RealGM

Besides Kidd, Paul and Rondo are the best rebounding point guards in the league. Paul and Rondo are among the leaders in double-doubles this season in assists/rebounds. If Rondo could improve his shooting, I'm certain that his scoring opportunities would increase. Right now, he isn't with Paul in terms of double-doubles in points/assists. Still, Rondo is with Paul among point guards in steals.


First Tier

Paul
D. Williams

Second Tier

Nash
Kidd
B. Davis
Billups

Third Tier

Rondo
Others


Based on the above, I see Rondo making the leap a lot sooner than later from third to first tier. I mean with everyone who keeps telling him that his shooting is the main thing holding him back from elevating his game to elite status. He has no where to go but up. His objectives are clear. Have a better shooting proficiency, consistency and being more assertive offensively.

It's difficult to brush aside his shooting when thinking about elevating Rondo to top tier status. When I think about the top PG's over the past decade, one of the things that comes to mind is being a clutch player, which includes the ability to be on the floor at the end of the game and not be a liability with free throws or shooting.

It's not that Rondo is a poor FT shooter for PG's, he's by far the worst FT shooting guard in the league. He's in the bottom 10 in the entire league at all positions, and barely ahead of Shaq.

In terms of jump shooting, Rondo is at .316 overall, and .222 in clutch time (last 5 minutes of the game, neither team ahead by more than 5 points).

Rondo is going to need vastly improved shooting to hit your top tier, I can't help thinking that his shooting is going to prevent him from being considered at the same level of Paul/Williams.

Absolutely.

Rondo needs to get comfortable shooting, and become an 80 percent shooter from the line. He has to dedicate his summers to shooting, and do extra practice during the season, until he can makes the shots he needs to make. The pull-up jumper, the mid-deep 2, and the catch and shoot from 3 point range. It will take a few years, if he is even able to get there. A lot rides on the outcome.

Unless he does he will not be in the Paul-Williams class. An all-star, but not an all-pro. A top 20-25 player in the league.

Once he does, he will be their equal or superior, and one of the five best players in the league. An MVP candidate. He will be dominant and become the cornerstone fo the post-Big 3 Celtics. Because aside from shooting, his game is breathtaking, and is going to get a lot better with experience.

I would put Rondo in the second teir of NBA point guards, with the first tier being

Paul
Williams
Billups
Parker

In the second I have, in no particular order

Rondo
Nelson
Harris
Bibby
Nash
Kidd
Miller

Personally, I think that Rondo is as good, or better than, all of these guys now. Nash is still an outsanding offensive point guard, but he is horrific on the other end. That counts against him bigtime. Harris gets to shoot a lot, but isn't overly efficient at it, and has really let his defense slip. Miller is very underrated, and Bibby has rebounded well from his injury woes of the last couple of seasons. Nelson gets a bad rap around here, but he really had turned the corner as a player, and it is sad that he was injured, IMO. He was much more deserving, IMO, of being an All-Star than Harris. Kidd is hanging on barely.

Rondo needs to work on his shooting from range and at the line to be in the top tier. The thing is that his ability to run a team, his actual scoring game, his sick defense and his rebounding (along with his other intangibles) have him knocking on the door anyways.

Take the Spurs game. i found it interesting that people were crushing him for his poor shooting in that game while blowing off how well he ran the offense. He wasn't just handed those 16 dimes, and he set up A LOT of plays on which he didn't get the assist, but pulled the strings. The fact of the matter is that our offense was good enough to win that game if our defense had met the challenge, and Rondo was DEFINITELY not the guy to point to on that end. Tony Parker had 7 points and 7 assists in that game, on 3 for 12 shooting and didn't get to the line once. He scored ZERO points with 2 assists ion the second half. Rondo basically erased him from the Spurs offense.

So, could have Rondo shot better? Yep, but to act as if he cost us that game suggests that someone could ahve done a better overall job. So, pick your guy, outside the top 4 there, who is going to actually run our offense AND shut down Parker. Mind you that Rondo is making a habit of blowing up the offensive games of premier point guards.

I'm going to start a thread concerning the whining over his turnovers. That's getting completely out of hand.

Don't forget Rose, he's definitely among the guys you listed as second tier PG's, I'd take Parker off the first tier and probably Billups as well, I mean, Billups is a winner and definitely a good player, but he's behind Deron and CP3, Parker's not even a 1.5 guard, 1.75 for me, something like Wade.

Rondo would surely be a first tier PG if he'd have a jumpshot, I mean - he led the league in rebounds and assists today, I haven't seen anyone do that for really long time, not (even) Kidd..ing. Rondo's a b s o l u t e l y awesome, I really love the dude, despite the fact he can't hit a J and won't even try hard to make one during a game.

Oskar wrote:Don't forget Rose, he's definitely among the guys you listed as second tier PG's, I'd take Parker off the first tier and probably Billups as well, I mean, Billups is a winner and definitely a good player, but he's behind Deron and CP3, Parker's not even a 1.5 guard, 1.75 for me, something like Wade.

Rondo would surely be a first tier PG if he'd have a jumpshot, I mean - he led the league in rebounds and assists today, I haven't seen anyone do that for really long time, not (even) Kidd..ing. Rondo's a b s o l u t e l y awesome, I really love the dude, despite the fact he can't hit a J and won't even try hard to make one during a game.

I didn't forget Rose. He isn't in the second tier yet, IMO. He's coming along well and will be an outstanding player, but it is pretty obvious that Kirk Hinrich is running that offense down the stretch run of games. Why? He actually knows how to run an offense.

Oskar wrote:Don't forget Rose, he's definitely among the guys you listed as second tier PG's, I'd take Parker off the first tier and probably Billups as well, I mean, Billups is a winner and definitely a good player, but he's behind Deron and CP3, Parker's not even a 1.5 guard, 1.75 for me, something like Wade.

Rondo would surely be a first tier PG if he'd have a jumpshot, I mean - he led the league in rebounds and assists today, I haven't seen anyone do that for really long time, not (even) Kidd..ing. Rondo's a b s o l u t e l y awesome, I really love the dude, despite the fact he can't hit a J and won't even try hard to make one during a game.

.........

how is parker a 1.5 guard? he only plays point guard. thats it.

Are you guys forgetting about Mo Williams the ALLSTAR

CAVS09SHIP wrote:Are you guys forgetting about Mo Williams the ALLSTAR

Nope. He was not forgotten, the list just didn't make it down that far.

Collinto wrote:

CAVS09SHIP wrote:Are you guys forgetting about Mo Williams the ALLSTAR

Nope. He was not forgotten, the list just didn't make it down that far.

If you guys actually think Brick(rondo) is better than Mo than you not to bright. Brick only looks good because of the so called big three.

CAVS09SHIP wrote:

Collinto wrote:

CAVS09SHIP wrote:Are you guys forgetting about Mo Williams the ALLSTAR

Nope. He was not forgotten, the list just didn't make it down that far.

If you guys actually think Brick(rondo) is better than Mo than you not to bright. Brick only looks good because of the so called big three.

You can say Mo only looks good because of LeBron. So you're logic is flawed.

Lol, did you even know a guy named Mo Williams played basketball a year ago at this time.

CAVS09SHIP wrote:

Collinto wrote:

CAVS09SHIP wrote:Are you guys forgetting about Mo Williams the ALLSTAR

Nope. He was not forgotten, the list just didn't make it down that far.

If you guys actually think Brick(rondo) is better than Mo than you not to bright. Brick only looks good because of the so called big three.

Ironic post.

nash has to be in the top tier!!!!!!!!!!

greenbeans wrote:Lol, did you even know a guy named Mo Williams played basketball a year ago at this time.

Of course i did he had a great year for the Bucks. Did Rondo get selected for the Allstar game?

elrod enchilada wrote:He will be dominant and become the cornerstone fo the post-Big 3 Celtics. Because aside from shooting, his game is breathtaking, and is going to get a lot better with experience.

Seeing how Harris' offense blossomed with New jersey having more freedom to assert himself. I believe the same transformation offensively in Rondo's game could emerge once it's established that he's one of the new faces of the Celtics franchise. Ainge has to understand what he potentially has in Rondo as a player. I mean you've to begin to look ahead and wonder who will be the one player or players to carry this team into the future and not just in the competitive sense but in their marketability and fan appeal.