The curious case of Rajon Rondo

June 25, 2009|Bob Ryan, Globe Columnist

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There would be a couple of reasons why Danny could be marketing Rondo. The first is that the entire basketball world did, in fact, sit there with jaws dropping watching Rondo do some of the things he did. Some GM out there might have been so enraptured with Rondo that he might do something foolish that would work to the Celtics’ advantage. You never know about those things.

The second reason is even more intriguing. Among the things Ainge told the WEEI audience yesterday was that, in his view, you don’t need a killer point guard to win an NBA championship. He cites himself and Dennis Johnson as examples, but there are better ones, for sure.

The Bulls won six titles with point guards such as B.J. Armstrong, John Paxson, Craig Hodges, Ron Harper, and Randy Brown. The Rockets won a pair of titles with Sam Cassell, Scott Brooks, Kenny Smith, and Vernon Maxwell. San Antonio won its first title with Avery Johnson. The Lakers have won four championships with Harper, Brian Shaw, Tyronn Lue, Lindsay Hunter, and, of course, Derek Fisher.

Number of All-Star Game appearances for these 14 gentlemen: 1 (one), Sam Cassell, 2004. As a Minnesota Timberwolf.

So beware. None of us wants to see Rajon Rondo go anywhere. We’re all looking forward to seeing him put that ball behind his back and pull it out, squeezing up those floaters in the lane, and throwing down those dunks over people for the next 10-12 years.

But it’s not our call. It’s Danny’s, and if he thinks trading Rajon Rondo will make the Celtics a better team, he won’t hesitate to do it.

Bob Ryan is a Globe columnist and host of Globe 10.0 on Boston.com. He can be reached at ryan@globe.com.

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