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Rajon Rondo became the pivot for the Boston Celtics and letting him go would only weaken the franchise
Five years ago, the Boston Celtics proved its might by lifting the NBA Championship, usurping the Los Angeles Lakers. The image of the Celtics was morphed back into that of reputed stature, amended from that of lottery dependents.
The grids at New England finally had its prized asset back in the reckoning of the NBA’s elite. Fans, who never failed to flock the Garden where the Celtics play, then had a joyous reason to celebrate. After decades of under-achievement on the basketball court, fortunes reversed for the Boston Celtics.
Five years from then, the team has gone back to the the dreaded rebuilding phase. Last season saw the team barely squeeze into the playoffs with a mediocre outing at best during the regular season. It signalled for a new forefront at Boston – a team that could cope with fast-paced setting where the young bambinos from the league can thrive in.
It also reoriented the seasonal ambitions of the Celtics in 2013-14. Trading Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry to the glitzy Brooklyn Nets, and letting go off Doc Rivers to the enterprising Los Angeles Clippers meant Boston will be back to square one – only this time a lot better off than in late 80s or early 2000s.
On July 3, a young coach by the name of Brad Stevens was appointed to govern a franchise undergoing complete revamp. From upper-management to coaching staff and even the players on court, the Celtics have brought in a host of new faces.
While General Manager Danny Ainge still holds his fortress steady in the boardroom, the same can be said for only a select few faces in the roster – the most prominent being, Rajon Rondo.
But that wasn’t the case earlier this month. A string of Western Conference teams seemed interested in luring away the point guard but nothing prevailed at the end. Till today, Rajon Rondo is still legally bound to his Boston Celtics contract, and it looks likely the situation will be same come this October.
Brad Stevens has come out in vehement support of Rondo, who he personally sees as prime leader of this time. So do I, without a question of a doubt, even if reports still continue to link the All-Star ball-handler out of Beantown.
From a rookie that saw limited game time to becoming the face of the entire franchise, the playmaker has seen it all. In all honesty, Rajon Rondo wasn’t perpetually the driving force in a Celtics team full of glorified superstars. When Kevin Garnett wore the No. 5, not many dared to dispute what he said in the locker room. Paul Pearce was, for nearly two decades, Boston’s beloved Truth and only the offenders believed anybody shot the ball better than Ray Allen.
While the triumvirate of the Celtics’ kernel flourished and in succession departed, Rajon Rondo remains the only key element standing strong from the successes of 2008. Everybody lauded Rivers’ ideology in fostering a backbone behind the “Big Three”, the most crucial ingredient being Rondo’s dexterity in backcourt. But not everybody expected the realism to happen for the team to be entirely indigent on the point guard.
In 2012-13, Rondo’s ACL tear signalled a tumultuous predicament for the Celtics backroom to handle. His time out meant that the likes of Avery Bradley and Courtney Lee were slotted into the No. 1 position.
Rajon Rondo (file photo)
The young duo did offer a glimpse of their much talked about talents but the Knicks battering of the Celtics in the playoffs only evinced how much the franchise needs Rondo as its starting point guard. It further illustrated if the Celtics could ever cope up persistently without the team’s cardinal player in defense.
The Kentucky product also offers more than just experience and stability on the backcourt. In a team with no player but him assured a spot in the 2014 All-Star team, Rondo could well be the quintessential option in leading this team to a playoff spot in 2013-14 or 2014-15. He could also mentor incoming draftees, given he, too, underwent that sprouting stage early in his career.
Rajon Rondo has redefined the Celtics’ this past season as much as the franchise defined him when he burst into the scene in 2006. 2012-13 particularly signalled the genesis of the era of Rondo at Boston, and to trade him just a year later to certify a relatively measly tag of rebuilding is nonsensical.
For Brad Stevens’ appointment to be attributed with success, it matters as much as to hold onto some sort of experience, which Rajon Rondo provides in abundant.
Moreover, the young tandem of players being added onto the roster need someone to look up to – a pivotal dimension Rondo adds to the team.
When the Brooklyn Nets signed Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and Paul Pierce from the Boston Celtics, the millstone was upon Danny Ainge to assemble a roster that encompasses the balanced traits the trio offered. The most crucial element was the clutch factor which Pierce and Garnett were dubbed as specialists in, and Jason Terry demonstrating no less. The same could be said about Ray Allen, arguably the greatest three-pointer shooter in the fourth quarter if not in the game itself.
But what the Celtics lost in the fourth quarter with the departures of Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Terry, Rondo makes it up with his dexterity at the point guard position. With the calibre to wrap up games single-handedly, Rajon Rondo could be the best bet should the Celtics attempt to scourge anything in the last 12 minutes of the game.
Rondo is accustomed to the heat he faces from defenses stringently guarding him throughout the games whereas the rest of the Celtics lineup cannot be accredited with the same.
Today’s NBA frequently sees games go to the final hurdle in the fourth and this make-or-break factor can easily prove decisive if the Celtics are to boast a winning record.
The legions of Celtics’ fans have been content with the team being post-season florets but there is a sudden epiphany that the team is seeking to bolster its squad chiefly through the draft.
But instead of marring itself with abysmal performances on the court thanks to no real authentic savoir-faire in either backcourt or frontcourt, the Bostonian franchise should aim to hold onto Rondo and compete in the highest level possible – at least for the gospel of Red Auerbach’s wisdom at The Garden.
The draft is where the future is for Boston but the cynosure of its success will be revelling around Rajon Rondo’s ingenuity.
“Hold onto Rajon!” is the ultimatum for the most decorated franchise in NBA history.
