Boston Celtics: Don't Trade Rondo, Trade Allen

Without Rajon Rondo, the Boston Celtics would've been meat for the Chicago Bulls.

Without Kevin Garnett, the Celtics were a so-so team. Without Rajon Rondo, the Celtics will be just another over-priced team with a bunch of aging talent.

Rajon Rondo is the Celtics heart, KG is the Celtics soul, and Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are the talent. That's not saying that Rondo, KG, and everyone else on the Celtics' roster isn't talented, just that Pierce and Allen are the best.

Now the Celtics and the Memphis Grizzlies are, supposedly, talking about a potential No. 2-pick trade for Rondo. I pray that this deal doesn't go down.

I don't care if the Celtics get someone like Stephen Curry, or Gerald Henderson (whose father played for the 1984 NBA Champion Celtics) or Ricky Rubio or Hasheem Thabeet or Tyler Hansbrough or even Blake Griffin. I'd just hate to see such a good player like Rondo get away, and maybe even lead Memphis to glory.

It is highly unlikely that the Los Angeles Clippers won't select Griffin first overall, pretty much leaving the entire field wide open for the Grizzlies/Celtics.

I'd like to see the Celtics trade Allen before they trade Rondo. The Grizzlies would likely accept that trade. Then, the Celtics could use the No. 2 pick to draft a replacement for Rondo.

I know that it's very unlikely that the Celtics will trade either Allen or Rondo, but if Danny Ainge has to trade either one of them because he absolutely needs the No. 2 overall pick, make it be Ray Allen—not Rajon Rondo.