Rajon Rondo's Case for All-Star Status

Rajon Rondo deserves an all-star berth as a reserve.  His team won the championship last year and they have one of the top three records in the NBA. 

But the fans have spoken, and all-star voting is once again all about the numbers. The likes of Jose Calderon, Devin Harris, Allen Iverson, Jameer Nelson, and of course Mo Williams have all captured the imagination of the fans because they put up numbers.

It used to be that a point guard was the glue of the team—an extension of the coach on the floor. It used to be that fans appreciated this. But no longer.

There are only two guards in the league at this moment who are compared to other Hall of Fame point guards. Chris Paul has been compared to Isiah Thomas and of course Rajon Rondo has drawn comparisons to Bob Cousy from Tommy Heinhson, Cousy's former teammate.

Notice that not one person who played with Isiah has said that Chris Paul reminds him of Thomas.  It is the media that have blessed him with that comparison. 

That alone should give Rondo a wink and a nod as an all-star.

Mo Williams may have a case over Rondo because his team has a better home record and plays with the anointed one. These two names are the only ones that matter for write-ins as reserves in the all-star game.

Mo Williams:  16 points per game, 4 assists per game, .79 steals per game

Rajon Rondo:  10.9 points per game, 7.9 assists per game, 2.16 STL/game

While Williams beats Rondo in scoring average, just like any other guard in the league, Rondo's assist and steal numbers are all better than Williams'.  Take Williams and even A.I. off of their teams and they still win.  Remove Rondo from the Celtics' equation and they struggle.  It was evident during their recent losing streak.

When the Celts win, Rondo averages 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 8.0 assists. In the losses, he’s scoring 7.0 per game with 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists. His overall shooting percentage hovers around 50 percent. 

A point guard has to have vision, awareness, and his team saying: "I'll run through a brick wall to whatever spot you want me to get to."

Now that Detroit has bumped Hamilton to the bench in favor of A.I., how do you think the other players really feel?

Especially since Hamilton has been an integral part of Detroit being part of the elite team conversation for the last five years.  A.I. has never won anything significant and his teams were always about him.

Do you think Phoenix regrets trading Rondo now that they don't have a viable backup for Nash? Can you see Rondo running that high octane offense?

Amare would be singing "OH! OH! OH! OH!" after every highlight dunk and the warranty on Steve Nash's legs would be extended. D'Antoni would most certainly still be in Phoenix if that were so.

Can you say the same thing about Mo Williams?

I doubt that. Point guards bring intangibles that transcend numbers. Chris Paul is the rare exception and I do think he can be the focal point and win a championship like Isiah and possibly Magic.

Rondo led his team to a 19-game winning streak—something that no other top-tier guard in today's NBA has accomplished.

The majority of the time he has outplayed his counterparts this year. One day Joe Fan will wake up and see the true meaning of a point guard in Rajon Rondo.

For now, though, New England fans can celebrate and claim him as their own.  Just like it took a while for Red to warm up to Cousy, it will be the same for the average fan.

When the Celts win banner No. 18 this year, maybe then they will give him a postseason all-star berth.

Till then I can only plead my case. Results don't lie!