Given that the Rondo trade talks have come to a complete stand-still, it would be very Morey-esque for the Rockets to acquire Rondo right now while everyone is thinking about LeBron and Carmelo.
That Isiah Thomas must be a great interviewer. He could sell ice to eskimoes. Or p*rn to nuns. EDIT: I just got a rep / comment stating that it's easy to sell p*rn to nuns. Never mind how they know. So let's just stick with the ice to eskimoes, cliched as it is.
IMO, it became nearly 100% when they drafted Marcus Smart. Talking to Isiah Thomas doesn't mean much. He's a "scoring off the bench" guy.
Unless the trade requires giving up Parsons, I actually prefer Rondo over Lowry. Rondo's defensive ability IMO is just too good a fit for this team. Also, if the Rockets trade for him, they likely have enough money left over to grab someone else. Perhaps they trade TJones, Capella, Lin, Pelicans pick, for Rondo. Then trade for Ilyasova with the trade exception. Howard/Ilyasova/Parsons/Harden/Rondo/Beverley/DMo/MLE sounds pretty good to me.
The Kings recently extended a qualifying offer to Thomas making him a restricted free agent, and league sources tell PBT that as many as five teams have expressed interest in making an offer to steal away the point guard. The Pistons, Heat, Lakers, Mavs and Suns have all expressed interest, with the Pistons showing the most interest to date and numbers starting in the three-year, $24 million range. Talks with teams in playoff contention have started in the $6-7 million per-year range. http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/06/30/pistons-mavs-lakers-and-heat-looking-hard-at-restricted-free-agent-isaiah-thomas/
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Celtics contacted approximately 30 players last night, according to source. Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons are on the list.</p>— Mark Murphy (@Murf56) <a href="https://twitter.com/Murf56/statuses/483990023163768832">July 1, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
If it takes losing Parsons, we still gotta get Rondo here. The way Parsons played in the playoffs confirms he's just a solid role player at best. This team with Rondo would take on a whole different identity
There is no reason to feel the need to include Parsons in a Rondo deal. Rondo IMO still doesn't get the Rockets over the hump to be in the OKC/Spurs/Clips class and losing Parsons hurts. If you are Morey you give up all your draft picks, and possibly Jones for Rondo but Parsons would have to be last case scenario (meaning no Lebron, Melo, Bosh, Love, Lowry, Millsap, etc. etc. etc.) and even then I dont feel great about making the deal. If Morey was ok with trading Parsons for Rondo, they would have done the deal back in December.
Parsons is replaceable. Our lack of a true playmaker at PG is a bigger need. The organization overvalues Parsons. He's a big part of our team chemistry, but I'd rather bring in a pass 1st PG that'll defend & create open shots for others. Parsons little outburst about being the best SF in the Portland series showed his perception of himself is a little higher than it should be. Give me Rondo & Green and Parsons should be outta here
IT2 wants to remain as a starter, I'm not so sure Boston and Marcus Smart is a good situation for him
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Mavericks owner Mark Cuban called Kings free agent guard Isaiah Thomas today, a source said. The Pistons & Celtics also interested in Thomas</p>— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/statuses/484221102613200896">July 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>