Is Rondo or Green a Better Building Block for the Boston Celtics' Future?

This is a Bleacher Report article, which means it's likely to be garbage (and, in fact, does have some holes in it), but I thought the underlying premise is an intriguing one.  Who is a better cornerstone for rebuilding?


Is Rajon Rondo or Jeff Green a Better Building Block for Boston Celtics Future?
BY SEBASTIAN LENA (FEATURED COLUMNIST) ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2013

Hi-res-6821340_crop_north Who should the C's focus their rebuild around?
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports



The Boston Celtics have two capable players they can build around in Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green.

On one hand, the team has an experienced leader who knows what it takes to win an NBA title. On the other hand, the Celtics have a young scorer who has waited patiently for his chance to shine.

It leaves the team with just one question: Who is the better player to build around?

Fresh off its worst season since 2007, Boston has some work to do. To make matters worse, the team lost head coach Doc Rivers to the Los Angeles Clippers while shipping off veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets over the summer.

Not only did it officially close the door on the Big Three era, but it also left the Celtics desperately searching for a new identity.

With a new head coach, several new faces and overall lower expectations, now is a better time than ever for the team to discover what it is. Having top-NBA talent like Rondo and Green certainly helps make that process a little easier.

However, if Boston wants to build itself back up, it’s imperative the team focuses on one player to work around.



The Case for Rondo



Jared Wickerham/Getty Images


Rondo is one of the best the NBA has to offer.

It’s tough to find a better point guard in the NBA than Rondo. In fact, he’s arguably the best the league has to offer.

Just take a look at what the 27-year-old has accomplished as of late.

During 38 contests in 2012-13, Rondo averaged 13.7 points, 11.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals over 37.4 minutes per game. Furthermore, over the last two seasons, the seven-year veteran has led the league in assists and rebounds (among point guards). In fact, he’s been ranked in the top 10 in both categories every season since 2008-09.

It’s hard to match the versatility Rondo brings to the court.



Rondo can do it all.

Remember, this is the same guy who missed more games than he played in last year, yet still managed to lead the league in triple-doubles (five). In comparison, LeBron James came in second with just four in 76 contests.

Sure, the Celtics played better without Rondo initially. However, we all saw how the team completely bottomed out near the tail end of the regular season and throughout the playoffs.

Boston looked lost without a floor general, going through one failed audition after another for the point guard spot. Eventually, the team had to rely on Pierce—the starting small forward—to handle the distribution duties.

Rondo is an NBA champion, a four-time All-Star and one of the biggest draws in the NBA.

What more do the Celtics need to build around?



The Case for Green




Jared Wickerham/Getty Images


Does Green have what it takes to lead the C's?

Green was easily a bright spot in a rather dark time for Boston.

After a slow start, the 27-year-old took off for the remainder of the year, averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks over 35.1 minutes per game during the team’s final 16 regular-season contests. He also connected on 50.9 percent of his attempts from the field and 51 percent from three-point range.

It was a stretch that saw Green explode for performances of 43 and 34 points.

However, his play during the postseason is what stamped his arrival as a superstar.

In six playoff contests against the New York Knicks, Green averaged 20.3 points and 5.3 rebounds over 43.2 minutes per game. He also shot 43.5 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent from beyond the arc.




Green was at his best during the postseason.

But what stood out the most during this run was the confidence that Green displayed with the ball in his hand.

The hesitation and bad decision-making that plagued him during the first half of the season was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Green demanded the ball in pressure situations, taking any shot or lane to the hoop that’s given to him. If nothing was there, he had no problem finding a teammate with a better shot.

One can only imagine how dangerous Green becomes now that the small forward position is all his for the taking.



Summing It All Up


Harry How/Getty Images

Rondo (right), not Green, gives C's best chance to build.

As summarized above, both Rondo and Green offer the Celtics a lot. But only one is a sure bet to bring results if the team builds around him.

Who gives the C's a better building block for the future?


That player is Rondo.

Sure, he’s still rehabbing from a torn ACL and isn’t expected to return to the court until December. Not to mention, Green will be in a starting role, coming off the best stretch of his career.

However, Rondo’s track record of performing at a high level year-in and year-out trumps Green’s 22-game stretch.

According to Rivers, Rondo is working the hardest he ever has in his life to return to the floor. That kind of determination and drive can’t be overlooked.

While it’s completely possible that Green will prove his success was no fluke, until then, Boston’s best bet to draw in talent comes from building around Rondo.

No doubt about it.



bob
MY NOTE:  What is not mentioned in this article is that Rondo is also in the last year of his contract which, by most standards, is far less than he'd be offered anywhere else.  What is not mentioned is that Rondo has also had problems controlling his emotions due to immaturity and, as a result of that, has hurt the team.  What is not mentioned is Green's inconsistency during the season.  What is not mentioned is the importance of having a "go to guy", the Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant, LBJ guy that, when the clock is ticking down and you cannot afford an empty possession and need a basket, you can give it to him and he'll get something out of it; a fg, some free throws, something.  Green is more of that kind of player than Rondo.

.

Short answer: neither. Brad Stevens is the cornerstone.

Long answer: I think the premise of this article is flawed. It has bought totally into the modern NBA marketing and ESPN story that superstars are what count. Yes, you need talent, and yes, you needs stars, but the whole argument seems based on figuring out who will be the Celtics' LeBron or Kevin Durant or Kobe. I think that's a flawed way to look at where the Celtics are headed.

Why is it an either/or question? They're not going to contend until they have Rondo AND Jeff Green AND at least one other top-level player AND several other complementary role players who fit into Stevens' system.

So I guess teams are to revert back to building around one star now. My how the times have changed.


KJ

Hi,
I selected RR. But I think the better answer is what Outside suggested: RR+JG+top level player. Add to that youngsters JS+KO and we have a contending team.

AK

I would also have to agree with Outside.  However, of course, I can't resist going a little further...

If we look at this as purely; if you could only have one of the two to start a team, who would you take?  Rondo.

I think it is much harder to find a player with the combination of skills Rondo brings to the floor than it is to find a player similar to Green.  What's more I think we at least know what we have in Rondo wheras we're not yet certain Green can continue the preview we saw late last year.

I'll give the article a little credit for relevance since we are rebuilding, and, in my own opinion, a single basketball player has a much greater impact on his team than a single player in any other team sport being commonly discussed.  The article presents a completely hypothetical exercise, but at least creates a topic that could be fun to debate.  It got Bob to start a poll, didn't it?

If you were going to start a team that played a certain style, who would you take first?

Is there any doubt that, if Red was starting from scratch, he'd pick Russell first?  That doesn't mean he didn't value Cooz etal, but Russell was Da Man.

If you were Red and you were starting from scratch, and in essence he was, don't you think he'd pick Bird first and then add pieces around him?  This doesn't diminish McHale, Chief etal, it just meant that Bird was the team's designated assassin, who killed opponents in a number of ways.

That's all this is, it's a discussion about who you'd build around.  Would you build around a player that stirs the drink, or the go to guy that can be almost unstoppable in clutch time?  The guy who keeps the game within reach for 45 minutes, or the guy who wins it in the last 3?  If it's not close, there's nothing to win.  On the other hand, you could be there, hammer and tong, for the entire game and then watch it slip away because the other team has a closer, like Kobe or MJ or KD or Pierce, and you don't.

What's more frustrating, being a poor team that struggles to compete, or a pretty good team that can compete but can't seal the deal and loses the close ones?


bob


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Good call, Outside. Given their cap issues, this is a year in which (among many other tasks), Brad and Danny can get a feel for the post-Garnett identity that everyone suddenly realizes is important. Even though the majority of the roster could be gone next season when their cap situation changes, there will be indications as to the general direction in which this team needs to go in order to contend down the road. One thing their sometimes curious array of players offers is a wide variety of experience in playing different style of ball. More than experimenting with various player combinations, Brad can experiment more generally with playing style. With which style will Rondo seem to be most comfortable and/or productive with? What defensive system can best take advantage of their relatively more skilled defensive player' talents? The Celtics may rolling the dice a lot this season, but it will be Brad who is trying to make the point.

Sam

NYCelt and Bob, you guys are right considering how you restated the question. Forced to make a choice between Rondo and Green, I'd vote for Rondo. But I don't see him being on the level of Russell or Bird as someone to build around, just the best available at the moment.

Who knows, maybe the guy that is ultimately the best answer to this question is Olynyk or someone they'll draft in the next couple of years.

But I still say Stevens. He's the guy they've put all their chips behind.

sam wrote:...With which style will Rondo seem to be most comfortable and/or productive with?  ...The Celtics may rolling the dice a lot this season, but it will be Brad who is trying to make the point.

Sam

Cleverly masked double entendre?

Outside,

When the dust settles, you may have hit on the true cornerstone.

Regards

Outside wrote:NYCelt and Bob, you guys are right considering how you restated the question. Forced to make a choice between Rondo and Green, I'd vote for Rondo. But I don't see him being on the level of Russell or Bird as someone to build around, just the best available at the moment.

Who knows, maybe the guy that is ultimately the best answer to this question is Olynyk or someone they'll draft in the next couple of years.

But I still say Stevens. He's the guy they've put all their chips behind.

outside,

Olynyk and 'other' (e.g. Stevens) are both poll options, as is 'nobody on the current roster' (e.g. someone they'll draft in the next couple of years).


bob


.

NYCelt,

It was so cleverly masked that even I didn't notice it.

Sam

But to answer the original question, I say Rondo.


KJ

Bob,

Since I hadn't voted yet, I took your advice and voted "Other".