As the NBA Finals continue to tread on, the most important player, in my mind, has been Rajon Rondo. His flashy play has led to key moments on both ends of the floor; the from-behind blocked shot on Kobe that subsequently followed with some big free throws; Rondo’s signature fake lay-up that made Andrew Bynum jump out of his shoes on the pump. Rondo’s combination of determination, hustle and intelligence are what sparked the Celtics game 2 win in L.A. and those traits will continue to push his career as he surpasses most point guards in significance in the NBA.
The position in which the Wolves are stuck in now is on the contrary to the situation in Boston; we have a young point in Jonny Flynn who didn’t quite pan out like we expected this year and it looks as if our GM is putting all of his chips in one basket with Ricky Rubio. It’s unclear what will eventually unfold when it comes to our mysterious future at the point guard position. But would you be surprised if I told you that our situation could look a lot like that of Boston’s?
In a story written by Pat Forde, it is unveiled that Wolves owner Glen Taylor was trying hard to obtain Rondo as a key piece in the Kevin Garnett deal in 2007. The only problem was that Boston GM Danny Ainge was refusing to toss their young, speedy point guard who had just finished his rookie season into the deal. After a few days of mulling over this soon-to-be franchise-dooming deal, Taylor agreed to leave Rondo out of the deal and continue on by taking Sebastian Telfair, the kid from Brooklyn with all the talent in the world but was struggling to find his way in the NBA.
Visualizing what could have come from a KG deal that included Rondo opens up a plethora of opportunities, as well as a roster that could have playoff potential.
Coming into this season, that deal would have solidified our point guard and power forward positions with a few bright stars from Boston in Rondo and Jefferson. If McHale had not traded O.J. Mayo for Love, Mayo would man the 2-guard, a position which has never been properly filled in the franchise’s history. Darko could still be our center in 2010 or they could use the #4 spot to draft a true center like Greg Monroe or Cole Aldrich. Or maybe even grab Demarcus Cousins with the hope that he could be a center in the NBA. Ryan Gomes would be a good starter at small forward but saying he’d be replaceable is an understatement. That #4 pick could be used to grab Wesley Johnson or Al-Farouq Aminu without any regrets from the front office, and most importantly, the fan base.
This year’s draft brings up so many
You can see that a solidified point guard position — especially filled by the electrifying Rondo — would have led to a more balanced Wolves lineup. Instead of having holes all over the roster, the Wolves would have a firm core of players and a starting lineup that could contend with the best of the West. But instead we ended up with only one key piece in exchange for the franchise’s engine and Jefferson alone cannot save this franchise from falling under.
If only, right?

