Rajon Rondo isn’t going anywhere.
Don’t pay attention to the trade rumors that have Rondo headed to Memphis for the No. 2 overall pick or leaving town in a deal that would bring aging point guard Steve Nash to Boston, either.
It’s not going to happen.
The Celtics still have a window to win another championship -- and the chances will dramatically decrease with a new point guard in the mix.
It’s not that Rondo is untradeable, because for the right price, Celtics boss Danny Ainge would pull the trigger.
But Ainge knows better than anyone that this is hardly the draft to mortgage a key piece -- and the C’s aren’t going to acquire Chris Paul, Deron Williams or Derrick Rose via trade.
The draft is weak.
No, it’s downright abysmal.
No one -- except for future Los Angeles Clipper Blake Griffin -- is going to be an instant franchise-changer.
This is about as listless a draft as we’ve seen in the past decade or so.
Ainge does like Arizona State’s James Harden, Memphis’ Tyreke Evans, UConn 7-footer Hasheem Thabeet and even Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio.
But not enough to deal Rondo.
Rondo won’t ever be Paul or maybe even Williams, but he has established himself as one of the upper-echelon young floor leaders in the game.
Sure, he has his faults (he still can’t consistently make perimeter jumpers). However, he’s the ideal fit on this Celtics team, one with three bona-fide stars.
Without Rondo, there’s no way that the C’s would have gotten out of the first round of the playoffs against the Chicago Bulls.
Ainge has never been afraid to wheel and deal -- and that hasn’t changed.
But the problem is that he doesn’t have a whole lot to sell these days. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are nearly untouchable while Ray Allen has one more year left on his deal at nearly $20 million.
Kendrick Perkins’ value won’t climb any higher, but the problem becomes what you do in the middle without Perk. There’s a reason why Perkins is considered a serviceable big man in the league.
There just aren’t many big guys who can play these days.
The carrots that Ainge will attempt to dangle will be the expiring contracts of guys like Brian Scalabrine ($3.4 million), Tony Allen ($2.5 million) and possibly Eddie House ($2.8 million) -- if House elects to utilize his player-option for this coming season.
That’s not all that enticing to opposing GM’s.
The more likely scenario has the Celtics trying to re-sign Glen “Big Baby” Davis and pick up a free agent or two that can help off the bench.
Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Rondo and Perkins will match-up with any starting unit in the league and Davis has now become a quality big man off the bench. The key will be to add one more frontcourt player and also a backup point guard.
“We like our team,” Ainge told me over the weekend. “We just need to make a tweak here and there, but we don’t need to make wholesale changes.”
There are plenty of guys out there that can help fill a role on a championship team -- and that’s really all this team is lacking.
They won’t have the money to be able to add a Hedo Turkoglu or a Ron Artest, but could Ainge make a run at a Drew Gooden, Chris Wilcox, Rasheed Wallace or someone that could actually help Perkins down low.
They also need someone to fill Stephon Marbury’s role as a competent backup floor leader when Rondo isn’t on the floor.
The bottom line is that there’s no need to panic. If Garnett had been healthy, the world wouldn’t be putting Kobe in the same breathe as M.J.
He’d a two-time runner-up.
Rondo has been the starting point guard on a team that has won 128 games over the past two seasons. He’s played in four Game 7’s and 40 playoff games -- and he’s only 23 years old.
I love Steve Nash as much as anyone else, but he’s not the same player he was when he won a pair of NBA MVP awards.
He’s a dozen years older than Rondo -- and a valid argument can be made that Rondo is the more effective player right now, anyway.
Just sit tight, Danny. Don’t mortgage a piece of the future.
Not on this draft. It’s not worth it.
10 FREE AGENTS THAT SHOULD BE ON BOSTON’S RADAR
Drew Gooden, San Antonio: His facial hair may be annoying, but he nearly averaged a double-double this past season.
Chris Wilcox, New York: A solid backup big man who averaged 7.2 points and 5.3 boards this past season.
Rasheed Wallace, Detroit: He’d be ideal as a guy coming off the bench.
Martin Gortat, Orlando: He and Perk would form a potent duo in the paint.
Anderson Varejao, Cleveland: Boston fans would like him if he were wearing green.
Linas Kleiza, Denver: Another guy who could strengthen the bench with his ability to score.
Chris Anderson, Denver: The Birdman would bring energy and an active body up front.
Raymond Felton, Charlotte: I’ve got to assume a young point guard like Felton wouldn’t want to come to Boston for a reserve role.
Antonio McDyess, Detroit: He chose the Pistons a year ago, so it’s doubtful
Jason Kidd, Dallas: Would he come to Boston for a big-time discount to win a title?
Jeff Goodman is a senior basketball writer for FOXSports.com. He can be reached at goodmanonfox@aol.com.
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