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.
melo-drama
Guest
Boston look like they have gone to rebuilding mode early this season, Pierce and Garnett out it's just a matter of where..... Ainge is the complete business man who doesnt care about the fans or loyalty, it looks like KG will end up on the West Coast and Pierce will be shipped for the best youth plus draft picks. It's a shame whats happened with the salary cap but the NBA is now between franchises that want to make money, vs franchises that want to spend money.....
Mushi
Guest
How is that good for Indy. Unless there are like 2000 draft picks involved in is brutal sodomisation of their future
Nick Jungfer
Roar Guru
Not only is it a massive loss to Boston, their floor general and best player going down, but a loss to the entire NBA and all NBA fans. The playoffs just became slightly less fun, and with Rondo able to explode on any given night, slightly less magical.
The_Sports_Fan
Roar Rookie
Talk of Pierce for Granger, would be good for both. Get some young legs into Bean Town and some offense to Indy.
DC
Guest
KG has a no trade clause in his contract. I'd be disappointed to see either of them go, but in all honesty, they both probably need to step aside so Doc & Ainge can make some big moves for the future.
Andrew
Guest
I think one thing that is surprisingly overlooked when looking at the Celtics and 'rebuilding' is the past off-season: KEPT the starting lineup Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett (re-signed), Brandon Bass (re-signed), Avery Bradley OUT Free agents: Ray Allen (only one they made efforts to re-sign), Mickael Pietrus, Keyon Dooling (retired), Marquis Daniels, Greg Stiemsma, Ryan Hollins Traded: JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Sean Williams, Sasha Pavlovic IN Free agents: Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox (returning from heart concerns), Jason Terry, Leandro Barbosa, Jason Collins, Darko Milicic (since waived to return home) Trade: Courtney Lee Draft: Jared Sullinger, Fab Melo, Kris Joseph (since waived) Then look at how rotation players have performed compared to expectations: ABOVE Sullinger (how he was not at least a lottery pick is baffling) ON PAR Rondo, Pierce, Garnett, Bradley; you know what you're getting BELOW Bass, Terry, Lee, Green N/A Melo (D-League), Wilcox (injury), Barbosa and Collins (both barely in rotation) If they get any sembelance of consistency from 2-3 (or all) of Bass, Terry, Lee and Green, we're talking about a very different Celtics team. Granted not in the Spurs/OKC/Miami class, but certainly hanging a lot closer with the Knicks/Bulls/Nets/Pacers/Hawks in that 2-6 bracket in the East. Really, they rebuilt on the fly and there's not much more that can be done until KG and PP retire. Aside from Rondo/Pierce/KG, Bass gave them no reason not to re-sign him after his 2012 season, and Bradley is a young guy who bulldogged his way into the starting lineup - they then turned over the entire bench. On trading KG or PP, it'd be hard to (a) actually send those guys out of Boston, and (b) get something worthwhile in return.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
I can't see the Celtics making the playoffs and the rebuilding discussion is valid. KG and PP still playing well and would be valuable additions to teams on the cusp of a championship. I hope they both stay in particular PP, would love to see him retire as a one Club player. Does Danny Ainge start the rebuilding project this season.
The_Sports_Fan
Roar Rookie
Boston will still make the playoffs unless Pierce or Garnett go down. The East is just THAT bad. Plus they actually have a good record with Rondo out of the line up. The only question is; who will push the refs now? I think there is a chance KG will agree to a trade, it's just trying to get the right deal done. As for Pierce, he bleeds green blood and it will be disappointing (and unlikely, in my opinion) to see him traded.