Is the Water Level Rising or Are We Sinking?

Yikes, these Celtics are out of whack lately.  Even after a win over Washington last night, the Celtics have still looked more awful than not lately.  KG is limping, Pierce hurt his foot, Rasheed Wallace is in worse shape than I am, and Ray Allen is in a deep, deep funk.  John Hollinger wrote this morning that Tony Allen has been the Celtics' most consistent bench player and meant it (he's not wrong either).  Alarm bells are ringing, loudly.

Coming from all of this are grumblings that the Celtics need to scuttle the whole ship and break up the big three because we clearly aren't winning a championship this year as is.  While I'd agree that the Celtics probably aren't going to win it all this year and probably won't even win the East, but I don't think that making a knee jerk trade in January is going to solve anything.  There's a variety of reasons not to do a deal, most of all because there isn't anyone available in the NBA that the Celtics can get that makes them so much better that they have to do a deal.  So why doesn't everyone just take a deep breath or two, take one or two steps back and let's look at this whole situation before we do anything rash.

So before we can start looking at solutions, we need to diagnose the problems that are causing the Celtics to lose games right now.  Though I haven't watched every minute of every game, from what I have seen the Celtics' have two problems that are somewhat related.  The big problem with the Celtics this year is that they aren't rebounding the ball.  The whole Celtic defense is built on contesting shots heavily (which they still do as well as anyone in the NBA) and limiting opponents to one contested shot per possession.  Opponents are pursuing the ball against the Celtics (and the Celtics appear to NOT be pursuing the ball) and getting more second shots than in years past, which creates more and BETTER looks for the opposition.  

Why are the Celtics giving up so many more offensive rebounds?  Well an unhealthy KG certainly doesn't help, but really the problem lies in the fact that the Celtic bigs have to help more this year on dribble penetration and are therefore unable to box out their men (which leaves the likes of Pierce to box out power forwards and centers) and out of position to grab defensive rebounds.  While a decent share of the blame for this belongs to Ray Allen (his defense has been noticeably worse this year on the whole), every other Celtic has a hand in this too.  Also, it doesn't help that 'Sheed is so freaking out of shape that he makes Glen Davis seem slim, yuck.  Simply put, everyone needs to try a little harder to limit second shots for the opposition and Boston will be just fine come playoff time.

While the rebounding problem is mostly defensive, it does affect the Celtics' offense as well.  First of all, transition opportunities are fewer and farther between when you're having to send everyone to the glass to secure a rebound, and it is also difficult to run when you're busy taking the ball out of your own net.  But really, the rebounding deficiency at this point is harming the Celtics most because it makes the Celtics' one achilles heel more glaring and hurtful to the team.  And yes, I'm talking about turnovers here.  The Celtics turn the ball over as much as anyone in the NBA, which has been a dirty little secret of this team for the past 3 years.  The Celtics run a complex offense and take chances that many other teams wouldn't, so some turnovers are to be expected.  These mistakes are easier to cover up when the other team doesn't score, however when they do the turnovers tend to stick out like a herpes sore on a Tryon Creek bar skank (we all know who I'm talking about, so I won't name names).  Needless to say, the turnover problem is bad, and the only solution is to cover it up with better rebounding.

Aside from the turnovers, the Celtics offensive problems are few and far between.  From the games I've watched, Boston has no trouble at all generating good shots for every member of the ball club.  The core of Pierce, Garnett and Allen are aging and declining in production, however Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins have both grown offensively and can/do pick up the slack quite well.  At this point, shots just aren't falling the way they were in October/November.  This is not a reason to blow things up.  Basketball is not about putting the ball in the net as much as you think.  What really matters in the long run is repeatedly generating good looks for your team.  If you think about basketball in a certain way, the end result of make or miss is irrelevant, the quality of the look and the decision making process of how the offense works is the crucial piece.  

For example, when Kobe Bryant stuck the game winning shot on Sunday afternoon, everyone drools over Kobe without realizing that a) Ray Allen played perfect defense and made Kobe take a low percentage shot and that more importantly b) Pau Gasol was WIDE OPEN for the entire play.  Kobe sank the shot and got the Lakers the game and made Sportscenter in the process, but in a lot of ways (except for the only one that counts, unfortunately) the Celtics won that possession by forcing the worst possible shot when it mattered most.  So even though shots aren't falling and the offense appears to be stagnant, the Celtics really just need to keep shooting and keep playing to get each other open looks at the basket.

Another example is Rasheed Wallace, who has taken much heat this year for turning into Antoine Walker and being satisfied to sit on the outside and clang threes all night long.  While I do agree that 'Sheed does rely on the 3 too much, again he just isn't hitting them now like he was earlier in the year.  I haven't seen him force to many bombs lately, most of those that look forced occur because the ball is swung to him late in the shot clock and someone HAS to shoot.  What I will say is that 'Sheed should post up more because he is still brutally effective inside, and his unwillingness to do so reflects on his lack of commitment to contact and to conditioning.  My gripes with Wallace lie more there than in his shot selection, though the two are related.

If you did want to criticize Boston's shot selection, I would look at the fact that they are a team of jump shooters and sometimes have trouble getting to the free-throw line.  And once they do get to the line, it is always an adventure for these Celtics.  The fact that our point guard shoots only 59% from the free-throw line and is one of the only Celtics who still goes into the paint is disconcerting.  The reality is that Rajon Rondo could get to the charity stripe any time he wants.  But the fact that he can't convert when he gets there has already cost the Celtics one game this year and changes the entire way teams defend Boston.  While the little guy has done more than anyone could have hoped for already, if he really is going to be THE MAN (and the Celtics need him to do so, by the way), he has to force opponents to respect him at the free-throw line and needs to at least make sure that he isn't a liability out there for the Celtics.

Then there is the Celtics' bench, which as in years past is a problem area for this team.  A general lack of depth at the wing and at point guard have hurt the Celtics this year, but also injuries across the board have affected the bench more than a lot of people realize.  Now, I'm not trying to make any excuses about injuries or whatever, because everyone gets injured and it is part of life in the NBA.  Besides, if I legitimately started complaining about injuries when I watch the Blazers (this year's most injured team, hands down.  No really, they're starting to resemble the Blazers from Breaks of the Game) I would either get struck dead by lightning or burned alive by a lynch mob, so I won't go down that road too far.  Still, injuries to KG have forced Rasheed Wallace (who provides the lion's share of Boston's bench production) into the starting rotation and a bum thumb (yes I did that just to rhyme) has kept Marquis Daniels (who plays a bigger role than the numbers indicate) from helping run the offense for the second unit.  Throw in the hand injury to Glen "Don't Call Me Big Baby" Davis and you can see why the Celtics' bench has stuggled this year.  Daniels should be back in a few weeks and if KG is ever healthy again, 'Sheed will return to the second unit as well, which could go a long way towards solving a lot of problems for Boston.

So knowing this, would a trade actually help the Celtics all that much?  Would anything get fixed if you blew up the core of this team and tried to make adjustments half way through the year?  Trade away Ray Allen and suddenly opponents don't have to worry about anyone cutting all over the floor and covering the three-point arc as tightly, which will kill space on the interior and close up all driving lanes and many of the options within the Celtics' offense.  And even if you did want to trade Ray Allen, who are the Celtics getting in return?  I can't think of any team who has a piece that the Celtics could use who would be interested in Ray Allen.  At this point he is cap relief for the future, and any deal for a semi-tantalizing piece or better would likely require the Celtics to send draft picks too, which is a good chunk of the reason that the Celtics are in the quagmire that they're in.  Throw in the fact that Ray Allen is perhaps the most likable NBA player in the game today and by all accounts is an outstanding human being.  On a team that is already dangerously close to turning me off (a hardcore fan with a thick skin for bad behavior), you need guys like him.

The only roster moves that I would go for would be of the smaller variety.  Getting a quality backup point guard or another versatile wing player would be just great, and some of the names out there are interesting.  Names get thrown into trade discussions all the time, but I think that getting Kirk Hinrich from the Bulls is a very interesting and real possibility.  He's a solid defender with enough size to defend either backcourt position, shoots the ball well and can run the offense with no problems.  He already comes off the bench behind Derrick Rose is Chicago, so we know that a) he doesn't have a huge ego and b) Chicago doesn't need him that badly.  He'd be a nice addition to the Celtics and could probably be had for the right pu-pu platter of expiring deals (think Scal, TA, J.R. Giddens and Glen Davis or Eddie House or something like that).  That's a move that makes sense, the Celtics would get better without having to make drastic changes.  

On a semi-related note, I actually met Kirk Hinrich once in Logan Airport and he seemed like a nice, approachable guy.   This was several years ago, I congratulated him on whipping Miami in the Playoffs that year and asked for an autograph on my boarding pas, which he did happily.  He made my day for sure, and maybe just maybe I did the same for him, as far as I know nobody else knew who he was (it was obvious to me, and not just because I am an NBA nut.  Firstly, he was a head taller than most everyone else going through security and second, he had a ridiculously expensive watch and carry-on bag.  And it was a flight to Chicago).  I thought about asking him who the toughest cover in the NBA was, but decided to leave him alone.  Good times.

From where I stand and how I see these Celtics of the past three years, a funk in January is nothing to panic about.  In many ways, the Celtics are reaping what they've sown by trading their young core for a title in 2008.  We knew that was the deal and frankly should be thankful that we won at all.  So many things can stop a championship run, and then the window probably still would have closed just as fast.  We got what we wanted and it was worth it.  The fact that this team has stayed extremely competitive and been in the hunt for two seasons after winning the title is just gravy.  If this group can get back to playing Celtic basketball (and they can), then everything will be just fine and this team will make a deep, deep playoff run.  If they can't, so it goes.  There just isn't anyone available out there that's worth blowing up a team this good for at the moment, so why not ride it out with this group?  For those of you out there who think this ship is taking on water and will sink sooner than later, life rafts are available and you have my blessing to abandon ship.  I'll be standing on deck, prepared to go down with this team if need be.  

Bearing Witness

Admittedly this post has little or nothing to do with the Celtics, but I don't care at all.  Last night I got to see something special and I haven't got to fully express myself about yet, so this will be m forum to do so (and it's not like anyone's going to read it anyhow).  I was present last night at the Rose Garden when LeBron James singlehandedly dismantled the Portland Trail Blazers and COASTED to a tidy 41/10/8 and a double digit victory in the same building where the Blazers blew the doors off the Los Angeles Lakers just two nights earlier.  The Rose Garden is not an easy place to play, regardless of how injured the Blazers may be.

To say that LeBron was dominant last night would be selling him and his effort short by a considerable margin.  He simply did anything and everything he wanted to and got it whenever and wherever he wanted it.  The line of 41 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists doesn't do him justice, not even when I tell you that he shot 13-19 from the floor, went 12-14 from the charity stripe and 3-4 from downtown.  What's most impressive to me is that LeBron did all of this within the flow of his team's offense and didn't need to shift into a higher gear all night long.  After an absolutely dominant start (he had 20 points in the first quarter alone!), he relaxed a little and worked on doing all the other little things to help his team win, looking for his shot only when he was obliged to by the flow of the game.  It was absolutely incredible to behold, and after seeing a performance like that from him I can only quake in my boots about the prospect of having to face the Cavs at some point later on this season.

The Blazers were buried before they knew what was happening, as LeBron seemed to effortlessly score every time he touched the ball (he went 8-8 in the first quarter).  He started by overpowering the Blazers and poor Martell Webster with his strength and speed, penetrating the middle off the dribble and scoring around the rim or finding teammates on the perimeter.  Then for good measure he started bombing threes in from all over the floor (my memory may be flawed but I believe he hit 3 in the first quarter, though it may have only been 2) to deliver a soul crushing blow right out of the gate.  Again, the craziest part is not that LeBron had 31 by halftime (which was pretty mind blowing, mind you), it's that he never seemed to force the action or take a bad shot while all of this was going on.  

And then, with a double digit lead at half and the game mostly in hand, he deferred to his teammates and trusted his system instead of relentlessly gunning for his own stats and going for 50 or 60 points.  No, instead of expending energy on stuffing the box score with more points and shot attempts, LeBron shifted his focus to defense, rebounding and passing to seal the win for his team.  Throughout the course of the game, I saw LeBron check every Blazer on the floor except the Juwan Howard/Jeff Pendergraph tandem at center.  How many superstars would be willing do that, especially in a game where they have incentive to keep jacking up shots and coast against a lesser team?  This guy just gets it, and you feel like if they had somebody other than J.J. Hickson to throw at opposing power forwards (the times that the Blazers went to Aldridge with that match-up he absolutely ate Hickson alive) or a point guard who could defend anyone, they might never lose again.

In my brief life as an NBA nut I've seen my fair share of exciting and awe-inspiring performances live, but never in have I ever borne witness to anything like what I saw last night.  I mean, I've seen Paul Pierce abuse quality defenders and teams on the way to 38 point outbursts, and Carmelo Anthony drop 35 without hardly breaking a sweat, and LeBron hit 2 (!) buzzer beaters (including a 75-foot bomb) before, but none of these performances are even in the same building as LBJ's 41/10/8 last night.  Still need convincing?  LeBron was so dominant that he made Brandon Roy's 34 points on 14-23 shooting and LaMarcus Aldridge's 18/13 on 8-11 shooting look pedestrian.  On any other night against any other team, if the Blazers get those numbers out of their two best players they win easily.  But not against the runaway freight train that is LeBron James.

Ultimately Portland just had no answer for LeBron with their depleted line-up/MASH unit.  I realized this morning that LeBron is as tall as/bigger than every active Blazer except for LaMarcus Aldridge, which just isn't fair.  The Blazers actually did a good job of contesting LeBron's shots and pressuring him whenever he drove, but he was just too big and strong and was always able to make a play.  He actually didn't get any dunks (no small feat) and made a series of incredibly challenging lay-ups with both hands look ridiculously easy.  With a healthy Batum/Outlaw combo or anyone to protect the rim things may have gone differently for Portland, though LBJ was pretty keyed in so I'm not sure it would have mattered.

A few other random notes from the game last night:

The Blazers could have been right there and possibly won if they had made their free throws.  Brandon Roy went 3-8 and missed freebies on both of his 3-point plays from the first quarter (he did an admirable job of matching James' effort and poured everything he had into keeping the game close in the first quarter).  Those misses will hurt you anytime, but against one of the best teams in the league they are often the difference between winning and losing.

Brandon Roy scored his 5,000th point last night on a ridiculous lefty lay-up in the first half, very nice!

Even though I'm only 24 and my entire basketball life has been in the jumbo-tron-extensive-and-ridiculous-player-introduction era, after sitting through the Blazer introductions last night I think things have gone too far.  Let me paint this picture for you: after the Cavs are introduced the P.A. Announcer tells everybody that the Rose garden is our house and on your feet and blah blah blah, the music starts pumping and the fans get into it and start clapping and getting loud.  This is a good thing, but what follows is a 2 or 3 minute video featuring "O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana (but you probably remember it from any number of pop culture situations, like this one for all you Celtic fans).  

Now this is a great piece of music that'll make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, but it isn't exactly your typical pump up the crowd type of music, and it is too long.  What happened as they queued it up last night?  The video played and the music was loud but the crowd couldn't keep up the intensity or the rhythm they'd established earlier, so everyone sat down and when the Blazers finally came out, there was less excitement and energy from the fans.  The crowd noise was gone for the tip-off and the Cavs never looked back.  

What the Blazers need is to have the P.A. Announcer fire the crowd up with some more popular music that the crowd can get behind (i.e. something with a simple beat that us poor rhythmically challenged white folks can clap along to) and then to go right into the player intros so the crowd HAS to stay into it.  Give them an opportunity to sit down and watch a stupid video and the atmosphere vanishes.  Let the crowd get raucous and have that energy carry over to the tip-off and ultimately the game, and an already hostile environment could become the most feared environment to play in since the heyday of ARCO Arena or, dare I say it, the old Boston Garden.  Right now, it's like a false start for the crowd and on a Sunday when everyone was lethargic to begin with, I feel like it had a negative effect on the crowd.  If they don't can the video completely, they should at least play it first and THEN ask the crowd to cheer loudly once they start actually introducing the players.  

Taking on Water?

Just read that Paul Pierce is out two weeks after having fluid drained from his knee.  Obviously this is not good, and it means that Pierce will miss the upcoming road trip, including Boston's Christmas day showdown in Orlando.  What the Celtics will do without him is beyond me, since they're already thin at the wing positions without Marquis Daniels.  I suppose that Tony Allen and the recently recalled Bill Walker and possibly J.R. Giddens will fill in, though my brain can't fathom a universe where those guys are able to effectively replace the stats Pierce provides on a daily basis, much less the intangibles and leadership he brings to the table.  Actually, the thought of Tony Allen getting more minutes just made me throw up in my mouth a little.

In a weird way, this news could be a bit relieving for the Celtics over the long run.  First and foremost, this injury is minor and the Celtics are focused on preventative care, hence the longer than expected absence.  Doc Rivers, Danny Ainge et al are focused on playing in May and June of 2010, so taking risks with players now and turning minor injuries into season ending ones is not something they're prepared to do (hence KG sitting last night because of a bruise).  This way, Pierce will get some rest now and can hopefully heal fully in plenty of time to reestablish a rhythm before the All-Star break.  

And aside from the Christmas Day match-up with Orlando, the road trip doesn't have too many difficult games for the Celtics.  After Orlando, the Celtics head to the west coast to face the Clippers, Warriors and (gulp) the Pheonix Suns.  The Clippers and Warriors are both very beatable without Pierce, and the Suns could always falter against a defensive team that has plenty of size inside (check for the Celtics) and a quick, tough point guard to challenge Steve Nash (double check).  So in theory all four games are winnable, with a 2-2 finish being a bit pessimistic but likely.

If you ask me, the biggest downside to this injury is the fact that I won't get to watch Pierce play this week while I'm home in Massachusetts.  Ultimately, the Celtics will be just fine.  Even if these injuries cost the Celtics a few games, it won't matter much.  This Celtics squad is so talented that home court throughout the Playoffs won't matter (Cleveland hasn't been the same at home this year and the LA crowd always sucks, so who cares?).  The Celtics just need to be healthy by March so they can establish a rhythm for the Playoffs.  

The bottom line is that you will not hear any griping about injuries out of this writer, especially since I live in Portland, where the "Frail" Blazers are down to eight healthy bodies and NO centers after Joel Przybilla went down for the season last night.  Boston can play through their injuries and will still be atop the East at season's end.  Portland, on the other hand, looked like a possible number two in the West behind the Lakers, are now going to have to focus on simply making it to the end of the year.  

UPDATE:

Pierce may not be out a full two weeks according to recent reports.  He'll still miss the road trip, but this is still great news.  Happy Holidays!

 

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).