Rondo to Kings….C’s Need to Pull Trigger Now!

If the Boston Celtics can move Rajon Rondo to the Sacramento Kings for either or both starting guards, Isaiah Thomas or Ben McLemore, I say they had better pull the trigger faster than Quick Draw McGraw ever did.

First and foremost, Rondo can’t shoot a lick from outside of 15 feet and that, in my estimation, will always be a major hindrance to whichever team does acquire the defensive-minded former all-star.

However, if Boston can get either of Sacramento’s gifted backcourt players, they should not hesitate to pull the trigger on this hypothetical trade. In the case of Thomas, sure, he may be small, but he’s as explosive as it gets offensively and he’s really starting to come into his own even more this season after not having much consistency, minutes-wise from former head coach Paul Westphal.

Now, I’m absolutely shocked that the Kings would even consider trading the clearly talented McLemore, seeing as how the rookie shooting guard was one of the most prized picks in last year’s NBA Draft and has an upside as high as any young guard’s in the league.

The Celtics have been on the better end of many, many trades, but this one is a whopper that make even the most dedicated McDonald’s fan switch to Burger King.

I see the light, I see the light! Eating crow on Rajon Rondo!

Rajon Rondo's seriously consistent 

play has made a believer out of me. 

I stand corrected - Rondo is now,

undoubtedly, elite!

It was approximately just one month ago when I continued my career-long bashing of Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo by saying the Boston Celtics should trade their often enigmatic, split-personality floor leader in the hopes of rebuilding a team that is aging faster than Methuselah himself.

However, as I always say, I have to ‘keep it real’ at all times – even when it means eating some humble pie – like I’m about to right now.

Let me begin by saying that I was wrong about Rondo – and can now clearly see that the still-offensively limited point guard – is indeed, elite – even if he doesn’t score the ball the way some of the league’s other ‘elite’ floor leaders do.

Unlike many of today’s shoot-first point guard, Rondo prefers to get his teammates involved first – and that fact has had serious advantages for the Celtics – and Rondo’s mostly veteran teammates.

Rondo’s ability to find an open man and get him the ball in rhythm – is unsurpassed by any point guard in the league right now – and when you combine his often jaw-dropping passing ability with his outstanding on-ball defense and unmatched rebounding – you get an elite point guard.

Better yet for the Celtics is the fact that Rondo appears to have worked really hard on improving his glaring weakness – his inability to connect from the perimeter from beyond approximately 15 feet. Recently, Rondo has displayed a surprising ability to take – and make – several jumpers that have been in the 20-foot-plus range – and that should be a scary thought to point guards around the league.

Boston baked beans …C’s are scorching!

Kevin Garnett has turned
back the hands of time!

If you’re a Boston Celtics fan (like I am) then you’ve got to be one happy camper these days Eye On Sports hoops heads! The red-hot C’s have won four straight heading and a blistering nine of its last 11 games overall heading into Thursday night while looking like a completely different team than the inconsistent one that played struggled at both ends of the floor earlier this season.

Rajon Rondo is dishing
the rock like never before!

Since I last took to the keyboard, the Celtics have moved Kevin Garnett to center, Avery Bradley into the starting lineup – and most recently, Ray Allen to the bench. Garnett and Rondo in particular, have both raised the level of their play significantly and now, I’m’ thinking the Celtics could be big trouble for every team in the Eastern Conference playoffs, including Miami and Chicago.

Stay tuned Eye On Sports NBA hardwood lovers as the Celtics gear up for one more run at an NBA title!

Rondo’s not Elite!

The holes in Rajon Rondo's game 

keep him from being truly elite!

Maybe it’s me Eye On Sports basketball fans, but I just don’t think Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo is as elite as a lot of basketball prognosticators. Rondo’s past two games are perfect examples of why Rondo’s lack of scoring ability will always keep him from being mentioned in the same breath as elite floor leaders like Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Deron Williams or Russell Westbrook.

In Boston’s 120-95 loss to Sacramento on Friday, Boston’s defensive-minded point guard dished out a dozen assists, but scored a pitiful four points on 2 of 9 shooting from the field in 33 minutes of action.

One day later, Rondo had a better game as he dished out a whopping 16 assists in an 89-81 loss to Denver while scoring 12 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field. Still, in four of his last five games, Rondo has scored a dozen points or less.

To make matters even worse, Rondo was clearly outplayed by Sacramento rookie guard Isaiah Thomas in Friday’s loss to the Kings as the fleet-footed Thomas scored 13 points and dished out 10 assists in 33 minutes against the C’s for his second double-double of the season. Hell, Thomas has averaged 16.3 points over his last five games, a figure Rondo will always have a hard time reaching.

Rondo’s lack of ability to shoot the ball from beyond 12 feet is a serious hindrance to the Celtics, especially with Boston’s Big Three not being able to score the ball nearly as efficiently as they once did in seasons past.

Maybe it’s me, but no, I don’t think Rajon Rondo is not an elite NBA point guard, mostly because he can’t hit the broad side of a barn – or the floor with his proverbial hat.

Um, about that trade Boston!

The Boston Celtics are 

mediocre.

The Boston Celtics were rumored to be involved in talks to move one or more of their ‘Big Three’ just prior to last Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, but the C’s stood pat and didn’t blow up their roster in hopes of making one final championship run in this truncated NBA season.  Now, after seeing the C’s get absolutely crushed 120-95 by the lowly Sacramento Kings on Friday – and smacked down solidly in Saturday’s 98-91 road loss to Denver – and I’ve got to believe the C’s are no threat to do much of anything in the postseason – if they get there.  At an uninspiring 23-21, Boston is currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, just 2.5 games ahead of resurgent New York.

Like Jill says … hate on haters!

Eye On Sports agrees with R&B
songstress Jill Scott ... hate on haters!

If I could give you the world
On a silver platter
Would even matter
You'd still be mad at me
If I can find in all this
A dozen roses
Which I would give to you
You'd still be miserable

 - R&B Songstress Jill Scott

Apparently, I’ve got more in common with my girl Jill Scott than I thought, because a trio of Rajon Rondo fans let their personal feelings be known concerning my ‘Why theCeltics should trade Rajon Rondo’ post on Sunday.

First off, let me say once again, that I am the biggest Celtics fan alive – and second – I stick to my damn guns haters!

Yeah, I said the Celtics should trade Rondo and I meant it, even though the inconsistent floor leader just ripped off a gigantic triple-double against the no-defense playing Knicks earlier that day.

Yes, Rondo is a terrific defender and one of the quickest point guards in the world with the ball in his hands. Still, he’s an offensive liability when opposing defenses sag off of him to pack the paint and make him shoot from 15 feet or further.

No matter what Doc Rivers or the Big Three say publicly, many of the stories you’ve heard about Rondo’s clashes with his head coach and teammates were  -or still are (depending on whom your listening to) very accurate.

So, to all of the haters’ that tried to defend Rondo to the hilt on Monday morning, you can hate all you want – just remember – you could probably save all of that pent-up energy and help Rajon Rondo work on his jump-shooting.

A Quartet of reasons why the Boston Celtics should trade Rajon Rondo

Sometimes Rajon Rondo plays
like a superstar ... while other times
... he looks like a different player.

Before I get started explaining why I believe the Boston Celtics should part ways with often-inconsistent point guard Rajon Rondo, let me just say that I already suspect that I am going to piss off a lot of Boston Celtics fans with this short op-ed on column.

Having said that, as I always say, ‘It’s better to be pissed off than pissed on’ so get over it hard core C’s fans. Besides, if you really think about the points I’m going to make in this article, then you’ll know I’m right about Boston moving its most attractive trade piece.

Okay NBA roundball lovers, with that said let me get started with this fun-filled, yet, eye-opening look at why the storied Boston Celtics should trade Rondo.

Dude Can’t Shoot a Lick!

I know Rondo is averaging a career-high 18.8 points per game this season, but the fact of the matter is that the pass-first floor leader has never averaged more than the 13.7 points per game he did during the 2009-10 campaign.

While Rondo would appear to be a very good shooter with a career mark or 48.7 percent from the field and two full seasons of shooting at least 50 percent, those numbers are mostly due to the fact that Rondo takes a lot of drives to the basket and not much else.

Basically, Rondo’s inability to consistently make jump shots from as close as 15 feet, hinders the Celtics and their offense in a big way as team can mostly play five on four when the C’s are on offense, much like Miami did in ousting Boston in last season’s playoffs.

Rondo Has an On-Court ‘Split Personality’

One game Rondo looks like a blossoming superstar and the next he looks like a nervous rookie scared to shoot the rock from 10 feet away, even when he’s wide open. Until I see otherwise, Rondo’s offensive inconsistencies will remain one of the driving reasons I am calling for the Celtics to move Rondo now rather than later on.

Not A Leader!

Not only does Rajon Rondo have some serious holes in his game, but he is also not much of a true leader if you listen to those that know him fairly intimately. Rondo has butted heads with respected head coach Doc Rivers on numerous  occasions, not to mention having his fair share of issues with some of Boston’s Big Three and other veteran players over the course of his young, five-year, NBA career.

Time To Rebuild

Clearly now, it’s time for the aging Boston Celtics to take some emphatic steps to rebuild their roster with the team’s Big Three (okay not Ray Allen) aging faster than a bottle of cheap wine. By moving Rondo now, the Celtics could work a package where they could receive two or three capable players, picks or a combination of the two. The C’s could take a chance on a young player or pursue a veteran free agent floor leader that’s still somewhere in his prime or close to it. Boston needs quite a few players to kick off its rebuilding phase and moving Rondo for multiple players or picks would be a great start.

To make a long story short, I’m not sure Rajon Rondo would be nearly as good as he is with the Celtics were he playing with another franchise and I believe the Celtics would be better off right now trading away their young floor leader and trying to acquire multiple players or picks that could potentially help the Celtics chase their championship dreams over the next few seasons.

Celtics Set To Make Smart Move?

According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard, the Boston Celtics are considering moving all-star point guard Rajon Rondo, a move I believe the team is absolutely correct in making for both, its short-term and long-term futures.

Sure Rondo is a great passer and defender that averaged 10.6 points and 11.2 assists per game last season, but I don’t care what anyone says … when you can’t shoot a lick from outside of five-feet, then you’re always going to be a liability to your team on offense. The C’s should be able to get by with Delonte West and whomever else they bring in, manning the position until Avery Bradley or some other long-term answer is available.

Besides, how hard is it to come down court and throw the ball to Paul Pierce, Ray Allen or Kevin Garnett?

Pierce led the Celtics in scoring last season by averaging 18.9 points per game, followed by Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett who averaged 16.5 and 14.9 points per game respectively.

Boston finished in the bottom third in the league in scoring and that was a problem despite the fact that the Celtics finished with the league’s top-ranked defense.