Rondo may not be the perfect fit, but he's probably the best fit.

If we wasn't already abundantly clear last year... these past 3-4 games have firmly shown that this Rockets team needs a competent floor general (AKA : point guard).

Every football team needs a "quarterback", and in most cases every NBA team needs a true point guard. Or at least a guard who takes on most of the important qualities of a point guard. Which are, in no particular order:

- to setup and control the pace of the team

- to organize and direct traffic, (call out plays, communicate on the court, etc.)

- to keep the team calm and poised, focused and together.

- to make sure plays run smoothly and efficiently, to get players the ball in the right spots, and to take it upon himself to improvise when necessary.

- and most importantly, to be an extension of the coach on the floor, and be a leader of the team.

Rondo may not be a good 3 point shooter. He may be as quick and agile as he once was. And he may not be great defensive player he once was either.

But he is still a very good floor general, and his forte is setting up the offense and dishing out assists. It's not uncommon for him to get 12-14 assists a game, even right now.

He still knows how to penetrate the defense, draw defenders, and pick them apart with passes to open teammates.

He's a confident veteran with championship experience, and he's a junkyard dog that's as tough as they come.

I like Beverly a lot, but he is not a starting point guard. Beverly is a defensive specialist and a great reserve player, but he doesn't know how to run an offense and he isn't going to dish out 10+ assists.

Harden is a shooting guard, and we shouldn't be expecting him to run an offense and handle point guard duties for 48 minutes a game. Look at how that has turned out these past few years.
Harden is our weapon, and he should be allowed to do what he does best, without the burden of having to try to be our point guard... which is something he simply cannot be.

So IMHO, Rondo would be a great fit for this team. In much the same way that Ariza makes the Rockets better... Rondo would also allow everyone to play their natural positions, and he would help make everyone even better.

 

But Gogi is probably going to be way out of the Rockets price range, either in terms of salary, and/or trade values. That's why I'm not giving him serious consideration. Otherwise, sure, he's a better shooter and he's younger, so Gogi would be better.

But a point guard who can average 10-15 assists per game is far more valuable than you realize, even if they can't shoot the 3ball that well. The game is deep, and it doesn't revolve solely on shooting ability. And Rondo may still be a very good defensive player, he's still averaging 2+ steals.

 

Heh, yeah, I guess it all depends on what our definitions of "need" are.

Can the Rockets keep playing with this same line up, minus a "true" point guard... sure.

Is it the best and most effective way for the Rockets to go?... not in my opinion. I don't think having Harden out top, dribbling the clock down, and trying to make plays all the time is the best utilization of his skill set. He doesn't have "blow by" quickness, and he's not as gifted a passer as a Magic or a CP3.
Half of the times that Harden does this it ends up being a broken play, followed by a totally predictable forced drive or a pull up 3 pointer. The defenses are already geared up and setup for it. Memphis made the Rockets look like a bunch of idiots on the court because the Rox couldn't counter anything that the defense did. And this happened to some degree in the Portland series last season too. It's the whole reason why Harden shouldn't be handling the ball as a point, or as the main playmaker.

So of course your entitled to your opinion that the Rox don't need a true point guard, but I just don't see how you can be satisfied or okay with the way the Rox are currently handling that position.

It's not working, and it's gonna work less when we play the better teams... and it's gonna work even MORE less in the playoffs.
(did I say that right? heh)

 

There's no reason why Harden couldn't incorporate some of those strategies into his game. Heck, that's even a wise thing for him and the team to do. It's called having a diverse offense, and it gives the team more options, and it makes the team less predictable.

You think Harden would mind, or be opposed to running a few defenders off screens, and maybe getting a few open, uncontested jumpers? You think he'd be against getting some easier scoring opportunities rather than having to work so hard to start beyond the 3 point line, and have to beat his man off the dribble all the time?

IMO, he'd probably welcome it and be glad to expand his game a bit.