Twitter / @ESPNSteinLine: More Doc: "But, having sai … via kwout
Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Let's just get this all out there so you know the ground rules for whatever scenarios you are cooking up.
1: The Celtics are over the cap, so any trade they make with a team now has to match salaries… unless they find a team under the cap willing to make a move (teams under the cap are allowed to make unbalanced trades).
2: Draft picks have no real value when it comes to making salaries match.
With those things in mind, Kevin Garnett is making $21 million this year and Ray Allen is making $10 million. Paul Pierce is making $15 million but he's also due another $32 million over the next two years. Rajon Rondo is making $10 million and is due another $36 million over the next three years.
Teams that may be interested in the salary cap relief provided by KG and Ray are already over the cap and are very unlikely to be looking at trading away that much salary just to clear space next season. Teams under the cap are already in rebuilding mode and generally don't want to take on a Pierce, who will tie up valuable space over the next couple of years.
So that leaves maybe a deal for Ray Allen out there, which alone won't get the Celtics any closer to a title. That also leaves some possibility of trading Rondo, but as much as some of you guys hate him, there are still only a handful of guys better than him at his position… so Danny's not just going to give him away.
I read the comments. I know what a lot of people are saying. But Doc is right. He doesn't expect any deals and you shouldn't either. Danny will listen just in case a David Kahn loses his damn mind again and comes along with something ridiculous…. but it will take something ridiculous for Danny to actually pull the trigger.
Related links: WEEI: As Celtics falter, Danny Ainge's test begins
On Page 2: Doc sticks up for Rondo
Said Rivers: “You’re always disappointed when that happens. You should never put yourself in front of the team. But the game is an emotional game. We can agree it was a pretty clear foul and a bad foul that wasn’t called. At the time we were getting our butts kicked and it’s a human game, and emotional game. I can guarantee you 35 seconds after it happened that Rondo wished he could take it back. That happens. He’s still young, and I hope we don’t forget that.
“We all do some messed up things in our lives, and unfortunately for Rondo, he does it in front of a lot of people and we don’t. That’s the big difference. We always tell our guys to think about the team if you can, but it’s hard. You could tell he lost his composure, because at halftime he was the one saying hey guys, let Doc work on the refs. You leave them alone. So clearly that (ball toss) was not intentional.”
Herald: Rondo suspended, but not before some ironic words
Rondo did something very stupid and he's paying for it, as he should.
This is not the first time Doc has used the reference to Rondo growing up in front of a lot of people. He is still young. That's hard to remember. And I know I certainly don't want to be judged by my actions at 26 years old..
And that's not an excuse for Rondo. Rather, it's part of who he is. He's young. And some people handle things better than he does at 26, and some handle it worse. But you can't dismiss youth and emotion and say "well, you get a lot of money to do this so be perfect." That's not how it works. I'll guarantee you almost every shining example of professionalism you'll try to pass off has a history behind-the-scenes that will surprise the hell out of you.
Related links: ESPN Boston: Did Rondo deserve 2 game suspension? | Herald: League throws Rondo a 2 game suspension | Was Rondo suspension warranted? |
The rest of the links:
CSNNE: C's offense struggles without KG, Bass | C's-Mavs… what we saw | ESPN Boston: C's problems piling up | Rapid reaction | NBA.com's mid-season report card: B- | WEEI: Undermanned Celtics lose to Mavericks | Herald: (Callahan) Time to trade Rondo might be now | No relief for sagging C's | No push for panic button | Globe: Celtics unglued | Free throw disparity an issue
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