Rajon Rondo has Carmelo Anthony’s endorsement.
For some reason.
Former New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher and Rondo himself both previously agreed the Sacramento Kings point guard wouldn’t be a good fit for the Big Apple’s version of the triangle offense. But Melo, per the New York Daily News‘ Stefan Bondy, disagrees:
“I think Rondo — just me personally, I don’t want to be tampering — but I’ve heard he said he wouldn’t thrive in a system like this,” Anthony said. “I think he’d be perfect in a system like this.”
Anthony then refuted the idea that the triangle isn’t a system for ball-dominant point guards, or averse to those like Rondo who aren’t good shooters but create through penetration.
“It is a misconception about that. Some of the keys of our offense is penetration, getting in the paint,” Anthony said. “Pushing the pace, transition. Creating in the paint for bigs, for yourself, everybody else. I think a point guard would love that. Especially a point guard who can penetrate, create for yourself, create for others. I think it’s a perfect opportunity for him.
“Put me at the head of the (meeting) table,” Anthony said. “And let’s go to work.”
That’s the spirit, Melo!
You’re just focusing on the wrong player.
Rondo will be a free agent this summer, and the Knicks most definitely need an upgrade at the point guard position. But floor generals need to, among other things, be able to play without the rock in the triangle. They can be ball-dominant to some extent but must also be able to fire away off the catch on other sets.
And Rondo isn’t particularly good in that type of role. This season marks the first time of his career he’s shooting better than 31.5 percent from long distance, and while he’s putting down nearly 39 percent of his catch-and-shoot triples, per NBA.com, the Knicks can’t afford to gamble of what amounts to a 30-year-old wild card.
Expect Rondo to pass on any of New York’s overtures, unless Phil Jackson is willing to overpay. And, for that matter, expect Phil Jackson to show little, if any, interest in paying Rondo tens of millions of dollars as he enters the back end of his prime.
