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Gerald Green would cause many headaches for Celtics fans throughout his tenure with the Boston Celtics, while Ryan Gomes would show us that he could be a solid NBA player. However, both had to go and now we'll move on to the 2006 NFL draft.
2006 Draft
Round 1 Pick 21: Rajon Rondo [PG - Kentucky]
The raw point guard from the University of Kentucky joined the Celtics via a trade with the Phoenix Suns. At the time the trade seemed right for both teams as the Suns had Steve Nash at the helm. Now, on the other hand, with Nash's age nearing his mid-30's Rondo would have looked like a great draft selection.
Really, think about it. Rondo in an offense like Phoenix would simply be a "must-watch" show. With the Celtics, Rondo has quickly developed into a top tier point guard in this league. Only in his third year in the league, Rondo has found himself as a starter for almost two and a half years, and in 2006, he took the starting job from Sebastian Telfar, who was acquired via trade on the same night Rondo was added to the ball club.
With his combination of speed and knowledge of the game, Rondo mirrors a Bob Cousy type guard in this league. There is not one point guard in this league that can cover Rondo on the ball, ditto for Indiana Pacers' T.J Ford. One part of Rondo's game that has quietly improved is his jump shot. Back in 2006, Rondo struggled shooting the ball from the outside but now, Rondo has showed he can hit the shot if he's open. If he can consistently knock down the open jump shot Rondo will be a force in this league.
Round 2 Pick 49: Leon Powe [PF - California]
Averaging 20 and 10 in college, Leon Powe fell to the second round of the draft because of his knee injuries. Scouts of the NBA simply didn't think he could play at this level. Well, Powe has changed their minds, that's for sure. Last year, Powe made a name for himself in the NBA playoffs, especially in the Atlanta Hawks series where he made a couple of nice plays.
Don't get me started on the NBA Finals, where Powe took over game two in Boston. Although his potential is limited, Powe is a solid option off the bench as he is vastly undersized. Standing at 6-8, Powe has to use his muscle and heart to get to the basket. Originally traded from the Golden State Warriors for cash, Powe has continued to improve and is a key player off the bench for the defending NBA Champions.
Overall Grade: A -
Whenever you can get a top 10 starting point guard and a 7th man in one draft, it's a win. Rondo was drafted late in the first round and Powe fell off into round two. Ainge found them and it has paid off.
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Thursday, 11 December 2008
Gerald Green would cause many headaches for Celtics fans throughout his tenure with the Boston Celtics, while Ryan Gomes would show us that he...
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Comments
Ironically that same summer they spent 21 million on Marcus "The Little Alligator" Banks. It only took them until that first training camp to realize that Marcus had the worst basketball IQ of any "point guard" in the league. If they had simply drafted Rondo and Hume's favorite Spaniard Rudy Fernandez (Portland drafted him with a number one they purchased from the Suns) they would be a much more competitive team today.
The only thing that eases the pain of passing on Brandon Roy is that we were able to unload Raef LaFrenchy, his bad knees, and his equally bad contract to Portland and in turn use Theo Ratliff's contract, which expired a year sooner than Raef's to facilitate the KG trade. It really is crazy how all this came together!
J.R. is on point with his analysis of the Phoenix Suns organization since, you guessed it, Danny Ainge left as a key managing member! I also have to give J.R. an extra shout out for remembering the days when I had more of a voice on all sports matters including the Drafts (it's funny how life works, now I own a website and I have very little access to it *?!#@$%...).
The famous saying "There is a method to his madness" applies perfectly when used in conjunction with current (thank the lord) Celtics player personnel boss, Daniel Ainge. Many around this town bashed the living hell out of him when all that he did was deliver exactly what he said he would! I guess that many of you reading this Chrono Comment will think I have completely lost it or gone off the deep end on this one but I strongly believe that our "Dan the Man" is not only the greatest basketball move maker since Arnold Auerbach but he is also a tremendous role model for the never give up and stick to your guns theory. Sorry for the digression/rant concerning my long time homie Danny.
Now, getting back to Phoenix, I do not know this to be fact but if I can play betting man here for a second I will now go ahead and place the bet that Ainge has contacted the Suns/Gorillas in an attempt to make them give up some 2009 and other future draft selections. What is concrete is the fact that Ainge is speaking with many teams about a trade scenario that involves players and picks. Are you with me?