Lakers Starting Line up

[Landsberger]

Who starts isn't what's important.... who finishes is.

I can see a mix with Kuzma and Rondo in at the end of games for sure.

[Kilroy]

Well, Rondo's getting nod apparently... This is interesting as hell to me. I just would love to listen in on all these decisions.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/255914/Lakers-To-Start-Rajon-Rondo-At-Point-Guard

Did James decide he didn't like passing all night and wanted more scoring touches?
Did Davis not like where he was getting passes (3pt line) and suggested he'd feel better with Rondo out there?

Don't believe Vogel just does this on his own....

And I am really curious how long Rondo can do it?

[Ernest]

Well, Rondo's getting nod apparently... This is interesting as hell to me. I just would love to listen in on all these decisions.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/255914/Lakers-To-Start-Rajon-Rondo-At-Point-Guard

Did James decide he didn't like passing all night and wanted more scoring touches?
Did Davis not like where he was getting passes (3pt line) and suggested he'd feel better with Rondo out there?

Don't believe Vogel just does this on his own....

And I am really curious how long Rondo can do it?

It makes a ton of sense to me. He has the championship experience and when he is playing at his best, that best is better than almost anyone on the team. I get that hating on him has become popular around the league the last 5 years or so, but a lot of it isn't really warranted.

The other way to look at it is when you've got a real GOAT in LBJ you should be looking for guys who are top guys in at least one area to surround him. Rodman played top D and was the best rebounder so it didn't really mater that he couldn't score. LBJ will still get him points, but why make him use extra energy all season bringing the ball up the floor? Rondo can save LBJ's legs for the playoffs. LBJ is still option 1 or 2 but teams have to focus on Rondo if he's bringing the ball up because he can just fly in for a layup if teams are way to focused on AD and LBJ.

Rondo def plays better with stars. He was amazing on the Celtics when we had the big 3, there was a lot less success when he was in a line up where he was the best player. Not trying to upset anyone but to me as an outsider looking in, the decision to start Rondo is an obvious one.

[Kilroy]

Well, Rondo's getting nod apparently... This is interesting as hell to me. I just would love to listen in on all these decisions.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/255914/Lakers-To-Start-Rajon-Rondo-At-Point-Guard

Did James decide he didn't like passing all night and wanted more scoring touches?
Did Davis not like where he was getting passes (3pt line) and suggested he'd feel better with Rondo out there?

Don't believe Vogel just does this on his own....

And I am really curious how long Rondo can do it?

It makes a ton of sense to me. He has the championship experience and when he is playing at his best, that best is better than almost anyone on the team. I get that hating on him has become popular around the league the last 5 years or so, but a lot of it isn't really warranted.

The other way to look at it is when you've got a real GOAT in LBJ you should be looking for guys who are top guys in at least one area to surround him. Rodman played top D and was the best rebounder so it didn't really mater that he couldn't score. LBJ will still get him points, but why make him use extra energy all season bringing the ball up the floor? Rondo can save LBJ's legs for the playoffs. LBJ is still option 1 or 2 but teams have to focus on Rondo if he's bringing the ball up because he can just fly in for a layup if teams are way to focused on AD and LBJ.

Rondo def plays better with stars. He was amazing on the Celtics when we had the big 3, there was a lot less success when he was in a line up where he was the best player. Not trying to upset anyone but to me as an outsider looking in, the decision to start Rondo is an obvious one.

Oh, to clarify, I'm in favor of Rondo starting, I just think it's interesting how that decision was made... LeBron talked all summer about starting at the 1... Or at least playing the 1 a lot...
All it took was one game for that to be subjugated a bit.

Honestly though, even if he starts, I don't think Rondo is going to get huge minutes and LeBron will still be distributing the ball quite a bit.
So in a way it's not really news, but it's still fascinating from a team chemistry perspective. And not just players but coaching staff too.

[Ernest]

Well, Rondo's getting nod apparently... This is interesting as hell to me. I just would love to listen in on all these decisions.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/255914/Lakers-To-Start-Rajon-Rondo-At-Point-Guard

Did James decide he didn't like passing all night and wanted more scoring touches?
Did Davis not like where he was getting passes (3pt line) and suggested he'd feel better with Rondo out there?

Don't believe Vogel just does this on his own....

And I am really curious how long Rondo can do it?

It makes a ton of sense to me. He has the championship experience and when he is playing at his best, that best is better than almost anyone on the team. I get that hating on him has become popular around the league the last 5 years or so, but a lot of it isn't really warranted.

The other way to look at it is when you've got a real GOAT in LBJ you should be looking for guys who are top guys in at least one area to surround him. Rodman played top D and was the best rebounder so it didn't really mater that he couldn't score. LBJ will still get him points, but why make him use extra energy all season bringing the ball up the floor? Rondo can save LBJ's legs for the playoffs. LBJ is still option 1 or 2 but teams have to focus on Rondo if he's bringing the ball up because he can just fly in for a layup if teams are way to focused on AD and LBJ.

Rondo def plays better with stars. He was amazing on the Celtics when we had the big 3, there was a lot less success when he was in a line up where he was the best player. Not trying to upset anyone but to me as an outsider looking in, the decision to start Rondo is an obvious one.

Oh, to clarify, I'm in favor of Rondo starting, I just think it's interesting how that decision was made... LeBron talked all summer about starting at the 1... Or at least playing the 1 a lot...
All it took was one game for that to be subjugated a bit.

Honestly though, even if he starts, I don't think Rondo is going to get huge minutes and LeBron will still be distributing the ball quite a bit.
So in a way it's not really news, but it's still fascinating from a team chemistry perspective. And not just players but coaching staff too.

My guess for how the decision was made (and this assumes that LBJ is the defacto coach of the team) is that Rondo got into LBJ's ear. Rondo is defiantly a top bball iq guy so I think LBJ would respect his opinions . Also, he's not selfish, the only thing he's gunning for is assists and wins. My guess is he made the point to LBJ, "let me set the table, I'll give you guys easy buckets and make life easy and if it doesn't work, bench me" And that's probably where we are at.

[Spanish_Laker]

Rondo is very important to this team, if we want to be a dangerous playoff team, Rondo has to play a lot of minutes. Playmaking and IQ are very valuable, whether you like it or not.

[SlimShady83]

Rondo is very important to this team, if we want to be a dangerous playoff team, Rondo has to play a lot of minutes. Playmaking and IQ are very valuable, whether you like it or not.

I agree just not on the a lot of minutes part. Lebum is good, but him being a point guard should not be the goal. We should be having actual point guards running the point setting the plays etc. Just not a fan of LBJ to begin with, but him being point this time of career is a no no.

[thebigbird]

Rondo is very important to this team, if we want to be a dangerous playoff team, Rondo has to play a lot of minutes. Playmaking and IQ are very valuable, whether you like it or not.

Rondo hasn't had a positive impact in almost a decade. If he's playing a lot of minutes then the chances of the Lakers being a dangerous playoff team are slim to none. He is washed. People really need to get this idea that Rondo is good out of their heads. Starting him tremendously handicaps both the offense and defense.

[tamaraw08]

Rondo is very important to this team, if we want to be a dangerous playoff team, Rondo has to play a lot of minutes. Playmaking and IQ are very valuable, whether you like it or not.

Rondo hasn't had a positive impact in almost a decade. If he's playing a lot of minutes then the chances of the Lakers being a dangerous playoff team are slim to none. He is washed. People really need to get this idea that Rondo is good out of their heads. Starting him tremendously handicaps both the offense and defense.

Well technically, Rondo had a +.001 pt with New Orleans 2 years ago. . Also had a +3.5 with Davis 2 years ago. Previous stats points to him not having positive impacts on his past teams but it's hard for me to ignore his good contributions when New Orleans upset the favored Blazers 2 playoffs ago. Having said that, I still don't want to heavily rely on an aging player who missed 36 games last year and couldn't even get ready to play for game 1 after not playing a regular game for 5 months.
I know some here would are preferring him to start and play next to Lebron and I am not one of them. Yes, it's a different system and different players etc but Lebron's team have mostly been successful when he spearhead the offense and set up shooters.
Yes, they were flustered by the vaunted Clippers defense but like some here believe, it always takes time for James to learn his teammates habits and it happened both in Miami and Cleveland.
Rondo might proved to be good tonight but again, how many here are confident he can remain healthy for the next 80 games and playoffs if he plays 32 mins/game?
What if the team struggles this game vs Utah, now what? bbbbbut but but, they need time to learn together?

[thebigbird]

Rondo is very important to this team, if we want to be a dangerous playoff team, Rondo has to play a lot of minutes. Playmaking and IQ are very valuable, whether you like it or not.

Rondo hasn't had a positive impact in almost a decade. If he's playing a lot of minutes then the chances of the Lakers being a dangerous playoff team are slim to none. He is washed. People really need to get this idea that Rondo is good out of their heads. Starting him tremendously handicaps both the offense and defense.

Well technically, Rondo had a +.001 pt with New Orleans 2 years ago. . Also had a +3.5 with Davis 2 years ago. Previous stats points to him not having positive impacts on his past teams but it's hard for me to ignore his good contributions when New Orleans upset the favored Blazers 2 playoffs ago. Having said that, I still don't want to heavily rely on an aging player who missed 36 games last year and couldn't even get ready to play for game 1 after not playing a regular game for 5 months.
I know some here would are preferring him to start and play next to Lebron and I am not one of them. Yes, it's a different system and different players etc but Lebron's team have mostly been successful when he spearhead the offense and set up shooters.
Yes, they were flustered by the vaunted Clippers defense but like some here believe, it always takes time for James to learn his teammates habits and it happened both in Miami and Cleveland.
Rondo might proved to be good tonight but again, how many here are confident he can remain healthy for the next 80 games and playoffs if he plays 32 mins/game?
What if the team struggles this game vs Utah, now what? bbbbbut but but, they need time to learn together?

He had a good series against Portland in 2018, but outside of that season he has only played a total of 4 playoff games since 2012. His reputation now seems to come from early in his career with the Celtics, but that was when he was in his early 20s.

I wouldn't be opposed to Rondo starting if we started a stretch 5, but unfortunately we don't. A Rondo/LeBron/Davis/McGee starting lineup is a logjam completely devoid of spacing - basically the complete opposite of what is successful in today's game. I prefer seeing what Quinn Cook can do as the start. I think he's capable of filling the Mario Chalmers/Norris Cole point guard role that had success during LeBron's Miami years.

[tamaraw08]

Rondo hasn't had a positive impact in almost a decade. If he's playing a lot of minutes then the chances of the Lakers being a dangerous playoff team are slim to none. He is washed. People really need to get this idea that Rondo is good out of their heads. Starting him tremendously handicaps both the offense and defense.

Well technically, Rondo had a +.001 pt with New Orleans 2 years ago. . Also had a +3.5 with Davis 2 years ago. Previous stats points to him not having positive impacts on his past teams but it's hard for me to ignore his good contributions when New Orleans upset the favored Blazers 2 playoffs ago. Having said that, I still don't want to heavily rely on an aging player who missed 36 games last year and couldn't even get ready to play for game 1 after not playing a regular game for 5 months.
I know some here would are preferring him to start and play next to Lebron and I am not one of them. Yes, it's a different system and different players etc but Lebron's team have mostly been successful when he spearhead the offense and set up shooters.
Yes, they were flustered by the vaunted Clippers defense but like some here believe, it always takes time for James to learn his teammates habits and it happened both in Miami and Cleveland.
Rondo might proved to be good tonight but again, how many here are confident he can remain healthy for the next 80 games and playoffs if he plays 32 mins/game?
What if the team struggles this game vs Utah, now what? bbbbbut but but, they need time to learn together?

He had a good series against Portland in 2018, but outside of that season he has only played a total of 4 playoff games since 2012. His reputation now seems to come from early in his career with the Celtics, but that was when he was in his early 20s.

I wouldn't be opposed to Rondo starting if we started a stretch 5, but unfortunately we don't. A Rondo/LeBron/Davis/McGee starting lineup is a logjam completely devoid of spacing - basically the complete opposite of what is successful in today's game. I prefer seeing what Quinn Cook can do as the start. I think he's capable of filling the Mario Chalmers/Norris Cole point guard role that had success during LeBron's Miami years.

You are not alone about your opinion on the need of adequate spacing. I like Cook too and even Daniels, these guys are lethal shooters who can definitely space the floor but they are not good defenders and also they are not real play makers who can help set up and initiate the offense. Both of them committed silly passing miscues that a legit PG wouldn't commit. James was great in Miami setting up the offense etc but unfortunately, he is no longer 29 and can't do it every single possession esp without Wade or Kyrie next to him. I envisioned Rondo taking charge of the bench when James sits at the start of 2nd quarter but Vogel is doing the opposite. He sits James at about the 7-9 minute mark so he can facilitate with the bench. Now if Rondo starts, The old Rondo would also be tired when Lebron sits, having to direct the offense.....

[Ernest]

Rondo is very important to this team, if we want to be a dangerous playoff team, Rondo has to play a lot of minutes. Playmaking and IQ are very valuable, whether you like it or not.

Rondo hasn't had a positive impact in almost a decade. If he's playing a lot of minutes then the chances of the Lakers being a dangerous playoff team are slim to none. He is washed. People really need to get this idea that Rondo is good out of their heads. Starting him tremendously handicaps both the offense and defense.

Um in 2016 he was amazing in the playoffs before he got hurt. Bulls would have beaten the Celtics easy in that series because of Rondo. He definatly gets up for big games and is kind of wasted on a bad team. You guys are good now so I expect to see some great Rondo plays.

[thebigbird]

Rondo is very important to this team, if we want to be a dangerous playoff team, Rondo has to play a lot of minutes. Playmaking and IQ are very valuable, whether you like it or not.

Rondo hasn't had a positive impact in almost a decade. If he's playing a lot of minutes then the chances of the Lakers being a dangerous playoff team are slim to none. He is washed. People really need to get this idea that Rondo is good out of their heads. Starting him tremendously handicaps both the offense and defense.

Um in 2016 he was amazing in the playoffs before he got hurt. Bulls would have beaten the Celtics easy in that series because of Rondo. He definatly gets up for big games and is kind of wasted on a bad team. You guys are good now so I expect to see some great Rondo plays.

He played two games in the playoffs that season. In one of them he was a -7 in a four point win. In the other one he was +24 in a 14 point win. So, he had one good game. That outlier doesn't dispute the overall trend. He has played on 6 teams in the past 5 seasons.

[Showtime:Part2]

Rondo is awful. The duo of Bradley and green starting is perfect imo. Both play d and can hit open 3s. Lebron should run the offense as pg. only thing I’d change is that if it’s not a fast break, Bradley should bring the ball up bc I’ve noticed first two games teams trying to pressure lbj bringing the ball up since his handle isn’t rock solid against tiny guys who can poke and prod. Otherwise lbj needs to be running the fast break and half court offense. Rondo can come off the bench w kuz when lebron sits. Rondo w kuz/ad front court while lbj sits is perfect. Rondo should never be on the floor w lbj

[nzahir]

Few things:

1) Dwight>Mcgee. Dwight understands how to be in position on d and has better hands than Javale. I wonder if Mcgee pouts if he would agree to waive NTC and we can get a stretch 5 for him or in a deal where we upgrade pg spot

2) Rondo shouldn't start if we have no stretch 5. He should maybe play a little with Lebron to test it out, but I feel like it won't go great. Would also need AD at the 5 to try it out. Better not be Rondo, Green, Lebron, AD, Dwight/Mcgee or Ima personally hunt down Vogel

3) If we get Iggy, we have even a bigger front court jam with Kuzma AD and Bron. And spacing probs. All 4 cant be in together.
Which brings up if we should move Kuzma for a better pg if possible. Really only a couple guys that make sense salary wise and fit wise. Derrick White, cavs pg (meh), or FVV, a 1st and 2nd for Kuzma and KCP? (dont love this move b/c we will have to pay fvv next yr)

[bb22]

Few things:

1) Dwight>Mcgee. Dwight understands how to be in position on d and has better hands than Javale. I wonder if Mcgee pouts if he would agree to waive NTC and we can get a stretch 5 for him or in a deal where we upgrade pg spot

2) Rondo shouldn't start if we have no stretch 5. He should maybe play a little with Lebron to test it out, but I feel like it won't go great. Would also need AD at the 5 to try it out. Better not be Rondo, Green, Lebron, AD, Dwight/Mcgee or Ima personally hunt down Vogel

3) If we get Iggy, we have even a bigger front court jam with Kuzma AD and Bron. And spacing probs. All 4 cant be in together.
Which brings up if we should move Kuzma for a better pg if possible. Really only a couple guys that make sense salary wise and fit wise. Derrick White, cavs pg (meh), or FVV, a 1st and 2nd for Kuzma and KCP? (dont love this move b/c we will have to pay fvv next yr)

McGee seemed out of it last game. Made a bunch of mistakes early and Vogel did a good job subbing him out. But both McGee and Dwight are going to oscillate in terms of their productivity throughout the season. I think you need both of them, as injuries are unavoidable and Dwight is super foul prone. However, things change if Kostas proves he’s legit.

Iggy can play the 2 and has proven he can hit the open 3 consistently when it counts. Would love to see him as Green’s backup when things start to count.

[Doug_12]

I still don't see Rondo in the starting lineup - irrespective of what Vogel is saying. Morevover: to be frank I'm highly dubious over him making even the 9 man rotation…

We have Howard, McGee, Davis, Kuzma, James, Green, KCP and Bradley as locks based on their skills, phyisical attributes and how they fit to each other. If that's true there is only 20-25 minutes left in the PG spot which can be used by one of our guards who had been left out.

The only thing Rondo can bring to the table is playmaking (where he is still in the upper 10% of the league) and therefore the ability to let Lebron step out from the playmaker role. That is good, but on one hand he is trash in every other aspect starting from defense to spacing, on the other it is not really required with this lineup to be a very good playmaker: When the ball reached halfcourt Davis can initiate a couple of plays, there are also iso options for Kuzma, so what is needed is to bring up the ball to half court and organize a few plays.

I believe that either Caruso, Cook or Daniels can do it. Caruso needs to prove this on the long run but he seems to be an guy who is doing a little in everything: Defending, playmaking, spacing (well, not this year yet). Nothing special, but overall solid. Cook does not seem to be that bad ball handler and defender - and he is a 40% 3pt shooter. Daniels is basically the same as Cook just bigger and a worse ball handler. I'd bet whoever will be the best of them will be far more valuable to this team than Rondo.

[Landsberger]

I still don't see Rondo in the starting lineup - irrespective of what Vogel is saying. Morevover: to be frank I'm highly dubious over him making even the 9 man rotation…

We have Howard, McGee, Davis, Kuzma, James, Green, KCP and Bradley as locks based on their skills, phyisical attributes and how they fit to each other. If that's true there is only 20-25 minutes left in the PG spot which can be used by one of our guards who had been left out.

The only thing Rondo can bring to the table is playmaking (where he is still in the upper 10% of the league) and therefore the ability to let Lebron step out from the playmaker role. That is good, but on one hand he is trash in every other aspect starting from defense to spacing, on the other it is not really required with this lineup to be a very good playmaker: When the ball reached halfcourt Davis can initiate a couple of plays, there are also iso options for Kuzma, so what is needed is to bring up the ball to half court and organize a few plays.

I believe that either Caruso, Cook or Daniels can do it. Caruso needs to prove this on the long run but he seems to be an guy who is doing a little in everything: Defending, playmaking, spacing (well, not this year yet). Nothing special, but overall solid. Cook does not seem to be that bad ball handler and defender - and he is a 40% 3pt shooter. Daniels is basically the same as Cook just bigger and a worse ball handler. I'd bet whoever will be the best of them will be far more valuable to this team than Rondo.

Rondo is not "trash" at every other aspect of the game. Hyperbole! You neglected to mention what he brings is leadership. As far as spacing the first 3 he hits will be one more bucket than KCP who brings neither 3 or D if you look beyond the rep. He'll have a week of fire and everyone will project that as reality but when he's not hitting he's a liability in just about all other aspects of the game. Daniels is a streak shooter who plays defense. Cook is a borderline guy and so is Caruso. Rondo was signed here to play a significant role and my guess is that he will once he's healthy.

[Doug_12]

I still don't see Rondo in the starting lineup - irrespective of what Vogel is saying. Morevover: to be frank I'm highly dubious over him making even the 9 man rotation…

We have Howard, McGee, Davis, Kuzma, James, Green, KCP and Bradley as locks based on their skills, phyisical attributes and how they fit to each other. If that's true there is only 20-25 minutes left in the PG spot which can be used by one of our guards who had been left out.

The only thing Rondo can bring to the table is playmaking (where he is still in the upper 10% of the league) and therefore the ability to let Lebron step out from the playmaker role. That is good, but on one hand he is trash in every other aspect starting from defense to spacing, on the other it is not really required with this lineup to be a very good playmaker: When the ball reached halfcourt Davis can initiate a couple of plays, there are also iso options for Kuzma, so what is needed is to bring up the ball to half court and organize a few plays.

I believe that either Caruso, Cook or Daniels can do it. Caruso needs to prove this on the long run but he seems to be an guy who is doing a little in everything: Defending, playmaking, spacing (well, not this year yet). Nothing special, but overall solid. Cook does not seem to be that bad ball handler and defender - and he is a 40% 3pt shooter. Daniels is basically the same as Cook just bigger and a worse ball handler. I'd bet whoever will be the best of them will be far more valuable to this team than Rondo.

Rondo is not "trash" at every other aspect of the game. Hyperbole! You neglected to mention what he brings is leadership. As far as spacing the first 3 he hits will be one more bucket than KCP who brings neither 3 or D if you look beyond the rep. He'll have a week of fire and everyone will project that as reality but when he's not hitting he's a liability in just about all other aspects of the game. Daniels is a streak shooter who plays defense. Cook is a borderline guy and so is Caruso. Rondo was signed here to play a significant role and my guess is that he will once he's healthy.

I think you overrate the effect of his leadership and I'm interested in why do you think he is not trash. The team was not looking better when he was playing. Actually it looked worse compared to when Lonzo was playing who was marked sometimes as "unplayable" or "out of the league in 2 seasons". (Mostly due to the fact that he is not playing D anymore…)

The stats are backing this up as well. For example his on/off +/- was horrific: -9.4/100 possession. That was the 2nd worst in the team... Also the fact that KCP is bad, doesn't make Rondo good either.

I see him more as a player/coach who brings that leadership off the court and can occasionally jump in if needed; but it's the team's best interest to keep him out of the active rotation as much as possible.

[Landsberger]

I still don't see Rondo in the starting lineup - irrespective of what Vogel is saying. Morevover: to be frank I'm highly dubious over him making even the 9 man rotation…

We have Howard, McGee, Davis, Kuzma, James, Green, KCP and Bradley as locks based on their skills, phyisical attributes and how they fit to each other. If that's true there is only 20-25 minutes left in the PG spot which can be used by one of our guards who had been left out.

The only thing Rondo can bring to the table is playmaking (where he is still in the upper 10% of the league) and therefore the ability to let Lebron step out from the playmaker role. That is good, but on one hand he is trash in every other aspect starting from defense to spacing, on the other it is not really required with this lineup to be a very good playmaker: When the ball reached halfcourt Davis can initiate a couple of plays, there are also iso options for Kuzma, so what is needed is to bring up the ball to half court and organize a few plays.

I believe that either Caruso, Cook or Daniels can do it. Caruso needs to prove this on the long run but he seems to be an guy who is doing a little in everything: Defending, playmaking, spacing (well, not this year yet). Nothing special, but overall solid. Cook does not seem to be that bad ball handler and defender - and he is a 40% 3pt shooter. Daniels is basically the same as Cook just bigger and a worse ball handler. I'd bet whoever will be the best of them will be far more valuable to this team than Rondo.

Rondo is not "trash" at every other aspect of the game. Hyperbole! You neglected to mention what he brings is leadership. As far as spacing the first 3 he hits will be one more bucket than KCP who brings neither 3 or D if you look beyond the rep. He'll have a week of fire and everyone will project that as reality but when he's not hitting he's a liability in just about all other aspects of the game. Daniels is a streak shooter who plays defense. Cook is a borderline guy and so is Caruso. Rondo was signed here to play a significant role and my guess is that he will once he's healthy.

I think you overrate the effect of his leadership and I'm interested in why do you think he is not trash. The team was not looking better when he was playing. Actually it looked worse compared to when Lonzo was playing who was marked sometimes as "unplayable" or "out of the league in 2 seasons". (Mostly due to the fact that he is not playing D anymore…)

The stats are backing this up as well. For example his on/off +/- was horrific: -9.4/100 possession. That was the 2nd worst in the team... Also the fact that KCP is bad, doesn't make Rondo good either.

I see him more as a player/coach who brings that leadership off the court and can occasionally jump in if needed; but it's the team's best interest to keep him out of the active rotation as much as possible.

You do realize that none of the players he played with last year are here except Bron..... right? It's a new coach, system and this team is serious about winning. Last years team was Romper-Room with a bunch of guys who've been in the league less than 3 years just trying to figure it out. Rondo in that situation was just fine before he got injured. He'll be just fine in this system with a veteran squad as well.

In the end it isn't what I think.... it's what the coach and players want and I'll lay any bet you want Rondo will get a chance to play often and I'll also bet we play better with him when he does.