Rondo withdraws from team USA

After getting no playing time in Sunday's scrimmage against Spain, Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo has withdrawn from team USA. I think what really happened is he was cut and the coaching staff agreed to let him withdraw on his own.

Rondo is a great point guard but the international game doesn't favor him at all. Rondo can't shoot and he doesn't play well when there's a lot of contact allowed. That's exactly what international basketball is and that's why he was going to be cut. He started the two scrimmages before the last one against Spain but I think that was just because Coach K was giving him a chance to prove he deserved a roster spot.

Best Five Point Guards Of The 2009-2010 Season

Point Guards

1. Deron Williams

This year Deron Williams distanced himself from the rest of the pack, posting 18.7 PPG and 10.5 APG Williams carried his Jazz to a 53-29 record. Coming into this season the general consensus was that Williams and Chris Paul were the two best point guards in the league. It is possible that if Paul didn't have an injury plagued season he would be sitting atop this chart, but for now Williams holds the title. The game that really sold me was his performance against the Bulls on March 9th. 28 points (11-15 fg) 17 assists and 1 turnover?! That's just not fair. He had a 19 assist game later that month but that game was against the Warriors. Big numbers mean much more when they come against a good team. Williams is one of those players whose stats don't tell the full story. Despite the great statistical season that Carlos Boozer is having, it's Williams who's the heart and soul of that team. Numbers don't make a good player great and Williams is a perfect example of that. Last year I would have said Chris Paul was the best PG in the league because he took a pretty bad team to the playoffs. Last year Williams' numbers were better than they were this year. The difference is that this year Williams is playing more like a Chauncey Billups, only better. Williams now realizes that being the floor general is better for the team than trying to do everything alone. That's something all young point guards eventually need to learn.

2. Derrick Rose

If you're a basketball fan pay attention to the Chicago Bulls. Since Rose's early season ankle injury recovered the second year guard out of Memphis emerged as a legitimate superstar in this league. Rose, almost singlehandedly, took his Bulls to the playoffs as major components of the team were constantly coming in and out of the lineup due to injury. I felt that Rose was in the conversation for the second best point guard in the league for a long time. People finally started accepting it around the all star break when he became the first Bulls all star since Michael Jordan in 1998. The icing on the cake was when Rose promised that the Bulls would defy the odds and beat out the Raptors for the eighth and final playoff spot. That run was highlighted by a 39 point masterpiece against Rajon Rondo and the Celtics in the second to last game of the season. As Rose continued to show his dominance in the second half of the season the Rose vs. Rondo debates were starting to come to a close. Once Rose absolutely torched Rondo on national television, the verdict was in.

3. Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo's emergence as a premier point guard started in the 2008 playoffs. In the big 3's first season together the question was whether or not the Celtics could win a championship with Rondo running the team. Rondo's defensive superiority started to surface in the 2008 finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. On the world's biggest stage Rondo hounded the Lakers' bigs nonstop. In the deciding game 6 Rondo had 4 steals in the Celtics' 131-92 rout. That was two seasons ago and Rondo has matured into a great point guard. The main reason why he's third on the list is his inability to be a prolific scorer as well as his inability to take over late in games. Both Rose and Williams can take over in the last 5 minutes, Rondo not so much.

4. Steve Nash

At 36 years old Steve Nash is still running up and down with the best of them. Nash guided his Suns back to the playoffs this season in the midst of all kinds of trade rumors involving nearly everyone on his team. Nash is no longer the most valuable player in this league but he's still by far the best passer. This guy throws passes that make your head spin in disbelief and he's been doing it for over a decade. Leading his Suns all the way to the Western Conference Finals is a commendable achievement. It is unknown what the future holds for Nash but it's safe to say he's had a legendary career, the only thing missing is a ring.

5. Chris Paul

The primary reason why Paul isn't higher up on this list is because of his injury plagued season. He had some games where he played like the CP3 we all now and love but there were many games where Paul just didn't seem like himself. I don't know if the emergence of Darren Collison made him question his job security (I doubt it) or not but something was definitely wrong with him both mentally physically. In all likelihood it was probably that Paul was scared to death of being re-injured as that is the common mindset of a player coming back from injury. This list is not of the best point guards of the 2009-2010 season, it's a list of the best point guards in the league as of right now. And as of now Chris Paul is the fifth best point guard.

Returning To Form

The Boston Celtics are emerging. A playoff quality win tonight in Dallas tells me they're getting ready for another push to the finals.

Two weeks ago it looked like the C's were headed to a nursery home, never mind the postseason. A major reason for the reemergence is Paul Pierce. The Captain is averaging 23.4 PPG in his last 5 games and he's stretching the floor for Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins down low.

Pierce playing well is going to do some damage but for any hope at the title Kevin Garnett is going to need to step it up. It's pretty clear that his knee is still greatly hindering his athleticism but he still needs to knock down that 15 foot jumper that he has made his name off of. His defensive production hasn't dropped too much but he has been basically useless offensively. That needs to change.

Here's why the Celtics were so successful in the past. They would be in a moderately close game (6-8 point lead) and then they would go on a massive 15-2 run and blow it open. With shooters Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, defenses couldn't rotate fast enough to cover both.

The most important thing however is the defensive tenacity. Tonight the Celtics played with the effort they showed in the 07-08 championship season. In tonight's win against the Mavericks KG had 5 steals, that type of defense is what it takes to win a title.

Right now it looks as if the Celts are going to be running into the Heat in the first round and my only concern is that the Heat will not be taken seriously. For the last two years the Celtics have been in two unnecessarily long 7 game series', first against the Atlanta Hawks and then in the following year against the Chicago Bulls. The key is not to let the worse team believe they can play with you. Once you give a team hope amazing upsets can happen. The Celtics need to jump on the Heat (or Bobcats) early and then keep their foot on their throat. Never let the team gain confidence. Once a team gets something going amazing things happen, shots start falling, and all of a sudden they get their hands in the passing lanes. Before you know you're locked in a dogfight for your playoff lives.

Hopefully the Celtics have learned from their past mistakes. If they have not, they are doomed for another first round gauntlet.

As they regain their health and their championship swagger I see the Celtics making a very strong push for the big stage in June. The pieces are in place, now all they need is the desire. I don't know if the Celtics still have it in them, but I sure can't wait to find out.

Rondo, Celtics Agree to 5 year, 55 Million Dollar Extension

After refusing to give him an extension all summer the Celtics have finally agreed in principle to a 5 year, 55 million dollar deal with star point guard Rajon Rondo. Danny Ainge and the Celtics ownership were concerned that Rondo's leadership abilities were not good enough to warrant giving him big time money. However since training camp Rondo has been more active in the locker room and at practice to the point where the Celtics front office feels comfortable with Rondo as their long term point guard.

What this whole negotiation was really about was if the Celtics ownership felt comfortable with Rondo as their anchor after the big three is retired. Personally I'm not sure Rondo would be nearly as effective on his own. If he was without Garnett, Pierce, and Allen then defenses would focus on him rather than his teammates. If he was to face a double team every night then I highly doubt he would be racking up the assists the way he has in the last two years.

Last summer reports surfaced that the Celtics were shopping Rondo, citing his inability to receive coaching as the driving factor. Apparently sometimes he avoids the play and tries to take control on his own. After they realized that were not going to get sufficient value in return, both Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge emphatically denied the rumors.

Top 5 Fantasy Point Guards

The fantasy basketball season is right around the corner and there are a few hazards to be weary of. For instance, make sure you're picking players who will bring in big numbers, not necessarily win games. I will give you my top 5 point guards to take in this year's fantasy games. When reading this post keep in mind that the fantasy game that I'm guiding you through is the Sportingnews Ultimate Salary Cap Challenge. In this particular fantasy game you are given a 35 million dollar salary cap. You need 2 guards, 2 forwards, a center, and a sixth man.

1. Chris Paul (NO)

Estimated cost: 11.6 Million $

CP3 will likely cost you a decent chunk of your salary so be prepared to bargain hunt for the rest of your draft. That being said, Paul is the most productive point guard in the league. Last season Paul led all point guards in both points (22.8 PPG) and in assists (11 APG). More likely than not Paul's numbers will increase this season as they have for the past 3 years. With the addition of center Emeka Okafor (in exchange for Tyson Chandler), Paul will most likely tally at least 1 or 2 more assists per game.

2. Derrick Rose (CHI)

Estimated cost: 9.8 million $

It will be very interesting to see what Rose is priced at this season, it will either be very high based on his potential, or very low based on his numbers last season. It will probably be somewhere in the middle. If it is below 10 million get him. Expect Rose to far surpass his rookie numbers of 16.8 PPG and 6.3 APG. My prediction is that Rose and Paul will be the top two in PPG and APG for point guards. Be very careful with Rose, with him turnovers seem to come in bunches. If you see that he had a 5 turnover game, sell him, and buy him back 2-3 games later.

3. Deron Williams (UTA)

Estimated cost: 10.4 Million $

Deron Williams is on par with Rose and Paul. It pretty much just comes down to which player you like better, although Williams and Paul will almost definitely be more expensive than Rose. Williams' numbers were just behind Paul's last season (20.2 PPG, 10.8 APG) , those numbers will for the most part stay where they are. Keep in mind that Williams led all point guards in turnovers last season (4.2 per game). Much like Rose, monitor his assist/turnover ratio as often as possible.

4. Rajon Rondo (BOS)

Estimated cost: 9.0 Million $

Rondo's numbers have been consistently jumping throughout the first 3 years of his young and promising career, that pattern won't end anytime soon. With scoring options all around him, expect Rondo to make the jump into double digit assists this season. Last season Rondo's numbers were 11.9 PPG, and 8.2 APG, nothing special. However after the 2009 playoffs I expect Rondo to soar into the point guard spotlight. Rondo has a tendency to play to the level of his opponent. Sometimes that can be a great thing, but most of the time it holds him back. For instance in the first round of the 09' playoffs (against Derrick Rose), Rondo nearly averaged a triple double. But in the next round, when he was put up against an inferior point guard, his numbers dipped. Rondo is an excellent player to take if you're planning on breaking the bank over someone like LeBron James.

5. Tony Parker (SAS)

Estimated cost: 8.7 Million $

The Spurs had an unusual year last year as Parker, Ginobli, and Duncan all missed games due to injury. Now that all three are healthy at the same time Parker will have many weapons in his arsenal. With his veteran bench and an imported Richard Jefferson expect Parker's APG to skyrocket, somewhere in the 11-13 range. The reason why he's at number 5 is because as his APG goes up, his PPG will go down drastically. I predict his numbers this season to be: 14 PPG, 10.5 APG (ballpark numbers).

Biggest Rivalries Heading into the 2009-2010 Season

Here are the biggest rivalries with bad blood between them heading into next season.

 

1. Bulls vs. Celtics

After the classic seven game series in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs the Bulls and Celtics are undoubtedly the two teams with the most bad blood between them. Rajon Rondo will be booed for the rest of his career in the United Center and likewise for Kirk Hinrich in the TD Banknorth Garden. By game 5 during their epic series a flagrant foul had become a normality, that's when you know that these two teams are hot for each other. There are emotional players on each side, KG for the Celtics and Joakim Noah for the Bulls. And don't think that Brad Miller has forgotten about Rondo's bitch slap in game 5. Don't be surprised to see Rajon hitting the floor hard at the hands of Brad Miller.

 

2. Celtics vs. Lakers

The Celtics and Lakers have been bitter rivals going all the way back to the Russell\Chamberlain era. The players have changed but the rivalry has remained the same. It is my personal opinion along with many others that if the Celtics didn't lose KG to injury they would have repeated as NBA champions. Going into the season the Celtics are going to be eager to show that they are still the powerhouse of the Eastern Conference. And God knows they have re-loaded themselves with talent, adding Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels to go along with their already star studded lineup. Assuming that there are no injuries to major players on either teams it is my prediction that they will meet in the championship again and once again the Celtics will come out victorious. A major reason for this is because right now KG is like a land mine ready to explode, he had to watch his team get knocked out in the second round of the playoffs while he could do nothing. Expect Kevin to enter this season hungrier than ever and hitting his head even harder off the Basket support before games. 

 

3. Nuggets vs. Hornets

After the New Orleans Hornets got trounced by 58 points on their home floor I expect them to come into this season eager to show that they are a contender. Once Denver makes their first trip to New Orleans I expect a very physical and emotional game on the Hornets part. If they don't have any different attitude towards Denver then they have no soul and don't deserve to even take the floor. 

 

4. Detroit vs. Cleveland

This rivalry won't attract as much attention as the others but I still believe that there is a strong motivation in the Pistons' mind to disassemble the Cavs this season. Detroit has added the very dangerous and streaky scorer Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. For the whole decade the Pistons have been at the top of the Eastern Conference and for 8 seasons in a row they were in the Conference Finals. Detroit is going to be looking to enter into the Eastern Conference hierarchy, which consists of the Celtics, Magic, and Cavs. 

 

I love bad blood between teams, it makes for a more interesting and emotional game. And at the same time, the level of competition is unquestionably raised. I look forward to seeing these rivalries develop this season.