Why are people enamored with him? Here are the red flags: - needs the ball in his hands (we have Harden for that) - bad attitude - very poor shooter - lacks the explosiveness after the ACL was torn So, tell me again, why do we want to acquire Rondo again?
- Defense - Playoffs / Finals experience - Seen what he can do with great players / shooters around him. And to that third point, our team is full of shooters. Rondo at the 1 with Brewer and Ariza cutting / the PnR game with Dwight would be, hypothetically, SICK.
What we really need is a combo guard who can defend PGs but play SG on offense. Harden is really the PG of this team offensively and that is more than ok. I'd like to see the Rockets re-sign Bev and take a chance on a combo guard in the draft. I'd round out the offseason with a big, defensive minded wing player that can come off the bench and play the 3 or 4.
To be honest, after his ACL injury, he appeared to lose some on his fastball from the defensive side, too. And, do we want ANOTHER bad free throw shooter? Like I said, Harden controls the ball. Do you see Rondo playing off the ball in an offense that likes to shoot a lot of 3pt attempts? I don't.
Wait, people here actually want Rondo? After his pitiful playoff performance and how he negatively effected the Mavs' offense after the trade? After he has proven to be a cancer, headcase and just an overall pain in the _ss, people here, on ClutchFans, still want him on the Rockets? You have got to be kidding me! I know we need an upgrade at point, but there are way better and cheaper options out there than Rajon Rondo. He isn't going to fit on this team, not the way this team is constructed. Do we really want to take the ball away from our MVP by giving it to a guy who probably thinks he is better than he really is? Rondo is still a good player and passer but he isn't worth taking the ball away from Harden, or even Smith in some situations. Even when Rondo is off the ball, he is a liability out there. In case people haven't noticed, whenever Rondo was on the floor, we left him wide open! Like, no one was within 15 feet of him! Bye, bye space for Harden drives or Howard alley-oops! Defensively, he is still an average defender but not the elite defender he once was. You can't credit him for holding Harden to 32% shooting when Rondo only played 34 minutes total. Harden taking tough shots and Dallas' scheme to have another player shadowing Harden contributed more to Harden's poor shooting than Rondo! Just the amount of money it would take to sign him, if he really wants (and is offered) a max type contract. We know some team is going to offer him a max type contract (Hello, Lakers, Kings and Knicks!) or contracts in the 10-12M range. The only way I would even consider it was if Rondo signed for less than MLE money for 2 years with a non-guaranteed team option on the second year. Even then, it would still be a tough decision to make. I'm still in disbelief people here want him.
Oh yeah, definitely the cause of Harden shooting 32%! Rondo must have played some amazing defense on Harden from the bench since that's where he was all but 34 minutes in both games, combined! Actually, if you watched the games, Harden shot better with Rondo guarding him. In both Games 1 and 2, Harden started out shooting well even though Rondo was his primary defender. It was only when Rondo was taken out and Dallas switched their man on man coverage on Harden to have multiple people shadow his drives was when Harden shooting percentages plummeted. Rondo is an average defender. He can still make plays and defend well if he is motivated but that's another issue. How can you trust a guy who basically quit on his team during a playoff game? It would be one thing to quit in a regular season game, but to quit during the playoffs? That speaks volumes about Rondo's character to me, and frankly, I don't want that anywhere near my team. I rather play some horrible D-League scrub major playoff minutes than Rondo if he is giving me a half _ssed effort. At least the scrub will try out there..
[rQUOTEr] A darkhorse location for Rajon Rondo in free agency is Sacramento, where the Kings are entering a pivotal year in their franchise and could use a bona fide point guard. Darren Collison, coming off hip surgery, is the team’s scheduled starter for next season. Rondo, who didn’t appear interested in going to the Kings a few years ago, could use the club as a springboard to perhaps a larger contract if he signs a one-year deal. Rondo is also close friends with Kings forward Rudy Gay. http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2...iRZa3MR0hHfoliVkz9eI/story.html?event=event25[/rQUOTEr]
Yeah, they'd be fun to watch. And a team like that wouldn't be too terrible either if they get some three point shooters at the 2 and 3 (and play Gay at the 4).
Ahahah yes funny thing he turned them down when they wanted to trade for him in jqnuary.:grin: it also will take sac out of the lawson market.
