Rondo is intriguing. Obviously there are some issues in Boston, but can a guy who averaged 8.2 APG and less than 10 FGA/G (9.5, to be exact) really be considered a selfish player? Of course, his FGA/G during the play-offs exploded to almost 16, but his APG also went up to 9.8. That was probably a function of match-ups and no KG.
If a team loaded with veterans like KG, Pierce and Ray Allen can't keep Rondo in line, would he destroy the chemistry on a young team like Portland? The thing Ainge and Rivers seemed most frustrated with Rondo during the play-offs was his decision making with the game on the line. He had some great games in the play-offs (4 triple doubles in 14 games), but also had several games where he shot the ball horribly (4-17, 2-12, 3-12). Of course, in Portland, the ball will be in Roy's hands with the game on the line. So, hopefully Rondo's poor decision making would be less of an issue.
Again, very intriguing. I love Rondo's defense. He's one of the best defending PGs in the league. He's from the same rookie class as Roy and Aldridge. During that season, I tracked rookies and posted a weekly Rookie EFF Rankings. Rondo regularly filled up the box score with large numbers of rebounds (for a guard), assists and steals. His only problem as a rookie was he couldn't shoot the ball. Well, he seems to have fixed that to some extent (0.505 FG% in 2008-09). He's still a bad 3-point shooter, but luckily doesn't attempt very many (less than 1 a game) and a far below average FT shooter.
The guy certainly puts up impressive numbers. He had a PER of 18.8 during the regular season and 19.7 during the play-offs (in spite of shooting poorly). His DRTg of 100.9 this year and 98.4 the year before are also excellent - top 10 in the league. He has also been top 6 in defensive win shares the past two seasons and has been in the top 10 in steals all three years he's been in the league. Obviously, he'd really help our perimeter defense. He was also top 10 in assists (5th), APG (6th) and AST% (7th) this season.
If he's willing to be happy with less than 10 shots a game (as he was during the regular season in Boston) and defer to Brandon with the game on the line, he'd be a great fit in Portland. He can lock down opposing PGs on defense and be a 4th scoring option on offense (as he was in Boston behind Pierce, Allen and KG). It all depends on his attitude and willingness to accept a specific role. I'll leave that up to KP and company to decide.
BNM