Sacramento Needs Rondo, But For How Long?
The Sacramento Kings need Rajon Rondo.
That's right, they need Rondo.
Let's face it, when Rondo is on top of his game and not pouting or getting in fights with the head coach, he can be one of the top point guards in the league.
When he is right, he is possibly the best distributing point guard in today's NBA.
The Kings are in desperate need of team basketball. Sacramento has far too many players who completely kill an offense the second the ball touches their hands.
In certain situations, a player who can take a defender one on one is great, but not throughout an entire game, and that's where Rondo comes into play.
He's a great distributor of the basketball and can score as well. He is close to a career double-double.
He's the type of player who can run an offense, play both sides of the court and will bring intensity.
As of right now, the Kings don't have that type of player.
They don't have someone who in the fourth quarter is going to take control of the team and the game.
One of the biggest downfalls for the Kings over the past few seasons were the fourth quarter collapses. There are two ways to keep that from happening. One, the Kings need more consistent rebounding. Two, they need someone who can control the pace and limit the turn overs on offense.
Rondo would take care of at least one of those.
But here's the biggest issue with Rondo.
Because of his attitude, the point guard may have trouble finding a contract for more than one year.
He's most likely going to sign a one year contract wherever he lands.
It will be a risk to sign Rondo, but the payoff can be huge.
After this upcoming season, the cap space in the NBA is going to shoot up, which means contracts for players are going to sky rocket.
If Rondo signs a one year deal somewhere, there's no doubt that he will want to show the league he can still lead a team, which will lead to a big contract in the 2016-17 season.
Money is motivating. If he wants a big contract when the cap space raises, he's going to have to put together a great season in the upcoming year.
So why wouldn't the Kings want a motivated Rondo?
It seems to make perfect sense to sign a player who, when motivated, instantly makes your team better.
The only question is whether or not the Kings would want to take a chance on a guy who may just be a one year player.
Yes, he would make the team better for the upcoming season, but would he even consider resigning with the team after that?
Let's throw this scenario out there:
The Kings sign Rondo.
Rondo is motivated and plays to his potential, doesn't get in fights with his teammates or coaches, and helps the team increase the win total.
Rondo now looks more attractive to the rest of the league.
At that point, there's a chance that Rondo could be offered a bigger contract with a different team. The Kings then fall back to square one and need to figure out how to get big name free agents to sign in Sacramento.
The hope is, if you give Rondo a one year contract, the team's progress and the new arena in the following year would be enough to lure the point guard back to Sacramento.
It could happen, but it would be a risk.
The only other way around that scenario is to sign Rondo to a contract for more than just one year, but that's an even bigger risk.
You then run into the problem of the guard not being as motivated. We all know money is motivating, but if he already has the money, what's motivating him at that point.
So here's what it all boils down to:
Do you take the chance on Rondo for one year and hope he resigns, or do you sign him for multiple years and hope he stays motivated through out?
Either way, the Kings need a player with the potential Rondo possess.
He's been on Sacramento's radar for the past few seasons, and this may be the best chance for the team to pick him up.