Robb: Rich Gotham Tackles Rondo Rumors, Celtics' Expectations For 2014-15
BOSTON (CBS) – When you look at the Boston Celtics offseason this summer, it is easy for people to wonder just how much of an improvement the team will be able to make next year after coming off a 25-win season.
Celtics president Rich Gotham does not fall into the category of cynics.
Gotham knows his team did not make any big-name additions along the lines of Kevin Love, as had been hoped. However, he pointed to one player he expects to make a similar impact on this year's roster while speaking at a team volunteer event in Jamaica Plain on Friday.
"I think a healthy Rajon Rondo is a huge difference maker for us," Gotham remarked. "And so I think, while we were very competitive last year, in a lot of these games, we didn't win them all, obviously, but I think we have a better shot to take some of those games that come down to the last two minutes. Guys will have another year in Brad [Steven]'s system, I think we have great depth on this team -- we have quality depth. We just look forward to taking the next step in our progression."
There is no denying a fully recovered Rondo will help Boston's prospects next year, but there was a question of whether Rondo would even start next season with the team after an Around The Horn video surfaced last week in which Jackie MacMullan stated that Rondo "wanted out."
In the team's first public statement on the matter, Gotham tried to pour some cold water on all of that speculation while emphasizing that the team is focusing on having Rondo around next season.
"When we talk about Rondo [as a franchise], we talk about his development and recovery from his ACL," Gotham continued. "So we talk about getting him ready to perform this season and we're excited about having the 'old Rondo' back. That's what we talk about. The stuff that gets reported in the media, it's out of our control. Sometimes you laugh a little bit, sometimes you shake your head a little bit, sometimes you say, 'Geez, I haven't heard that, I wonder if there's anything there?' But we can't allow ourselves to pay too much attention to that. What's important to us is getting the team ready, and paying attention to media rumors doesn't help us get the team ready."
The future of Boston's captain largely depends on whether we get a glimpse of that "old Rondo" this season. If he returns to his signature form, the Celtics' first preference is likely to keep the star point guard when his contract expires, as long as they can make some corresponding moves around the roster to increase the team's talent level. The team passed on some possibilities in that department this summer, opting to punt on any significant moves until better opportunities arise.
Despite that delay, Gotham feels confident that the team's informed fanbase understands Boston's direction.
"Fans are impatient, but our fans understand what we're doing. They've seen us go through this before. They've seen the end result -- which was pretty good. I don't hear fans questioning our direction, everyone wants to win. We haven't had to sell fans on our direction, but ultimately fans want to win and we want to win too. We're not going into this thinking that we're not going to win any games. Our fans know that they are going to get an A-plus effort out of our guys, because that's what Brad Stevens' teams do," said Gotham.
With training camp just three weeks away, Celtics fans' first glimpse at any potential strides are just around the corner.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.
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