We would regret not trading for Rondo. Keep saying Rondo cant shoot but Beverley can? Oh and Rondo's defense > Beverley's defense. Rondo's playmaking ability > Beverley's playmaking ability. I would hate to give up Parsons but I believe its necessary. Goodbye Lin, Asik, Parsons, and draft picks. Hello Rondo/Harden/Green/Jones/Howard.
Well no, friend, I can't because stats and putting up numbers doesn't win championships. Heart, grit and a championship spirit win the big games. Standing tall and hitting that one shot that puts you where you need to be, that's what wins. Getting that steal that seals the game or knocking a ball loose from the guy that's trying to end your dream, that's what it's about. And no, Steve Nash didn't have that because when he needed to make a play, any play... he didn't have the tools. You may call that bad luck, but a guy with grit and heart calls that other guy's bad luck his trophy. So preach more about my nonsense and better luck next time, buddy.
On Rondo fitting with team, a healthy Rondo may be the best fit according to this Sloan Sports Conference article by Robert Ayers: http://www.sloansportsconference.co...rt-Ayer-Sloan-Sports-Analytics-Conference.pdf Rondo would most likely fit as Cluster 7. Harden fits Cluster 8 in my opinion (some may put him in Cluster 2). Dwight is in Cluster 12. I wonder how applicable this analysis is as it appears to utilize data prior to rule change that allows zone defenses. I have serious reservations about Rondo's health and fit despite the article's data. I've not seen him be the guy in at least a couple of years that people are talking about. Even then, Rockets would really need to add a stretch 4 for him to fit. Rondo needs guys that can hit shots. Right now, Harden and Parsons are the only Rockets not playing PG that hit shots. As mentioned by don grahamleone, Rockets could play 3 guard. I don't think Lin is as good a catch and shoot option as he does. Lin hits a high percentage, he is just too willing to pass up a three point opportunity to put the ball on the floor. Beverley would work better offensively with a healthy Rondo. I just am a little more concerned about big SGs with him in there.
Nobody is going to trade for Rondo. He doesn't have his speed & quickness (& I used to be a HUGE fan of Rondo). He is wearing a big bulky knee brace really taking it easy out there. Remember what happened to Derrick Rose when he came back from his ACL injury? He returned to playing all-out & injured himself again. That may be going through Rondo's mind. Morey is just trying to drive down Parson's value for his next contract, so I guess it might come this summer. It is a feeble attempt though because all Parson has to do is have a superstar playoffs to raise his value. Also, if he is really willing to trade Parsons, a better guard to trade for would be Bledsoe. Parsons is going to be a max player if he averages close to 30 ppg, 5 reb 5 ast in the playoffs. In that case, one of Howard or Harden will have to be traded since it's unlikely the Rockets will reach the Finals. Morey just doesn't want to appear like he doesn't know what he's doing if / when the scenario I am describing occurs because people will say why did you give max contracts to Harden and / or Howard? So this would be quite self-serving & a typically arrogant thing for Morey to do because it may be potentially keeping inferior players & losing the best or second best player on the team just to save face & "keep" his status / reputation as superstar gm. Now, if the Rockets reach the Finals, it will definitely take Parsons playing at a new level, so in that case there would be no concerns having 3 max players. If Parsons has a poor or average playoffs, then there should be no conflict either because then the Rockets could just allow him to play out the rest of his contract. He wouldn't mind since he can increase his value next season. So the only reason I can see why Morey would trade Parsons now is because he is scared if / when people see he gave max money to 2 players that do not play like it if / when Parsons outplays one or both of them in the playoffs & he will be embarrassed because any trade involving Parsons WILL NOT improve the Rockets team for the upcoming playoffs.
Why do you think Car Salespeople put you behind the wheel of a car you know you can't afford??? If Morey is throwing names on the table in a Rondo deal, keep in mind of this tactic. It doesn't necessarily mean that he's actually going to bite the bullet on trading the farm for Rondo, but what it does mean is he is sending a pretty clear message to Ainge and their staff that you should "come back to my office and talk about this a little bit more" or lets talk more the next 48 hours about how we can work out a deal for Rondo. Morey is a smart guy, and isn't going to give away a player like Parsons without getting a haul back in return. Same to a lesser extent now with Jones. However it should be of no surprise right now with 48 hours left to the deadline for Morey to be letting GM's like Ainge "Test Drive" these players in trade talks. If thats what it takes to get GM's to the table to negotiate than so-be-it.
3 way trade: Rockets get : Rondo, Millsap Rockets send : Lin, Jones, Asik, DMo, 1 draft pick Hawks get : Lin, Asik, DMo Hawks send : Teague, Millsap, 1 draft pick Celtics get : Teague, Jones , 2 first round picks Celtics send : Rondo And im no expert on salary cap matchups. Rockets Rondo/Beverley Harden/ Covington Parsons/ Garcia Millsap/ Casspi Howard/ Smith
There is no chance to land Kd with Rondo. Zero, nada, nien, nee, nunca, zilch! Wait my mistake KD would want to sign for the MLE to be a part of something special. Yeah KD will take take MLE money to sign with three other guys on max contracts.
I'm not saying this is going to happen. But looking ahead to the possibilities. Rondo/Beverley/Parsons/Harden/Dwight.....that is a nasty, nasty defensive lineup.
First we all over value Parsons. Second you under value Ainge's intelligence. You forget he's done this dance with Morey before. Ainge my not have the analytics behind him but he's a shrewd operator and a decent judge of talent. He is in rebuilding mode so you may get a better price for Rondo but the price ain't cheap and you can bet he ain't giving him away. So kick the tires all you want. It's Ainge behind the sales desk and Morey the eager buyer not the other way around.
NBA trade machine for those who cant figure out salary matches with the CBA rules Have a hard time seeing Atlanta do this deal. Your asking them to downgrade talent at 2 positions, AND give up a first round pick for....... ????? For Horford to move over to the PF spot???... that's asking a lot of them, and Ferry. We've been down this road before with Atlanta with people thinking Ferry would want to move Horford to the PF spot with Asik coming in to start at the 5. If that hasn't happened yet when Millsap had much, much less trade value a few months back, it sure as hell wont happen now. As for the Celtics... why would they want to move Rondo, just to take back a lesser PG who is on a longer term contract even if it is for slightly less? Jones is a nice player, but the Celtics are pretty stacked at the PF spot moving fwd. They need to be moving players out, not taking them back. This move is sort of counter intuitive in respect to their rebuilding plans even if it does get them more assets. At some point the light at the end of the tunnel for Ainge is moving massive amounts of salary along with Rondo to truly rebuild.
Never said he wasnt. All I'm saying is if Cyberx is hearing that all these players are being talked about, its more than likely because Morey is just trying to get him to the table to talk a little more serious about a deal... not that the deal is anywhere near close to being finished or that Morey is just going to give up every player on the roster not named Dwight or James for Rondo. -Oh and there are more than a few people in the Celtics organization with an Analytics background. Why in the world do you think of all the coaches available the Celtics went with Brad Stevens as their coach moving forward? Ainge is really just the figurehead for a machine that found Moreyball and got him his start in the league. The Celtics very much have the analytics behind every deal they do just as much as Morey does.
Harden is just lazy. He doesn't move much on defense. But guarding PFs won't require him to move much as opposed to guarding perimeter players. He's actually done a decent job defending Z-Bo the other night. Not that it should be his full time job on defense. But it could work in spurts.
There are tons of pieces on Al Horford playing PF. With the right center, they can finally move him over to his natural spot. They've wanted this for years. http://www.rantsports.com/nba/2013/...-move-in-putting-al-horford-at-power-forward/ Since moving Horford to the power forward, though, he has looked like the star of the team once again. In his three games since the change in the lineup, Horford has averaged 19.3 points, 10 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the field. The move has allowed him to be more aggressive offensively and to have a bigger impact on the defensive end. http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/atlanta-hawks/2013/jul/15/horford-prepared-stay-center/ “I was hoping to play more in the power forward position," Horford said. "We couldn’t work things out with Zaza (Pachulia) and he had to leave. I understand that now I have to go play some center. I would like to play a little more power forward. I was talking to coach (Mike Budenholzer) and the way that the offense works, the 4 and the 5 are pretty much interchangeable. I feel like Paul and I will be able to complement each other. I agree with you that Boston should not trade Rondo, but he doesn't fit into their philosophy of every position shoots the three. And their coach has a 6 year 22 million dollar deal. You don't typically fire the new guy getting paid that much. You typically get the players that fit his system, Parsons being one of them. Rondo not being one.
With no PF at all.....Looks like a lineup that would get absolutely abused by anyone with a halfway decent 4.
