NBA Trade Rumors: Boston Celtics Trading Rondo Is Not Right or Wrong

There are lots of opinions out there. 

There's the "The Boston Celtics should not trade Rajon Rondo" camp. 

There's also the "Rondo is a headache and needs to be dealt" camp.

I'm in a different camp. I really couldn't care less if the Celtics trade, or don't trade, Rondo. It makes absolutely no difference to me. 

That's because it really doesn't matter if the Celtics trade him or not. What matters is what they receive in return. 

In the long history of team sports in this nation, there have been precious few totally irreplaceable commodities. Rondo is a very good point guard who is a marvelous athlete and is also young. Those are all very nice attributes. 

He's not Michael Jordan though, he's not Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan or even Derrick Rose. 

He's also not an easily replaceable commodity but that's a far cry from irreplaceable. 

If the Celtics are as determined to deal Rondo as recent reports seem to indicate, then I'm okay with that. We have no idea what he might bring in return.

I'd be none too pleased with the rumors that he could be dealt straight up for someone like Stephen Curry. Curry is an inferior defensive player but a better scorer. He's not quite the same type of passer that Rondo is either, and he can't rebound from the point position as Rondo can. Add to that his injury issues and Curry doesn't seem like the right match for the Celtics with regards to Rondo. 

What if a Rondo deal brought DeMarcus Cousins and a first-round pick? Cousins is younger than Rondo, and he, like Rondo, has had his issues with maturity, but he's only 21 years old. Cousins also plays a position harder to fill than the point guard position.

Finding viable big men in today's NBA is a real challenge. Celtics fans are all well aware that last night, Rondo had his third triple-double of the season last night. That's impressive to be sure. On Tuesday night, Cousins had 22 points and 18 rebounds. He's averaging 16.6 points per game, 11.5 rebounds per game and 1.2 blocks per game and playing a shade under 30 minutes a game at the age of just 21.

Cousins stands 6'11 and weighs 270 pounds. To suggest that these numbers could all improve over the next two or three seasons doesn't just seem logical, it seems likely.

It's just not easy to find big men that can produce in the NBA. It never has been. That's why some of the NBA draft's most memorable mishaps have occurred in pursuit of big men.

There's Greg Oden over Kevin Durant in 2007, Michael Olowokandi over Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki and Vince Carter (among others) in 1998 and Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan in 1984. All these selections were made because finding good big men in the NBA is extremely difficult and important for any team hoping to win an NBA Title.

Point guard is very important as well, but if you were to make a list of the top five point guards in the NBA in no particular order, you'd probably come up with something like Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams and Chris Paul. Names like Steve Nash, Tony Parker and Kyle Lowry would get worthy mention as well.

Absent from that list would be either of the two point guards who led Dallas to an NBA title last season. Jason Kidd will make the Basketball Hall of Fame for his play at the point, but by the time he won his ring last season, he was no longer playing at the level that will eventually earn him Hall entry.

Jason Terry's best seasons are also behind him; he's still a very good basketball player, but he's not at the level that the league's top point guards play at. The Mavericks did have a very solid center in Tyson Chandler and a solid backup in Brandon Haywood. Neither was an elite big man, but both were superior interior presences than their opponent, the Miami Heat, had. 

If one were to look back at the teams that have won NBA titles in recent NBA history, you'd have to go back to the Spurs with Parker winning Finals MVP in 2007 to find a team with an elite point guard winning a ring. That team also had Tim Duncan on it, though. 

It's not a coincidence that Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal have played key roles on a combined eight NBA champions.

This is not to suggest that Cousins is or will ever be in the same class as Duncan or O'Neal, but neither is Rondo.

The Celtics need to make trades to improve the long term prospects of the team for championship level success. If dealing Rondo increases that likelihood, then he should be dealt. If it decreases it, then they shouldn't pull the trigger, but to somehow suggest that there's an absolute "right" or "wrong" in this situation before seeing what actually happens is not a realistic way of looking at the situation.