So I miss watching one Celtics game and some chump hits a shot between quarters for a sweet 50,000 dollars. C’MON! While it’s impressive, a little back checking reveals this dude is originally from Jersey. Sure, he lives in Quincy now, but that Garnett jersey he’s wearing is ill-fitting at best… you’re gonna tell me he didn’t bum that 5 minutes before he strolled out on the parquet?
He won the opportunity to take the shot over at the Harp while the game was going on… What true C’s fan watches the game at the Harp? You go to DJ’s or Sully’s or Johnny’s on the Side! I can’t really tell from the video, but he might be wearing dress shoes and khakis. Something tells me this lucky sonofabeyotch was drinking appletinis with the girls from accounting after work at his PR film and fell ass-backwards into this. I bet he couldn’t pick Sheed out of a lineup. Ugh. This reeks of fishiness, just like your mom. Whoever picked this guy to take the shot should be ashamed.
UPDATE! - It was a certain ”sports” radio station in town. Figures. They couldn’t point out a true Boston sports fan if they came up and slapped them in the face with their season tickets.
… or if there was a poor free-agent market for him and nobody signed him to an offer sheet. This is why sports-talk radio guys are complete idiots. A team like the Thunder (imagine Rondo dishing to Durant, Westbrook and Jeff Green!) or the Hawks (also with pantloads of cap room, and Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Marvin Williams)would’ve been banana-nut-muffin-farts CRAZY to NOT try and sign him to a Gilbert Arenas level contract (pocketing over $16 million this year!). The Celtics would have had to either let him walk or match it, which would have CRUSHED them financially for years to come.
Yeah, no thanks. This is only one reason why this is one of the best decisions the Celtics have made since the 1980 draft day trade that landed us Parish & McHale in exchange for the immortal Joe Barry Carroll.
Let’s say they DON’T do the deal and Rondo and the Celtics AT LEAST make it to the conference finals this year; he continues to progress, and all of a sudden, everybody else realizes what those of us who’ve been paying attention already know: Rondo MIGHT be the best pure PG in the game right now, or could end the debate very shortly.
He’s outplayed the moody Chris Paul every time they’ve played head-to-head, and has achieved more team success. Yes, Paul is a sexier commodity and has the national recognition, but Rondo already has a title, and if the C’s were to tear through this season and win another one, you’ve GOT to entertain the notion Rondo’s the better option.
I already consider Rondo to be slightly better than Paul (who looks like he’s starting to fray at the edges and get frustrated with the Hornets’ descent back into mediocrity), and while I haven’t seen enough of Deron Williams to make a rational case, everybody says CP3 is slightly better than Williams in the “Who’s the Best Young NBA PG” argument. Jameer Nelson and Devin Harris are good and could be great, but Rondo has shown more talent on a more consistent basis already, so I think they’re the bottom 2 in that debate. The one guy who I put on a pedestal alongside Rondo is Rose, but he needs one more season under his belt before I’m ready to declare these two to be the new Magic/Isiah battle of the NBA.
Celtics fans who actually watch games can tell you that Rondo is amazing defensively, and has become a great floor general with a flair for steady-if-not-flashy passing skills. That’s exactly what you want in a point guard; you don’t want a Iverson-type who needs to take a shot to give you a chance to win. Speaking of his shot: so far in this young season it looks much better, and he looks comfortable taking it now, and has since last year’s playoffs. He CAN score, he just doesn’t NEED to to give you the best chance to win. He gives you more (and greatly improved) possessions through steals and nifty assists; he doesn’t waste them by jacking up threes or driving into a crowded lane and putting up an awkward runner. He maximizes the opportunities to score. That makes your team and everybody on it better.
Now, I don’t like comparing players’ stats: each team’s roster, scheme, and gameplan is different; and NBA numbers are wildly skewed by these things. (see: Nash: The D’Antoni Years.)
All I know is, I’d rather have Rondo as my long-term solution at PG than anybody else in the league right now. He fits the Celtics, he (barring anything unforseen) is only going to get better, and at that $55M+ price tag, he’s getting paid around the same amount that Golden State is paying Monta Ellis, who’s only accomplishment so far is falling off a motorcycle. Look at the top-paid PGs and what they’re getting paid this season:
Arenas $16.2 million – Wizards
Chris Paul $13.5 million – Hornets
Deron Williams $13.5 million – Jazz
Steve Nash $13.1 million – Suns
Tony Parker – $12.6 million – Spurs
Baron Davis $12.5 million – Clippers
Billups $12.1 million – Nuggets
RONDO $11.0 MILLION – YOUR MUTHAFUCKIN’ 2010 NBA CHAMPS!
Ellis $11.0 million – Warriors
Mo Williams $8.9 million – Cavs
Ford – $8.5 million – Pacers
Harris $8.4 million – Nets
Calderon $8.2 million – Raptors
Kidd – $8.0 million – Mavericks
Tell me the Celtics didn’t get a steal. I’m a tremendously biased homer, but I’d put Rondo as the best fit for the C’s AND best future prospect for greatness on that list, and while you CAN argue that he’s not a top-3 PG in this league right now, you’d HAVE to say he’s got a shot to be the best in a very short while. And he’s nowhere near the top of that money list. When everybody else in the association is gunning for you, and you’re able to lock up a proven winner at the arguably most important position on the court without breaking the bank, you’re not only doing things right; you’re kicking ass. I don’t think about what happens after this season for the C’s, and whether they re-sign Ray or whatever; you can only win one title at a time. But as of right now, the Celtics have managed to kill two birds with one stone: take care of a big part of their future at a reasonable price, while removing any sideshow distractions an unresolved situation might have caused.
If he doesn’t improve at all, stays at this level, or God forbid, gets hurt, I’m still happy. This is a deal the C’s had to do. He’s already special. He can be AMAZING. This kid could be a triple-double machine. He was in the playoffs last year… AND HE’S 23!
Rondo’s going to be one of the best Celtics we’ve ever seen for a very long time, at what will be seen in hindsight as a very conservative salary. I’m already ecstatic. I’m over the moon. I’ll wait for the rest of you to catch up.
Crazy Home Opener crowd? Check!
Shiny new (and Orca-fat) offseason acquisition Shaquille O’Neal? Check! Best player on the planet getting every call in the book? Check!
Spotted a 14-point 1st quarter lead? Check!
Didn’t matter. Cavs still lost. TO YOUR MUTHAFUCKIN’ 2010 NBA CHAMPS!
I feel like everybody forgot the Celtics started last season 27-2. Then they didn’t recall the fact we didn’t have Garnett for half the year. Then they didn’t recognize that the C’s added Rasheed “Cornell West” Wallace, Marquis “Catfish” Daniels, and Shelden “Ken Griffey Jr after he got addicted to the tonic on the Simpsons in the baseball episode” Williams. We now have the deepest bench in the league. Shaq looks like he ate Delonte. The rest of the Eastern conference is going to be our bitch all season long.
Banner 18 is on its way, bitches. Even if we have to root for a Dookie.
One of the founders of Colt Monday (Both the website and the weekly Emerson "soiree"), Mike Morrison passed away in May 2009. He was the best friend anybody ever had. It not might be much, but this website is dedicated to his memory. We love you and we miss you, Mikey.
