There is a reason the Celtics gave away Rajon Rondo

http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/the-big-mac-blog/article11137400.html



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There is a reason the Celtics gave away Rajon Rondo
BY MAC ENGELTENGEL@STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
02/25/2015 10:47 AM  02/25/2015 4:15 PM




Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle and point guard Rajon Rondo, during happier times.
BRANDON WADE AP



UPDATE: The Dallas Mavericks have suspended point guard Rajon Rondo one game for his verbal spat with head coach Rick Carlisle in the team’s win against Toronto on Tuesday night.

The problem that is Rajon Rondo only surfaced for the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, but this guy has been a headache since long before the Boston Celtics dumped him for spare parts.

As much as I liked the deal and would do it again, there was a reason the Celtics gave him away. And they did - they gave him away.

The rebuilding Celtics acquired Jameer Nelson, Jae Crowder, Brandon Wright, two draft picks and a $12.9 million trade exception in that December deal. The only player remaining on the Celtics roster from that deal is Crowder. They dealt Nelson for veteran journeyman Nate Robinson. The Celtics traded Wright to the Suns for a pair of draft picks, one of which is a second rounder and the other likely will be another second rounder as well.


In the NBA, that’s nothing. The Celtics received nothing of immediate value in return for an All-Star point guard under 30.

The Mavs now know why.

In the Dallas Mavericks’ win against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night in Dallas, Rondo and Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle got into a heated exchange in the second half. Apparently, Rondo was not running the offense Rick wanted. As a result, Rondo did not return to the game.



This is not the first time Carlisle has yelled at guys, and it will not be the last. Carlisle said in his postgame news conference this issue is over and done. Lots of coaches and players blow up and yell at each other during a long season, so there is that chance this is just an isolated incident and both parties will move on.

A chance. But this is not the first time Carlisle has benched his starting point guard, who since being acquired from the Celtics has clearly not fit in offensively. The problems projected at the time of the deal have come to fruition. Rondo can’t shoot, and unless he has his hands on the ball at all times he can’t be effective. The Mavs are a flow offense, and he has struggled to find his place on the floor.

Rondo has been a solid addition defensively, and at times both he and the offense look like they can make this work. Then there are moments like Tuesday night when optimism about this deal working the way the Mavs envisioned vanish.

Rondo is in the final year of his contract, and if he is so upset and so inclined his immediate leverage is to just shut it down and mail it in. Some team - such as the Lakers - will pay him in free agency regardless of how he behaves with the Mavs.

Carlisle is not the type of coach to give up on a player, and he has the full support of his owner. If it comes down to Carlisle or Rondo, Cuban will pick the head coach. In a player’s league such as the NBA, that happens as frequently as Haley’s Comet.

Carlisle and Rondo are a pair of headstrong individuals who both want to win, and do things their way. Carlisle can rub people raw with his personality, and Rondo is just one of those guys who is with you, but is difficult.

These two will figure it out for the sake of the season, and the team, but now the Mavs know what they are dealing with. There is a reason the Celtics gave him away.



bob



.

Saying that "The Celtics gave away Rajon Rondo for nothing" is BS. We should wait until the dust settles before tallying up the final outcome.

gyso wrote:Saying that "The Celtics gave away Rajon Rondo for nothing" is BS.  We should wait until the dust settles before tallying up the final outcome.

gyso,

Agreed. So far, Crowder doesn't look like "nothing". The way things are going in Dallas Rondo might be gone next year. Maybe then this writer will write that the Mavs gave away Crowder "for nothing".


bob



.

There's also the draft picks and the $12.9 million trade exception. That's a biggie.

He's suspended tonight too

I'm sure that has to eat at him

beat

So many writers have no clue. Danny made a damn good trade...and i still wish Rajon all the best...

I'm noted for not doing hypotheticals, but I can't resist this question.

Would the Celtics be farther along in their development or farther removed from their development if Rondo were still starting for them than they are with Crowder coming off the bench?

(I'm forgetting the two draft picks and the trade exception for the moment.)

I vote for Crowder and the spark (at both ends) he has injected into the bench.

Sam

Me too.

I wouldn't say we gave Rondo away; that's taking it a bit too far.

The picks are probably nothing, that much is true, Crowder is an OK but average NBA talent, easily found around the league.  The trade exception has value and should prove useful.

The fact is Ainge got what he could, for one of the more talented point-guards in the league, given the circumstances.  Like Boston, most trading partners had to be concerned that he was probably going to hit the market this summer.

Considering that he would have tied up big money to keep, and that others don't want to lose long-term players or high potential draft picks for a few months of star services, Ainge did what he could.

We didn't get much; not even close to equivalent value.  We didn't get stuck with zero, however, and for that Ainge should be commended.

NYCelt,

If the Celtics didn't get "close to equivalent value" for Rondo, why is the team playing with enthusiasm, energy, an upbeat mentality, and plain old success that was missing when Rondo was here?

Basketball is not just about stars and stats.  Crowder is a perfect example of how the right role player, possessing a combination of attributes (including mental approach to the game) that are an ideal fit with team needs, can contribute more than an all-star who happens to be miscast.  I'd be interested in seeing a list of "average NBA talent, easily found around the league" who could make multiple complementary contributions, ideally suited to this team, as seamlessly as Crowder is doing.

Based on the results so far, who has been the more positive catalyst for this team this season?  Rondo or Crowder?

Sam

Crowder's got my vote. Heck, I'd vote for him twice over Rondo.

Berlin-T

Sam,

The team is playing well for who they are, yes.  That doesn't draw a direct correlation to Rondo for Crowder, however.

I can't comprehend a comparison of Crowder and Rondo.  Would you trade them even up?

I think Danny did a good job of getting something rather than nothing; but a Crowder being worth a Rondo; really? Players around the league with Crowder's ability are a dime a dozen; would you say the same of Rondo?  I once said you were such a good salesman you could sell ice cubes to an eskimo, but sorry, I'm going to pass on that sale!

Regards

Sometimes pieces just seem to fit better.

No way a Crowder for Rondo is an even up trade based on everything BUT throwing in the picks and the trade exemption, we'll just have to see how that pans out.

Rondo was the one vet on our team yet was he even close to being the leader he needed to be? None of us are privy to the day to day stuff, the practices the locker room, meeting ect. , he sure didn't seem to play the role well.

All we can judge is what we see on the court and what is said in the media.

IMHO we are much further ahead now than if we had kept #9.

We truly have no veterans that contribute and the name plates on the lockers are probably done with a sharpie on masking tape. The pieces we have seem to fit pretty well and if we can find a couple more "right" pieces we will be well on our way to being a factor.

baby steps and patience

beat

Poor Rondo.  For years he was playing for less than his market value.  Now he wants to test free agency and get that big pay day but his warts have been exposed and his game has slipped since the injury.

He must be really upset, especially since this may be his final opportunity to get that really big contract.

"Crowder is an OK but average NBA talent, easily found around the league"

That may be true but what's even more easily found in the league are average talents who believe they are great talents. Crowder plays within himself.

beat,

I totally disagree with your thought that Crowder for Rondo was not a great trade for the Celtics right now and in this season.  Of course, other pieces arrived with Crowder, but even if they had not I would still like the one for one trade.

Of course and it is indisputable, Rondo was and is the better overall basketball player, but for this year's Celtics team Crowder is a steal for Rondo.

Crowder is at least partly responsible for the culture change on this year's team.  He is the guy who stood up and challenged his young (not that he is old) teammates to stop making excuses and play harder.  He was the guy giving a true 100% effort when the rest of the team was not.  He took tons of pressure off Stevens and the younger players like Smart.  He was the exact opposite of Rondo in this regard.

Rondo had his chance to be this guy for the Cs and he faded from the responsibility in just about every way.  His credentials were in place, but his team leadership flopped in Boston.  His admission that he had not played defense for the last couple of years may have surprised many of us (the fans), but you can bet that it did not surprise any of his teammates.   They had to have all known that Rondo was not giving his all to the team where Crowder came in and gave more than his all to re-set the goals of the team in a serious re-build situation.

Crowder may not have enough talent to make a contribution to the team when it becomes able to challenge for its next championship, but I am very, very happy to have him instead of Rondo right now.

NYCelt,

What does it matter whether I would hypothetically trade away Rondo for Crowder?  The trade has already been made.  The more interesting question is whether I would now trade away Crowder for Rondo.  The answer is a resounding, "No."

In a vacuum, it would have seemed ridiculous to trade Rondo even up for Crowder.  However, the Celtics are not operating in a vacuum.  It's not all about stars.  Trading is not just a glorified skills contest.  It's all about the impact of the trade on the team.

No, I don't believe Danny made the trade because he felt Crowder had individual skills superior of those of Rondo.  As you suggest, Danny got rid of a malcontent who was likely to bolt in the summer in return for whatever he could get.

However, the way it seems to be turning out, one benefit of the trade may have been addition by subtraction.  The team had become Rondo-centric, which was casting a severe limitation on the growth and jelling speed of the team members other than Rondo. His warts during the clutch periods of games had become so pronounced that Brad wasn't playing him down the stretch in some games.  With Rondo, the Celtics were playing just good enough to lose.

Is Brad playing Crowder down the stretch, and is Crowder a significant catalyst for this team?  You bet!!!!!  And, so far, when a game becomes close at the end,I have much greater confidence that they have a reasonable likelihood of pulling it out.

Even without many practices, the atmosphere surrounding the Celtics now seems more conducive to development and growth.  Some people might feel it's wonderful to have a highly skilled player who wants the team to grow as long as it is in his own image and who sits on the bench at the end of games.  I happen to feel that, in Crowder, Ainge brought aboard a player who plays his role as the epitome of a team player and whose skills and mental approach to the game happen to fit very well with Celtics needs.  And I also believe that Crowder has more leadership skills than Rondo.

Obviously, the credit for this promising turnaround doesn't go only to Crowder.  Other players such as Bradley and Smart seem to be growing more valuable right before our eyes.  But that's exactly my point.  They're growing faster post-Rondo.  And I bet we'll never learn just how much freedom Brad has gained in hatching and implementing game strategy now that Rajon is gone.

I'd still like to see that "dime a dozen" list.  And, regardless of who might be on the list, Crowder's the one Danny got.  And I'm so glad he did, because Crowder's making a palpable, positive difference.

Comparing Rondo and Crowder, straight up is an exercise in futility because (among other things) they play different positions.  The way to compare them is not skill for skill.  In my book, the acid test is whether the team is better off with Crowder than it was with Rondo.  Each of us has to make up his/her own mind about that.  I guess my decision is obvious.

And, as far as selling ice cubes to Eskimos, it's a great idea, and I could use the extra cash.  Just so they watch out for the yellow ones.

Go Celtics!

Sam

Wide.........

Don't put words on me that I did not say.

Did you actually read what I wrote? Read it again I even wrote this..........IMHO we are much further ahead now than if we had kept #9.


Where did I say it was NOT a great trade...not my words at all heck I said it was NOT an Even trade based on the two of them alone....Rondo has been an ALL star multiple times, Crowder, has no pedigree (yet), but adding on the picks and the exemption we received definitely makes it a win for us.

I'm glad we were able to get something for him, the total value of this has yet to be determined obviously but neither of us can argue that the "chemistry" sure appears to be better.

beat

Sloopjohnb wrote:"Crowder is an OK but average NBA talent, easily found around the league"

That may be true but what's even more easily found in the league are average talents who believe they are great talents.  Crowder plays within himself.

sloop,

While I find this entire debate (value of Rondo vs Crowder) silly beyond belief, I agree 100% with the statement you made above.

I could do an entire dissertation on the value of playing within one's self, and coaches who don't understand what it means, or how to work with a player's skill set within the team setting without trying to force the impossible.

As for the average talents with a high opinion of themselves, that truly may be the easiest to find.

Regards

Is the ability to recognize the extent of one's own talent and the willingness to play within it itself a talent?

However it is characterized, it sure doesn't come a dime a dozen.

Sloopjohnb wrote:Is the ability to recognize the extent of one's own talent and the willingness to play within it itself a talent?

However it is characterized, it sure doesn't come a dime a dozen.

Sloop,

While I completely agree with you that Crowder knows enough to play within himself, and that the league could indeed use more players with that trait, that's not what I would characterize as a dime-a-dozen.

It's his on court basketball talent level itself that I find completely common in the NBA.

Regards