Knicks Can Keep Dreamin’ About Rajon Rondo . . . But Could This Team Make Dreams Reality?

Rumor has it that the New York Knicks are STILL dreaming of ways to either convince Danny Ainge to ship point guard Rajon Rondo to

Oct 23, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) on the court before the start of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

the Big Apple, or to entice Rondo to leave Boston and head to the city that never sleeps once he becomes a free agent in 2015.

Keep dreamin’, Knicks fans.

New York doesn’t have anywhere near enough assets to make Ainge spend more than five seconds considering shipping Rondo over to Madison Square Garden (no first-round draft pick until 2018; no All-Star talent to offer in return), and it’s still too way early for ANY team to start putting Rondo on their free-agent wish list now, all of which means if you’re a Knicks fan hoping to see Rondo break the curse of the orange jerseys any time soon, you have a better chance of seeing Carmelo Anthony seriously commit to playing defense.

Danny Ainge has repeatedly said that the Boston Celtics are not interested in trading Rajon Rondo this year, and for the most part, I believe him . . . but what if an NBA team called him up and made him an offer he absolutely could not refuse?  An NBA team with a legend for a majority owner, a legend who is looking to renew fan interest in a team that has been nothing but a disappointment since he came on board?

Yes, the team I’m talking about is the Charlotte Bobcats, and I’m here to tell you this: if anyone could pry Rajon Rondo away from Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics, it would be Michael Jordan and his front office.

Dec 21, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker (15) world to keep the ball inbounds during the second half of the game against the Utah Jazz at Time Warner Cable Arena. Jazz win 88-85. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

For starters, despite the recent hot play of starting point guard Kemba Walker, the Bobcats need someone like Rondo.  The ‘Cats rank 26th in the NBA when it comes to dishing the rock, averaging just over 19 per game.  Walker himself is good for 4.6 a contest while averaging 2.69 turnovers a night – not the sort of ratio you want to see from the guy who is handling the rock most of the time your team is on offense.    Walker has been pouring in points lately – 25 against the Bucks, 34 against Detroit, 29 against the Raptors, 25 versus Sacramento – but he has only notched double-digit assists once in that span.  Moving him to the two spot and letting him share ball-handling responsibilities with Rondo could give the Bobcats the backcourt from hell, and be the sort of move that makes Charlotte instant playoff material.

The Bobcats do have two first round picks in the upcoming drat, from the Portland Trail Blazers and the Detroit Pistons.  They probably are not top ten picks, but with a prospect pool as deep as this year’s, the Celtics still stand to land quality talent.  Besides, should the Celtics begin to resemble the team we all thought we would see, it is feasible that the Cs could wind up with two top-fifteen picks in the draft, and three first-rounders total.  In addition, the Cs could snag Ben Gordon or the raw-yet-promising Bismarck Biyombo, who is averaging 4.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and almost 2 blocks per game so far.

Of course this is all speculation, but it goes to show you what it would take to land a player like Rajon Rondo,  Sorry, New York – you just cannot compete in the Rondo sweepstakes.