Rondo inscrutable - and indispensable

November 03, 2009|Bob Ryan, Globe Columnist

Rajon Rondo already had his ring and now he has his money. Would it be asking too much for him to just settle down now and play some basketball?

He should forget about Chris Paul. He should forget about Deron Williams. He should forget about Tony Parker. He should forget about Derrick Rose. He’s never going to be them and they’re never going to be him. One-upmanship is not the issue. Winning games is all that matters.

Barring some wild, unforeseen turn of events on Causeway Street, Rajon Rondo will be here for at least the next five years, which will encompass much of his athletic prime. He’ll be 28 when the contract expires. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rasheed Wallace all will be gone. Paul Pierce? Maybe, maybe not. By that time Rondo will be the face of the franchise, the marquee player, the (presumably) perennial All-Star. He will, we must assume, no longer be getting caught up in extracurricular foolishness like he did Sunday night against the Hornets.

The Celtics had to sign Rondo long-term, didn’t they? He’s far too good to be allowed to slip away, and what was their alternative? They have nice backup guards, but no true backup point guard. If one of their veteran big men went down for a while, they could do some clever rotating and get by, at least during the regular season. But if Rondo were incapacitated, they would be in very serious trouble. He may not be their best player, but he’s their most indispensable, which is simply a function of the way Danny Ainge has constructed his team.

When I say Rondo’s not going to be Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Tony Parker, or Derrick Rose, and they’re not going to be him, I’m talking style and package of skills, not overall effectiveness. There are different job requirements and different ways of getting the job done. Rondo may never shoot like Paul, but Paul will never rebound like Rondo, and that capability is part of what makes Rondo such a special player. Sure, nobody asks Rajon Rondo to rebound like a power forward, but some nights he does just that and it is a major reason why the Celtics will win a particular game. Unless he one day no longer wishes to do it, he will be the best rebounding point guard in the post-Jason Kidd era, and, if we’re talking inch-for-inch, the best ever.