Celtics made best move
It had to be a little difficult for Celtic fans to sit back and watch their team be essentially idle at the trade deadline while closest competitors Milwaukee (Nikola Mirotic), Toronto (Marc Gasol) and Philadelphia (Tobias Harris) added potentially key pieces. But as much as it’s fair to note the Celts as currently constructed haven’t played with needed consistency from game to game — or even quarter to quarter — no deal may have been the best deal.
Considering how much trouble the C’s have had adjusting to roles and playing to meet the needs of the team as a whole, would it really have been wise to shuffle the deck again and introduce even more uncertainty into the process?
The Celtics will succeed this season if they accept that they are being asked to do less than what they’re capable of individually. Interestingly, one of the players who’s grasped that best is Gordon Hayward, and he’s still struggling to find his stride.
According to league sources, the Celts did kick the tires on some trades, but nothing ever came close to gaining any traction. It’s fair to assume they didn’t see anything that offered enough of a benefit to be worth risking the damage another change could do.
And, of course, the C’s also had to keep in mind how any moves now could impact their ability to make a trade for Anthony Davis (or another major piece) this summer.
So while the Celtics didn’t necessarily help themselves at the deadline, they did right by the Hippocratic Oath. They did no harm.
Rondo’s role
It’s been four years and two months and five NBA stops since Rajon Rondo was a Celtic. And since being dealt away in December of 2014, he appears to have gained some wisdom from seeds that were planted here but needed time to take root.
When he’s not hitting buzzer-beating shots to beat his old team, Rondo has gotten used to being a relative graybeard.
“Since I went to Sacramento, I was almost the oldest guy on the team and that was at 28, so I’m 32 now,” said Rondo, who moved through Dallas, Sacramento, Chicago and New Orleans before landing with the Lakers. “I still feel good physically and mentally. There’s still a couple of older guys on the team than me, but I’ll accept any role I’m given. It’s just about leadership and helping develop the young guys.”
Though the Celtics were hoping for more of that out of him after Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were traded away, Rondo has come to understand the job requirements.
“You just can’t pick and choose when you want to be a leader,” he said. “It has to be every day. You can’t wake up when you’re not feeling well and go out here and not give your team your best effort or your best leadership skills. So, for me personally, I learned that from a long time ago from my vets, KG in particular, to be a consistent leader every day.
“The hardest thing in this league is to be consistent, and that’s what I try to tell young guys is to try to stay as consistent as possible.”
He also tried to impart a few tips as the Lakers went through a rumor-filled trade deadline.
“Just do what you need to do to help your team win,” he said. “If you win, the trade rumors slow down, but if you lose, everything is magnified and you all (media) make it bigger stories.”
Rondo acknowledged that it’s more difficult now, adding, “When I played, I don’t want to sound too old, but there wasn’t so much social media.”
Celtics timeline
Tuesday at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. — Less than a week removed from trade deadline and the moves the 76ers made to acquire Harris and Jonathon Simmons, the hosts will get a primetime national television matchup against the Celtics. It is, of course, too early to judge the merits of the deals and whether it will all shake out well for the Sixers with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler already in tow — but that won’t stop us from making wild and crazy pronouncements after these 48 minutes. The Celts, with their road issues, have a lot on the line here, too.
Wednesday vs. Detroit, 7:30 p.m. — The Pistons picked up Thon Maker via trade and signed Wayne Ellington to a team on the fringe of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Detroit hasn’t made it to the postseason the last two years and has just one playoff appearance in the last nine. It hasn’t gotten past the first round since getting whacked by the eventual champion Celts in the 2008 East finals. The C’s would like to get this game, if only to avoid answering a bunch of “what the hell’s going on?” questions during the All-Star break.
Friday, 9 p.m. — NBA Rising Stars Challenge. Jayson Tatum competes for the USA squad against the World with rosters filled by first- and second-year players.
Saturday, 8 p.m. — Tatum participates in the Skills Challenge. He’s the only Celtic involved in the Saturday events, with the 3-point and slam dunk contests to follow.
Sunday, 8 p.m. — Kyrie Irving represents the Celtics in the 68th NBA All-Star Game. He was the leading vote getter among guards in the East and was the second pick by Team LeBron after Kevin Durant.