Blakely: No Love, So C's Should Look at Rondo-for-Bledsoe

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/blakely-no-love-so-cs-should-look-rondo-bledsoe








Blakely: No Love, so C's should look at Rondo-for-Bledsoe
August 7, 2014, 11:45 am





BOSTON — With the Kevin Love-to-Cleveland trade all but a done deal now, the Celtics have no time to sit around and lick their wounds after failing to land the big man.

The whole point of landing Love was to give Rajon Rondo a high-impact, big-time talent to play with that could nudge the four-time All-star closer to re-signing with the Green Team next summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Without Love, it's hard to imagine Rondo would want to spend the prime years of his NBA career as the face of the franchise in what will surely be another round of growing pains.

He's been there, done that.

Former Celtics head coach Doc Rivers faced a similar dilemma and, rather than stomach another rebuilding project in Boston, Rivers bolted for the Los Angeles Clippers for more power as well as better weather - and a better team.

But let's be clear on one thing:

The Celtics won't trade Rondo just for the sake of trading him.

Boston will want a star or a young star on the rise in return; a player who would come here with something to prove; someone younger, who brings an element of excitement to the game that'll keep fans cheering and maybe just as important, generate a few more wins.

Boston needs Eric Bledsoe.

Yes, he's a restricted free agent in Phoenix and they have said publicly that they intend to re-sign him.

Still, when he turned down their four-year, $48 million offer because he felt he was deserving a max contract, that's when you knew this was going to get messy.

Bledsoe is a talented player who will be an All-Star in this league at some point.

But he is not a max-salaried player, evident by just about every team with the ability to sign him to such a deal taking a pass on him.

And just to protect themselves, the Suns signed point guard Isaiah Thomas just in case a deal involving Bledsoe doesn't come to fruition. In addition, the Suns drafted point guard Tyler Ennis out of Syracuse in the first round.

Did we mention they also have Goran Dragic, arguably the best player in the league the first half of last season to not be named an All-Star?

There's no escaping the fact that Bledsoe is an immensely talented player.

Ditto for Rondo.

So why would either team do this deal?

For the Suns, it would give them the kind of difference-maker they'll need in the near future to get to the playoffs and potentially make a run.

Remember, Rondo has consistently been at his best when the games matter most. And while Phoenix has a number of point guards already, none have shown the ability to elevate their game the way Rondo has throughout his career.

And for a team such as the Celtics who are entrenched in rebuilding, those opportunities will be few and far between this season for Rondo.

In Bledsoe, Boston would add another young, dynamic player to a roster that's already overflowing with good talent.

Because of Bledsoe's athleticism and ability to score, he could play either guard position, which would allow him to play off the ball with rookie Marcus Smart running the point, or at the point with Avery Bradley at shooting guard.

But there are some health concerns.

Bledsoe had torn cartilage in his right knee that required surgery and limited him to just 43 games last season, a factor in the Suns failing to make the playoffs after a strong start with him in the lineup.

In his first season in Phoenix, Bledsoe averaged career highs in just about every statistical category, which includes scoring (17.7 points), assists (5.5) and steals (1.6) per game.

But the health issue swings both ways when discussing these two ex-Kentucky players.

Rondo had a torn right ACL injury in 2013 and returned to the floor the following season while appearing in 30 games. After his return, Rondo did not play in any back-to-backs in addition to having his minutes limited for a sizable chunk of games. However, his minutes did increase near the end of the season for him to finish averaging a respectable 33.3 minutes per game.

Regardless of health, there's always a certain amount of chance and luck involved when trading a proven talent like Rondo for a potential star like Bledsoe.

But the Celtics have a GM in Danny Ainge who is not adverse to risks that most of his fellow front office brethren would pass on.

Regardless of whether it works out or not, being active and aggressive is how this franchise has operated for years and why they have been so successful.

The goal is to build this franchise back up and bring home Banner 18, something that won't happen by sitting around licking wounds.




bob
MY NOTE:  It must be horrible being an idiot, have your picture headlining your idiocy and then have to walk around town where people can see you.  If there's something positive to say about Blakely it is that he's no Tanguay, Thank God.



.

I wonder who his supplier is. Whatever he is smoking can't possibly be legal.


KJ

He's a freakin Moron

Guess we aren't the only ones that need the games to start..............

beat

well I guess I must be a moron and / or on drugs too then.

Since I proposed the same thing a few days back.

maybe some of you can't see that watching Rondo walk away for nothing would be a mistake.

I won't call that stupid or moronic, as that would be childish.

I admittedly dont know all the nuts and bolts here, but my assessment is like so many above.

-Bledsoe is a player who has had ONE good season and played in exactly ZERO games of any consequence.  His career averages, particularly his Rebounding and Assist totals arent even in the same area code as Rondo.

-Bledsoe has already said he is looking for close to a max deal next year, so this would likely be a one year rental.  

-If that is the case, I would much have a bonafide all star and veteran like Rondo mentoring Smart and Pressey - than a headcase like Bledsoe.

-Rondo has every incentive to have a career year, and if he is having one around the trade deadline - there will be lots of suitors for him.....offering much better players than Bledsoe, players with a year or two on their deals....which would make them way more attractive.

-The Suns already have a starting PG - one who has a player option for next season at a low rate.  There is no way Dragic is staying in PHX next year at 7.5 million.  So with the Suns knowing they need to renegotiate with Goran next year - why would they want Rondo?

Not sure how watching Rondo walk away in the off season would be any different than watching Bledsoe walk away.  

No thanks.

Right, A.  I'm sure Rondo would be excited about sharing floor general duties with Dragic, Thomas and maybe Ennis.  Yuck, yuck, yuck, there's nothing like a four-man rotation at the "1" position to excite a guy like Rondo.  Ordinarily, Bledsoe's cartilage damage would be a red flag for me, as would the prospect of trading a true "1" for a combo guard.  But that's offset by his hunger for a max contract, which indicates to me that he must be completely healed in addition to being one of the best basketball players on the planet—maybe the best ever.

Anyone ever wonder why A. left Detroit?  Was a threat of tarring and feathering involved?  This appears to be a real attempt by A. to come up with an original thought rather than more cerebral regurgitation.  Real but beyond feeble.

Sam

Wow.

Has A. Sherrod been to one of the states that legalized pot recently?

Unreal.

mrkleen09 wrote:I admittedly dont know all the nuts and bolts here, but my assessment is like so many above.

-Bledsoe is a player who has had ONE good season and played in exactly ZERO games of any consequence.  His career averages, particularly his Rebounding and Assist totals arent even in the same area code as Rondo.

-Bledsoe has already said he is looking for close to a max deal next year, so this would likely be a one year rental.  

-If that is the case, I would much have a bonafide all star and veteran like Rondo mentoring Smart and Pressey - than a headcase like Bledsoe.

-Rondo has every incentive to have a career year, and if he is having one around the trade deadline - there will be lots of suitors for him.....offering much better players than Bledsoe, players with a year or two on their deals....which would make them way more attractive.

-The Suns already have a starting PG - one who has a player option for next season at a low rate.  There is no way Dragic is staying in PHX next year at 7.5 million.  So with the Suns knowing they need to renegotiate with Goran next year - why would they want Rondo?

Not sure how watching Rondo walk away in the off season would be any different than watching Bledsoe walk away.  

No thanks.

IF you would read the other Bledsoe thread here, where I brought up a possible trade for him. you would see that I specifically said IF he would sign for something in the $60M range or about $14-15M per.

I also pointed out that phoenix doesn't need another PG with the off-season they have had, so any Rondo for Bledsoe trade would probably involve a third team.

I have never heard Bledsoe called a headcase....where do you get that?

I would note that may people said that about Rondo in the past (though I do not agree with that assessment at all).

it's a moot point, because this type of deal won't happen. But to denigrate others who have differnet opinions or value current players less than other might, is more fitting for the Boston.com forums than here.

MOST may not think a Rondo for Bledsoe trade would be a good deal for the Celtics. But that doesn't mean that anyone that does (or simply writes a piece about it) is somehow a moron or on drugs.

I resent that as I proposed the same thing two day before ( under the right conditions, of COURSE).

I am not on drugs nor a moron. Even IF I can see the Celtics without RONDO.

I am amazed that many seem to value Rondo so VERY highly myself. But they are NOT morons or on drugs, they just have another opinion!

Hi,
Take it easy, guys. The man has to eat, so he writes nonsence that's read by a crowd better part of which think that is something of a value.
The bigger problem is that he is titled "Celtics Insider" IMO, it's an insult to such organization as Celtics to have insider with pea-size brains. Unless, of course, they see him as some kind of court jester ....
On a bright side, consider how lucky and blessed we are to have to listen to Mike & Tommy and read Jackie Mac.

AK

Kdp,
You are correct. In general. OTOH how would you call a person titled astronomer who writes an article suggesting that the Sun rotates around the Earth?

AK

KD - not sure who called you a 'moron' or 'on drugs', but it certainly wasnt me.

As for asking people to read two different threads to get the full story - I don't have time for that.  I saw this article, I read it, I commented on it.  Sorry you feel that people expressing their opinion is in some way a personal attack.

kdp,

With all due respect to your opinion, Bledsoe is not worth $14-15M a year. Maybe $9-10 at most.

Would you really want to tie up all that cap space on a guy like him? I'd rather pay a true point guard that money. Besides, there's enough shooting guards on this team as it is, per the draft and recent trades.

--


PS: My drug innuendo comment was a shot at "A"sshole Blakely, not you, KDP. He's so full of crap it's spewing from his mouth these days.

His entire premise for this article is because the Kevin Love deal fell through that the Celtics should just trade Rondo. Really? Why? And open up another position of weakness? How about adding to what is already a hard-working team? Why shouldn't I accuse him of being on drugs?

This is the kind of crap that aggravates me about sports writers. They think that because Plan A did not work that the entire village should be burned and built from scratch again. Why not try out Plans B, C, D, E, etc before making such a move? Exhaust all other options before you make such a major decision.

But don't get me wrong I have a great deal of respect and consideration for what people have to say here, and I understand that you have sensible reasons for supporting this kind of trade.



KJ

In general, it would probably be better if there were less possibility of confusion as to who is the intended recipient of a given post.  Some posters make it a practice to mention a person's name at the beginning of the post to specify whom they're addressing.  Other people choose to repeat the post to which they're responding.  Using one or the other of these devices might be something to think about.

When one thinks about it, the only messages that should have no specified addressee (like this message) are those not aimed at anyone in particular.

Thanks

Sam

kdp59 wrote:well I guess I must be a moron and / or on drugs too then.

Since I proposed the same thing a few days back.

maybe some of you can't see that watching Rondo walk away for nothing would be a mistake.

I won't call that stupid or moronic, as that would be childish.

kdp59

It was me that made the moron comment.  It was not directed to you and I did not specifically clarify its' meaning in relation to the thread.  It was meant to be a general observation of A Sharrod's lack of basic basketball knowledge as well as his obvious dislike for Rondo in particular and the Celtics in general.

So the only one that called you a moron was yourself.  

Aside from that I think we have seen a lot of bloggers make an assumption that Rondo will leave us for free agency.  I do not hold that position although anything is possible.  More importantly, the Celtics just drafted Marcus Smart so if they had to trade Rondo or if they lost him to free agency they would not be without a PG.  There is really no reason they would want Bledsoe under these circumstances.

dboss

Guy is a total moron, we can get way way more the Bledshit for Rondo.