I know. I know. He can’t hit a free throw. Or an open fifteen footer. His defense is worse than advertised. He has a bad attitude. He’s moody. He’s a menace to the clubhouse, and the overall chemistry of the team. He’s consistently inconsistent.
(What’s not to like?)
I still don’t want the Celtics to trade Rondo. No matter who they’d get in return.
I’m not saying Rondo is the league’s best point guard. He’s not. And he’s certainly not the NBA’s best player. He isn’t. (Though on some nights he plays like it. Such as the other night against the Knicks. See video below.) But he is undoubtedly entertaining in an intriguing way. And that counts for a tremendous amount over the course of a long season. (Or a short one. Even this year’s strike-shortened edition is dragging along).
(This one’s pretty good, too.)
Trade Rondo to get Dwight Howard? Wouldn’t do it. In fact, I wouldn’t even trade Rondo for Lebron James (unless I planned on immediately trading the King for a team of other players).
There is nothing more unexciting than watching Lebron play. His game consists far too much of ill-advised (even if he makes them) pull-up 3-pointers, or head-down bull-through-a-china-shop drives where he’s the beneficiary of some ticky-tack foul call. B-o-r-i-n-g. Even his dunks are boring. They’re a live-action video game.
There’s no art. No intrigue. No improvisation based on the ever-shifting movements of the other team. Lebron can basically do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. And that is tremendously unexciting.
Rondo, on the other hand, seemingly can’t do anything, ever. Give him the open shot. Put him on the foul line, hacka-Shaq style. Regardless, he’s capable of putting up tremendous numbers anyway. If it’s possible to subtly dominate a game, then Rondo is as capable of doing it as anyone.
Subtle domination. Very intriguing. And well worth watching.
Just like Rondo (whose upside-down headband, I hope, is back to stay).
