Rondo Wants Big Money?

A few weeks back, when the Rondo trade rumors first started, I gave two potential reasons why the Celtics would move the guy; he's got a bad attitude or he wants max money.

Last night on Comcast, Ryen Russillo and Chris Mannix offered up their opinions of the trade rumors, and it appears I was right on one front:

Russillo: Yeah I think there’s a bigger chance that
they’d move him than maybe Boston fans would think. I think when it was
originally rumored, whatever that Phoenix deal was with Amar’e
Stoudemire, I heard a lot of people say oh the Celtics would never
trade Rondo. But based on what I’ve heard the last couple days, I don’t
think that’s true. Look, I don’t think they’re trying to move him, but
I think they’re trying to throw some pieces around and let basketball
people know that they’d move some of these guys to avoid maybe having
to pay Rondo all the money they’ll have to pay and then pair him with
guys that are going to be two years older than they are right now.

Mannix: Well they don’t like his contract demands
first of all. Rondo’s not the kind of guy who’s going to take a
hometown discount to stay in Boston. He’s going to sign with whoever
offers him the most dollars at the end of his contract, whenever it’s
up. He’s going to be a guy who’s going to go out there and try to get
the most money.

(thanks to Jess Camerato for transcribing)

I'm not sure what point Russillo is trying to make, but Mannix is crystal clear. We've debated the Rondo contract before and most of us thought $10 million per season (see poll results) would be a fair deal for Rondo.

I love the way Rondo is progressing and hope the Celtics keep him around. While I trust Danny, I don't want to go into next season with a question mark at the point guard position.

I've been toying with a new feature on Red's Army – the photo gallery. You'll find them on the lower left side of the site. You'll find pictures of Celtics dancer Alison Preston, photos from our NBA dancer madness, and the lovely Adriana Lima. We'll probably continue putting pictures in actual posts, but this allows you guys to easily visit them any time.

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