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Considering that the two most challenging positions to fill on your roster is a good center and point guard. For example, would you rather have a young and promising point guard, Rondo, or a young and promising center, Bynum, on your team? I'm not talking about whether or not you're a rebuilding team or a contending team. I'm asking the question in general.

I like the situation that Boston is in. That is, you've a young and talented point guard in Rondo and you already have under contract a still young and developing center in Perkins. I don't understand why media pundits want to believe that Boston's future is limited to Pierce, Garnett and Ray Allen. Their window to opportunity is right now, yes. But, Rondo and Perkins do represent pieces of a bright future. I'm sure Ainge sees these two players in the same light too.

It seems like Boston is known for their point guards and Los Angeles for their centers. Keeping up tradition, huh?

Bynum is so fat

LucerneStDoggz wrote:Bynum is so fat

Come on man that picture was 4 years ago ! We whipped his butt in shape since then.

bonsaiflipflops wrote:

It seems like Boston is known for their point guards and Los Angeles for their centers. Keeping up tradition, huh?

Magic Johnson and Bill Russell say hello.

Dave Cowens waves from the background.

Fencer reregistered wrote:Magic Johnson and Bill Russell say hello.

Dave Cowens waves from the background.

No bleep Sherlock, says hello too.

You obviously take Bynum. No matter how great a PG you have, every team since Jordan that has taken the title has been led by a big man. And the last PG to lead a team to a championship was Isiah. Yeah, maybe Billups, but he had a terrific big man in Rasheed Wallace (when he was younger and in the right mindset, he was as good as they get in the NBA at the time).

The fact is, 7 foot, 280 pound centers that play offense AND defense like Bynum are nearly impossible to find. As much as I like Rondo and as hard as Rondo works to get better every year, I take Bynum eight days a week. At his BEST, Rondo could develop into a 16 PPG, 7 APG, 5 RPG, 2.5 SPG player. At his BEST, Bynum could develop into a 25 PPG, 12-13 RPG, 3 BPG kind of player.

Additionally, even if both are All NBA defenders, I take the big man easily. Just look at Kobe vs. KG. Kobe can be/is an amazing defensive player, but so is KG. And I don't think any Celtics fan would believe that having a great defensive guard can outweigh the defensive impact a truly great player on D like KG (or what Bynum could become).

I love Rondo, but I'd trade him in a heartbeat for Bynum.

DEEP3CL wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

Come on man that picture was 4 years ago ! We whipped his butt in shape since then.

But still, he was a little chuba

With the way his injury has dragged out I'm skeptical of Bynum. If/when healthy he's a beast but I'm just worried about the injury having future implications.

Now, assuming Bynum is healthy and his game is still at least at the same level (he's young he can easily get better) then I wholeheartedly agree with Gomes3PC. Centers are so much rarer than PG and can just dominate the game more than any other position.

We have some nice youth but it's no superstar youth and that's why people overlook it. Rondo is a flawed PG who would actually be a horrible fit in some systems because they'd expose his shooting deficiencies (think LA, CLE). Perkins I think is a lil better than he shows, since the system asks so little of him at times. He's still gotta refine his offensive game and work on not fouling so much though that could be an effect of him having an enforcer role. We've also got some nice young rotational bigs who's main issue is height but who can be effective in spurts. All we're really missing is a young wing but he'd be stuck on the bench behind the three veterans Poz, Ray and PP anyways. Wouldn't be surprised if that's we're we go with in the draft specially if they don't plan to resign TA. This team looks to have at least a foundation they can build on once the big three are gone that should allow for a fairly seamless transition.

I think it comes down to a team's need and which starting positions are already filled. For instance, Atlanta needed a point guard. Bibby isn't likely to be a long term answer for the Hawks. They've Law... But, the team was much more improved this season once it featured a legitimate upgrade at the point guard position.

A young center with star potential might be considered rare. However, a young point guard such as a Chris Paul is even more rare. In my opinion, I look for the young and promising point guard ahead of a likewise center. I just don't believe that a young point guard having star talent is as plentiful as a lot would think. Still, I wonder if there's a difference in longevity between a good center versus a good point guard in the league. Centers just seem like to me that they're more susceptible to injuries related to the feet, legs and back.

Boston has a standout point guard in Rondo and they would be right to retain him. People are still stuck on his shooting and not acknowledging all the things he does well this early in his NBA career. Anyone who believes he'll be exposed or regress on another team must be a believer too in what has been said about Tom Brady: He's a "system quarterback." He isn't... Nor do I believe that Rondo is a system point guard. In my opinion, I see talent in him plain and simple. He's a talented point guard. Like Pierce, I believe Rondo can be an All-Star in time. It's about opportunity in sports. Brady got an opportunity at a young age when the starter went down. So too did Rondo receive that opportunity when Ainge saw better in him that his competition, Telfair and West, became expendable.

The question is does Rondo posses star talent. Yes and no. What makes or defines a NBA star in the league is relative to personal opinion and varies by levels in what one considers a star. There's a star and then there's a superstar. I won't go as far as to say Rondo can be a superstar someday. But, certainly if he's ever voted in by fans or head coaches to represent an All-Star game. I would think that gives him credibility as being on the threshold of basketball stardom. Definitely, a star, if he's a perennial All-Star. Whereas, it's tough to become an superstar because that extends beyond individual talent and includes national and international marketability. Not to mention, having an impact on pop culture.

Like I said, as amazing as Chris Paul is, look where he is right now- at home. Every championship team since MJ had a great big man, and not many of them had anything more than a solid PG. Big men and defense win championships.

Rondo is not an All Star. He just lacks the scoring prowess IMO. He will become in time a terrific all around player, rebounding, passing, and defending, but I doubt he will ever be more than a 15-16 PPG player. Maybe he proves me wrong, like he did to many this year with his jumper- it's not great, but he improved his jumper eFG% by 10%. He's an incredibly hard worker, but he has a LOT of flaws in his game. Chris Paul he is not, and to even be Tony Parker (a good, but hardly team-carrying PG), Rondo has a ways to go.

Gomes3PC wrote:Like I said, as amazing as Chris Paul is, look where he is right now- at home. Every championship team since MJ had a great big man, and not many of them had anything more than a solid PG. Big men and defense win championships.

Rondo is not an All Star. He just lacks the scoring prowess IMO. He will become in time a terrific all around player, rebounding, passing, and defending, but I doubt he will ever be more than a 15-16 PPG player. Maybe he proves me wrong, like he did to many this year with his jumper- it's not great, but he improved his jumper eFG% by 10%. He's an incredibly hard worker, but he has a LOT of flaws in his game. Chris Paul he is not, and to even be Tony Parker (a good, but hardly team-carrying PG), Rondo has a ways to go.

Scoring isnt everything for a PG. He has the intangables the some of the great PG's have had. I am not saying he is a great PG yet, but he sure as hell could be he is only 23 years old.

bonsaiflipflops wrote:Boston has a standout point guard in Rondo and they would be right to retain him. People are still stuck on his shooting and not acknowledging all the things he does well this early in his NBA career. Anyone who believes he'll be exposed or regress on another team must be a believer too in what has been said about Tom Brady: He's a "system quarterback." He isn't... Nor do I believe that Rondo is a system point guard. In my opinion, I see talent in him plain and simple. He's a talented point guard.

I do believe he has a lot of talent and could be becom Kidd-lite in the near future but he still has that glaring flaw that he's been working on and that he needs to fix before he becomes a complete all around player. That wasn't meant as an attack on Rondo's talent more of an observation of his current limitations. As to the system idea, I disagree slightly. Different teams use their PG differently not necessarily because of the system but because of the talent around them and the roles they're expected to fill. For example Steve Kerr as point guard really wasn't that great but he was a perfect compliment for the MJ Bulls because his primary role was that of an outside shooter.

The biggest issue that I see right now in terms of role for Rondo is that in my opinion he's about to grow past being a roleplayer. He's slowly becoming a full fleshed star point guard in front of us. But this of course means that he's going to need the ball in his hands more to fully use his abilities. He's already shown that he can drive with the best of them and then be able to read the play and judge whether is better to shoot or pass. As his decision making and finishing ability gets better we're going to be seeing more of the offense run through Rondo instead of the big three.

you go big

dsorc wrote:The biggest issue that I see right now in terms of role for Rondo is that in my opinion he's about to grow past being a roleplayer. He's slowly becoming a full fleshed star point guard in front of us. But this of course means that he's going to need the ball in his hands more to fully use his abilities. He's already shown that he can drive with the best of them and then be able to read the play and judge whether is better to shoot or pass. As his decision making and finishing ability gets better we're going to be seeing more of the offense run through Rondo instead of the big three.

See, that's where I see Rondo differs from a Paul and Deron Williams. Those young point guards, especially Paul, dominate the ball more than the other starting players. I believe that would be the case for Rondo if this was truly his team. Of course, that time won't come unless Pierce, Garnett and Ray Allen are absent and Rondo improves even more with his shooting and consistency. Oftentimes, you'll see Pierce or another teammate bring the ball up despite the fact you always see Rondo calling for the ball from the inbounding teammate. It's irksome to watch and somewhat annoying to him I assume since he desires to initiate the offense. He's the point guard. But, it's tough when you play with three dominating personalities beside yourself and Perkins. Still, they're trusting Rondo more and allowing him to dictate or demonstrate his leadership ability with the ball. Then too, Rondo must be more assertive toward Pierce, Garnett and Ray Allen and not be intimidated by them and stand up to them when he sees it differently. You can still be respectful but get your point across at the same time. That isn't to say they take advantage of him because of their seniority from the age difference and years in the league. But, I wish Rondo could have the ball in his hands more like the top tier point guards such as a Baron Davis, Kidd or Nash. I guess, in order to reach that point, he must shoot more consistently and this will help his own offense tremendously. All of the aforementioned starting point guards that were named can score as well as they're distributors. Even Kidd 's a career 14.2 in points with a .401 career field goal percentage. Hence, critics need to be more patient with Rondo's shooting. He shot the ball better than last season. I believe Kidd even said that scoring is the toughest thing for him when it comes to a triple-double. He isn't a scorer. Neither is Rondo. But, they both are capable scorers if need be. And Rondo's offense must catch up to all the other things he does well if he's to be a point guard that defenders and defenses will pay attention to.