Celtics riding perfect storm in Rondo's absence

As long as the Celtics keep winning the question is always going to be raised: is the glass half full or half empty when it comes to them winning?  There has been a slow undermining of Rajon Rondo's importance to this team and their success without him.

It started with Courtney Lee who has since retracted those rumors about his unhappiness.  Jason Terry, who came to this team admitting he didn't like to practice and saying that this  Rondo-less offense suits him better.

Brandon Bass all of a sudden is a happier camper because his touches have increased.

All this grousing, must make us take into account, that the new additions had never had to work as hard in practice or during a game as they have had to in Boston.  The only other team that I have heard of whom may have more physical and intense practices are the Miami Heat.  Eric Spoelstra's team wears knee pads and elbow pads when they practice, hence their physicality even though they are a smallish team.

All of this griping sure makes it seem like Rondo was the problem.  How else can you explain these guys all of a sudden busting their humps to get up and down the floor?  We all need to take a step back and look at the roster as it is comprised today before we go overboard with the "we don't need Rondo" syndrome.

The Celtics all-star point man averaged close to 40 out of a 48 minute game.  This was due in part to  the influx of new players who were new to the Celtic way of doing things. We all know that it takes a lot for Doc Rivers to put his trust in any player to run his offense or get playing time.

He had no choice with Rondo, because Danny Ainge would not include him in the Ray Allen and KG trade. In fact, if Jared Sullinger had not exhibited an above average understanding of the NBA game, he would have been in the D-league or getting Jason Collins type minutes.

Besides the 'big three', last year's squad lacked the offensive prowess and the team suffered terribly; in my opinion it cost them the Eastern Conference Championship. Losing Jeff Green during the preseason to a heart ailment and Avery Bradley in the second season didn't help their cause either.

This season, almost the entire bench with the exception of Jason Collins can create their own offense, but they have trouble creating for others in a half-court setting. Thus the need to push and push the ball quickly up the court. Doc has no choice but to allot more playing time to the overabundance of guards at his disposal, because he now has 38 more additional minutes to divvy up.



Let us look at the less than bombastic player, know as Brandon Bass with his declaration that more touches will solve his inconsistent play.  Last year he didn't have anyone on the roster who could do what he does better and has an understanding of ball movement and is a willing passer. Playing time wasn't an issue, because Doc had no one else to turn to.

Somehow Bass has allowed the play of Sully to sap his confidence and ability to play through his mistakes.  If Sully had not been hurt Bass most assuredly would have been traded for a younger piece. Therefore, he should look in the mirror instead of undermining the player who gave him open looks and helped him get his new contract.

CSNNE's Sherrod Blakely alludes to how this trend of getting better is standard fare for this team:

"If the Celtics continue to run through teams, many will point to Rajon Rondo's season-ending torn right ACL injury as the Celtics' turning point.

Truth be told, the C's began to get their act together well before their current four-game winning streak.

When the calendar flipped to 2013, it not only ushered in a new year, but around here it brought a new (but familiar) brand of Celtics basketball."

So before we bury Rondo and clamour about how his absence makes the team better, Celtic Nation should look at the circumstances and be careful what they wish for before dismissing what this mercurial point guard brings to the table.