In Defense of No. 6

First of all, the Celtics lacked all kinds of effort yesterday against the Hawks, hence the ugly loss.  The real reason I'm writing today is in response to LeBron James announcing that he is changing his jersey number in honor of Michael Jordan.  It seems that LeBron will not wear number 23 next year as a sign of respect for His Airness, choosing instead to wear number 6.  Apparently he also wants everyone else in the league that wears 23 to give it up in deference to Michael, because he's done so much for the game and nobody would be playing basketball right now if not for MJ and blah blah blah blah blah...  

That's all well and good, except for one slight flaw in LBJ's logic.  He is giving up Jordan's 23 in favor of number 6, which was worn by none other than Bill Russell, the greatest basketball player ever and a figure who paved the way for the guys who inspired Michael Jordan (whoops!).  Sure, MJ changed the NBA and inspired this entire generation of players, but BIll Russell won more than MJ and changed the game more than Jordan did in his years as a player and a coach.  Without Russell, there couldn't have been Michael Jordan or anyone else for that matter, and pro basketball as we know it might not exist.

I don't want to sound like a nagging senior citizen here, but just look at the things Bill Russell did for the NBA in his career.  Before Bill Russell even played a minute in the NBA, he captained the US Olympic team to a gold medal, barnstorming the tournament and winning each game by an average margin of 53.5 points per game.  Oh yeah, and there were those two consecutive Collegiate titles he won at USF, despite having to play against much bigger and more talented programs.  But really, we're talking about the pro game here, so let's move on.  

Bill Russell was the first defensive center the fledgling NBA had ever seen, and before Wilt Chamberlain laced up his shoes in the NBA, Russell became the sport's first African American superstar.  Oh yeah, and Russell helped to pioneer the fast break, changing the game from a slow grind it out style to the uptempo brand of basketball that you see today, where strong defense and rebounding often create offense in transition.  Nobody did this better than Russell, and prior to him, nobody had done this at all.  Not enough for you?  How about the fact that Bill Russell was the NBA's first African American head coach, and prior to that had been a member of the NBA's first all black starting line-up?  

To recap, Bill Russell helped to integrate the NBA and was a pioneer as the sport's first African American superstar player and coach, all while redefining his position forever and helping to invent two of the most exciting aspects of pro basketball: fast break offense and defense.  Not only did Russell help his teammates get out and score in transition, but he also inventing the soul crushing out-of-nowhere shot block that LeBron James enjoys doing so much nowadays.  And he repeatedly shut down Wilt Chamberlain, once holding him to only 2 shot attempts in the second half of an intense playoff game.  And he won ELEVEN FREAKING CHAMPIONSHIPS in 13 years, not too shabby.

What has MJ done for basketball?  Well, he spearheaded the campaign to lengthen the shorts in the NBA and created a me first, ball hogging style that has dominated games at every level since.  Sure, he was fun to watch and sure, he was a great competitor and all that, but changing the game so you can take an extra step, palm the hell out of the ball and make it ok to jack up just any contested jumper while sticking out your tongue and taunting your opponents does not equal inventing the fast break and being the league's first African American coach in my mind.  And while Jordan has certainly changed the way everybody plays the game and has inspired countless players all over the world to play basketball, he didn't exactly redefine his position in the same way Bill Russell did.  Shooting guards were long and athletic and shot happy well before Jordan came into the league, he just did it better than almost anyone else.  

So LeBron, if you're reading this, perhaps you should consider going with another number besides 6 if you think that not wearing a number is the best way to pay respect to the legends of the game that preceded you.  This kind of respect and perspective is a good thing, just don't forget who was there before Jordan making the Association into what it is today.  Maybe when you win 8 titles in a row, redefine the entire sport and keep Kobe from even shooting more than twice in a Finals game I'll be ok with you donning number 6, but until then I suggest you try again.  Unless, that is, you decide that wearing someone else's number is a great homage to them in which case I say stick with 23, it suits you.

Locking Up the Little Guy

As Professor Hubert Farnsworth would say, "Good news, everyone!"  It seems as though the Celtics made use of the NBA's deadline extension on contract negotiations and have signed Rajon Rondo to a contract extension believed to be worth at least $55 million over the next five years.  This is exciting and surprising news for several reasons, perhaps mostly because as recently as last Monday both sides seemed to be at an impasse over the dollar amount of the deal.  It appears as though Danny Ainge and the Celtics capitulated and increased their offer to an amount that was more pleasing to Rondo and his agent, Bill Duffy.  

Frankly, I am giddy with excitement over this development, as Rondo's contract situation was my biggest concern heading into this season.  Had Boston not compromised, Rondo would have been a restricted free agent after this season, increasing the chances that he'd be playing elsewhere next year.  Fortunately for Boston, that didn't happen and it now seems that Rajon Rondo will be feeding his teammates in green and white for many years to come.

Some question the Celtics' commitment to a mercurial player who can't shoot at all, but that perspective is flawed and tends to marginalize a lot of Rondo's contributions to the Celtics.  To the naysayers, I ask only this: why does Rondo need to shoot jumpers to be valuable to the Celtics?  Rajon Rondo is on the floor to create jump shots for other players, not to knock down his own.  And Rajon Rondo is quickly becoming one of the best in the business at creating shots for his teammates without the ability to reliably knock down his own shot, so why shouldn't he be paid well for doing his job well (this isn't communist Russia, you know...)?  

Simply put Rajon Rondo is the perfect point guard for today's NBA and for the Boston Celtics.  He is incredibly long for such a tiny person and is among the quickest guards in the Association, adding intense speed to a Celtics team that would be slower than molasses without him.  Much like the way Tony Parker is the San Antonio Spurs' fast-break, Rajon Rondo is unstoppable in the open court and has the ability to change gears and control the tempo of the basketball game, a trait that is innate rather than acquired and very rare to boot.  Elite point guards like Rajon Rondo, Tony Parker and Chris Paul don't just play with the pedal to the metal all the time, instead opting to change speed at just the right moment to change the whole complexion of a game.  

Rajon Rondo's length and athleticism also help him on the defensive end, where he has always been committed to pestering his opponents into submission.  Long arms and quick feet make Rondo difficult to get around, and nearly every elite guard in this league has been shut down by Rajon at least once in the past two years.  In the past he gambled too much for steals and lacked the requisite muscle to deal with bigger point guards (Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups in particular), but this season Rondo has added some bulk and is more committed to playing a disciplined brand of team defense that has really shown improvement through the team's first four games.  Rondo's nasty streak is longer than his wingspan and his new attitude has him prepared to play stifling D every night this season (spotty play was my only knock against him in the past, no more!).

Rondo's natural gifts and the hand-checking rules of today's NBA make him the perfect point guard for professional basketball, but it's his ability to find shooters on the perimeter that makes him so valuable (at least $55 million valuable) to the Boston Celtics.  Since the championship season, Rondo has displayed a knack for finding Ray Allen in transition, but he's also improved his ability to find jump shooters in the half court offense as well.  Because of his speed and the rules regarding hand checking in the NBA, it is impossible to keep Rondo out of the paint which can do several things to opponents.  Rondo has great touch and a superb ability to finish tricky lay-ups in traffic in the paint, so if the defense does nothing he can shred an opponent all night long with high percentage looks for himself.  The only answer is to help and collapse the defense on the little guy which then leaves a bevy of Boston shooters (Ray Allen, Rasheed Wallace, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett) wide open for equally high percentage shots.  There is simply no winning play for the defense, especially this year with the addition of Rasheed Wallace.  

As a result, the Celtics are shooting 44% from downtown this year (5th best in the league) and 50% from the field overall.  Simply put, Rondo creates quality looks for all of his teammates and he's now finding them with better passes and fewer mistakes overall.  In fact, right now Rajon Rondo is second in the NBA only to Steve Nash in assists per game at 11.8, and his assist to turnover ratio is miles beyond anyone else in the top ten at a staggering 5.22:1 (Chauncey Billups is sitting at 4.00 right now, but he is averaging less than 7 assists per game).  Rondo has elite numbers and plays at an elite level, so why wouldn't he be worth that kind of money?  Can you name me a better point guard in the Eastern Conference right now?

(I'll wait)

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Some of you probably want to say that Derrick Rose or Jameer Nelson may be better, but that just isn't the case.  Both of those guys are very, very good, but Rondo has dominated them both before and will continue to do so.  He is the best point guard in the Eastern Conference right now and is truthfully among the top three in the entirety of the Association, behind Chris Paul and Tony Parker/Deron Williams.  And wouldn't you know it, with this new extension he'll be paid slightly less than those guys but more than just about every other point guard out there.  It doesn't seem to me to be a reach at all, I think Rondo has earned every penny of his new deal and has the ability to eclipse every guard in the NBA except for Chris Paul.

Rajon Rondo is a champion point guard who has proven that he can distribute the basketball to a triumvirate of All-Star players and create order from chaos at lightning speed.  He's also got a mean streak that we haven't seen in the NBA and he has absolutely no fear of anyone in this league.  Why wouldn't you want to sign him?  His inability to shoot makes him who he is, and if you changed his ability to shoot you'd change how he plays the game.  The only area where I really want his touch to improve is from the free-throw line, beyond that I say let him off the leash so he can run amok just how he is and sit back and enjoy the ride (get ready for a long haul, because this ride doesn't stop until June).