When news broke on Sunday that Rajon Rondo had suffered a torn ACL and would miss the rest of the 2012-13 season, it effectively put an end to the Boston Celtics’ playoff hopes.
Their grasp on the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference was already tenuous, but the loss of their star point guard and the facilitator of their offense has left them at a loss.
It also has the potential to shake up the playoff picture and have a dramatic effect on the trade deadline.
There’s a chance that the Celtics will be able to make a trade for a short-term replacement at point guard, such as Toronto’s Jose Calderon, but they likely don’t have the assets to swing a trade for a true impact player.
Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, and Jeff Green are all under performing and on relatively expensive contracts, making them very unattractive trade targets for most teams.
Boston would be hesitant to part with Jared Sullinger or Avery Bradley, as they are among the only young and affordable talent on a roster that will soon be thrust back into rebuilding mode.
This leaves two players the Celtics will be forced to make decisions on, and they are among the hardest players to deal.
Paul Pierce, a career Celtic, is on the second-to-last season of a four-year contract which is only guaranteed for $4 million next year. He is far enough past his prime that teams are unlikely to want to give up young talent or draft picks, but yet playing at a high enough level that it would not be smart for Celtics GM Danny Ainge to give him away for nothing.
Kevin Garnett, recently voted into the All-Star game as a starter, has two years left on the three-year, $30 million contract he signed this past off-season.
From a rebuilding standpoint, he would make sense to trade, and he is still playing excellent basketball, especially on the defensive end. These efforts would be complicated, however, by his ownership of one of only four no-trade clauses in the NBA. He can veto any trade, which will make it difficult to deal him anywhere but to a contender.
The Celtics’ likely drop from the playoff picture opens the door for another team to sneak in as the eighth seed. The likeliest candidate seems to be the Philadelphia 76ers, although they have serious front court issues, having been unable to fully compensate for Andrew Bynum’s absence.
Two other candidates are teams whose play has improved lately, despite horrendous starts to the season. The Detroit Pistons are coming into their own, with rookie center Andre Drummond blossoming despite being given limited minutes and second-year guard Brandon Knight having a breakout year.
The Toronto Raptors are much more of a long shot to make the playoffs, but their play has improved since the beginning of the season, when they looked like one of the worst teams in the NBA.
Calderon has been a steady distributor on offense as Kyle Lowry has dealt with various injuries. Big men Ed Davis and Amir Johnson have developed excellent chemistry since an elbow injury sidelined Andrea Bargnani, and rookie wing Terrence Ross has had a promising debut season.
The injury to Rondo has left a hole in the Eastern Conference, not only taking out one of the most exciting playmakers in the game, but also one of the most consistent, reliable teams of the past half-decade.
One of the stories to keep an eye on in the second half of the season will be how the Celtics react to the loss of Rondo, whether they make a playoff push anyway or have a fire-sale.
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