Rondo's talents are most compatible with a team like the 2007-2008 Celtics. He will maximize the talents of players like Pierce, KG, and Ray far more than he will maximize the talents of guys like Lebron and Lonzo.

I thought this might happen. NO was taking a long time to resign RR even though they were swearing they wanted to. And then you see Randle end up with NO and apparently Davis recruited him. James has always been a fan of Rondo. I remember back when Rondo scored 40 on Miami in the playoffs James commented there was no stopping Rondo when he was going like that. And then James' comment about wanting to play with high IQ players. If that's not dog whistle for RR I don't know what is. Kobe tried to recruit him to the Lakers and Magic is naturally going to be a fan of his. Gentry had no problem with him. If James wants him and Magic wants him, I kind of suspect Walton will figure it out. But the next question is do the Lakers get Cousins? Cousins is a huge (pun intended) Rondo guy. James, Rondo, and Cousins could be formidable.

Whoops, never mind. Cousins to GS. Where do they get that kind of money?

atcross wrote:Whoops, never mind. Cousins to GS. Where do they get that kind of money?

1 yr 5 million

Dirt cheap

beat

WTF?

beat wrote:

atcross wrote:Whoops, never mind. Cousins to GS. Where do they get that kind of money?

1 yr 5 million

Dirt cheap

beat

I'll say. Buying a ring. Oh well, can't fault him for wanting to win.

RosalieTCeltics wrote:This will be the headache of all headaches.  Good luck Rondo, just remember, Wherever You Go, There You Are!!

What makes you think Rondo will be a headache in LA? We all know how smart he is and that he is one of the best PG’s to play the game. If you’re referring to his attitude, personally I think the pluses far outweigh the minus’ in his case.

The good Rondo could just push Mr. Ball into a bench role in LA. The bad Rondo could completely disrupt the entire team, and he could be on the move again next summer.

Can't blame Rondo for taking a contract that was almost a 300% raise. Wonder what the Pelican offered him?

Rondo did not disrupt the Celtics. He had attitude and did not play D in his lat year after the knee injury, but he was not disruptive.
He was a problem in Dallas since he was way smarter than Carlisle who was mismanaging the team.
He played great in Sacto and Chicago where he was a boon to both teams and a guiding force to rehab each team.

Ditto in NO.

Rondo is an asset. Those who think he's disruptive in the locker room haven't looked closely enough since his stint with the Mavs.

Bet this nutcase is happy today

Why would Ball be happy?

http://www.businessinsider.com/lakers-free-agency-signings-after-lebron-baffles-nba-2018-7?amp%253Butm_medium=referral


The Lakers baffled the NBA world with 4 moves immediately after landing LeBron James

The Los Angeles Lakers landed LeBron James and then baffled the NBA world with their moves over the next 24 hours.

The Lakers agreed to contracts with Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo while renouncing the rights to Julius Randle, a young, talented big man.

Stephenson, McGee, and Rondo have not been particularly good players in recent years and didn't appear to be in high demand.

The twist, however, could be if the Lakers need rotation players after a big trade or plan on using some of these players' salaries in a future trade.

The Los Angeles Lakers made one of the biggest moves in NBA history on Sunday by landing LeBron James in free agency.

And then they proceeded to baffle the NBA world with some head-scratching moves over the next 24 hours.

After signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a one-year, $12 million deal (a sensible move), the Lakers continued by signing Lance Stephenson, one of James' biggest rivals, to a one-year, $4.5 million contract.

They then added center JaVale McGee to a one-year, minimum deal.

On Monday, the Lakers renounced their rights to free agent big man Julius Randle, a young, talented player with big potential, to sign 32-year-old point guard Rajon Rondo to a one-year, $9 million deal.

The problem with the signings of Stephenson, McGee, and Rondo is that none of the players are particularly good, and the Lakers ate up valuable cap space to add them. The players are nice in theory — Stephenson is a big, athletic ball-handler who can be a pest on defense; McGee is a rim-running, rim-protecting big man; Rondo is one of the smartest players in the NBA and one of the most gifted passers — but they have rarely ever fully utilized their skills, particularly in recent years.

Rondo is on his sixth team since the 2014-15 season and has often been disengaged on the court, accused of assist-hunting, and his defense is mostly overrated. Stephenson has not been successful on any team outside of the Indiana Pacers, and his flashy style of play often leads to inconsistency. McGee typically sat on the bench for the Warriors last two Finals runs, and though he looked great during some moments in the most recent championship, it was often when surrounded by four Hall of Fame players.

To worsen matters, the Lakers don't have good shooters around James, who thrives when surrounded by shooters:


Tommy Beer

@TommyBeer
There are only 7 active players with more than 900 career 3-point attempts but a 3PT% below 31%

2 of those seven players will be Lakers next season: Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson.

Last season, Lonzo Ball became the first rookie ever to average more than 5 3PT and shoot < 31%

The NBA world reacted to the signings in shock:

Sean Highkin

@highkin
Theory: LeBron is trying to cement his GOAT case by building the most disjointed, ill-fitting team imaginable and trying to get them to the Finals in the west. You thought what he did with the Cavs this year was impressive? Just wait.

Hardwood Paroxysm
@HPbasketball
You put Rondo and JaVale and Lance on one team.

You also put the (arguably) Greatest Player of All Time on that team.

Is this some sort of demented experiment?

Reggie Comma Mike Prada

@MikePradaSBN
When we all did those “how well would Crappy Team X do if you add LeBron on their team” blog posts, we didn’t mean for the Lakers to try it in real life.


Danny Leroux

@DannyLeroux
The Lakers' next signing is the broken AC unit in the AT&T Center

Bill Simmons

@BillSimmons
Is there a “passing out and hitting your head on the desk” emoji?

There may be a twist to the moves, however.

First, if the Lakers make a trade for Kawhi Leonard (or some other star) and have to empty their cupboard of young players like Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart, they have signed players who fill their positions at cheap rates.

The other is that if they want to make a trade for a star, the salaries of players like Rondo, Stephenson, and Caldwell-Pope are easier to trade for salary-matching purposes. Newly signed players cannot be immediately traded, however.

It's possible these signings, while head-scratching now, have a larger purpose — future trade chips or cheap, available backup options when the Lakers make a big trade.

Additionally, the deals are all one year, so the Lakers have preserved their cap space next summer for a deeper free-agency class. They may simply be adding veteran players to surround a core of James and young talent to fill out the roster. The results won't necessarily be pretty, but the team needs able bodies.

Nonetheless, on the surface, it's confusing to land the best player in the NBA (and possibly of all-time) then surround him with players who were not exactly in high demand.

worcester wrote:Why would Ball be happy?

Its called sarcasm.