NBA Rumors: Boston Celtics Smart to Keep Rajon Rondo

Despite the growing feeling that there was a deal sending point guard Rajon Rondo away from Boston, the Boston Celtics have claimed they will not be trading their young star after all.

That’s the best possible move they could have made.

With Rondo averaging more than 14 points, almost 10 assists and almost five rebounds per game, he is the ultimate point guard weapon for the NBA. With guys like Derrick Rose and Deron Williams being a threat in all different facets of the game, Rondo has the same ability.

Odds are that one or both of the older veterans in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen will be gone this offseason and that leaves Rondo as the big piece to build around going forward. That’s how Boston needs to keep it.

A big part of that decision to keep him has been him increasing maturity. Rondo told the Boston Herald about the way he has handled all the trade talks and how his relationship with the coaching staff has grown stronger because of them:

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I’m doing all right. Like they say, it’s part of the business. I’m happy just playing basketball. I’m happy with the guys they have surrounded me with, the coaching staff. Other than that, when I’m on the court I’m just focused on winning and just having fun while I’m doing it.

It’s good to hear [positive words] come from the head coach, but some great opportunity might come out and [a trade] may happen, but you never know. Obviously, that was big of Doc to come out with that statement. That meant a lot to me, but I know the relationship we have.

It’s gotten better each year. Like he said, it’s gotten stronger each year and this is the best that it’s been.

I don’t mind any rumors that are true. I do get upset when it’s not true or in my opinion sometimes news is created and then people report on the news that they created. And when that happens, I’m not real happy with it.

So in this case and in the [Pau] Gasol case, that’s two already, I haven’t been real happy with it because there’s no truth to that. The Gasol rumor was even crazier. That was just ridiculous. I don’t know where it came from. When that kind of stuff happens, it bothers you because it’s being created by somebody outside of your touch and you can’t do anything about it.

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What a huge change from this time each of the last few seasons when Rondo would be an emotional wreck. While you can still tell it flusters him to a point, he knows he can’t worry about it and just focuses on his game.

Rondo isn’t the reason the Celtics aren’t going anywhere. All of the elderly players that were on the team to make them a viable contender two seasons ago are now weighing the team down and they need to retire or be traded.

As much as Garnett and Allen have meant to this team, their salaries are far outweighing their on-court play and it’s time to get younger, and fast. That starts with Rajon Rondo.

With a star like Rondo already in place, trading him now would set the Celtics back indefinitely.

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