Rajon Rondo has been getting a lot of credit ever since the Boston Celtics won the 2008 NBA Championship.  A lot of it was deserved, with Rondo putting up some great stat lines as the starting point guard for an NBA championship team, along with his continued improvement since 2008.  The only problem I have is that Rondo has been doing this with three future Hall-of-Famers in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.  Now with Paul Pierce not at 100% and missing some games recently, an ailing KG, and an aging Allen, will Rondo continue to put up his near triple-double stat lines?  I’m not so sure he will, and I’m also not so sure that is what the Celtics need out of him.  Without Pierce and KG scoring like they used to, Rondo needs to put some more points on the board.  He is young and healthy, and the Celtics really need a boost when it comes to scoring, especially without Pierce.  Rondo is averaging a career-high 14.4 points this season, but in his last 5 games he is averaging 18.8 points.   He deserves a lot of credit for this, as he still has been dishing the ball well.  He has even been extending his shooting range a bit, going 2-3 from three against Miami last Wednesday and 2-2 last night against Orlando.  The Celtics need him to continue to score like this until Pierce and KG get back to their old form (if they can).  If Rondo can not continue to score at this pace, the Celtics may be in big trouble.

The Boston Celtics’ star power forward Kevin Garnett has not been himself this season due to a problematic knee.  He has missed 16 games because of his ailing knee and returned to play on January 22nd.  Garnett has not looked himself since his return and the Celtics’ recent struggles has a lot to do with an unhealthy Garnett.  Since his return, Garnett has played in six games and is averaging 13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 32 minutes per game.  Garnett has a very good mid-range jumper, so he is still shooting at a very good percentage during those games (53%), but he has been very gingerly on that knee and is obviously hobbled by it.  He has not been aggressively taking it to the rack and is relying too heavily on that jumper.  His knee has limited most on the defensive end of the court.  Once the key part of a great Celtics’ defense, Garnett is almost a liability on defense now.  He doesn’t have the strength, quickness, and lift that we have grown accustomed to seeing from KG and if his knee does not get better soon the Celtics are not going to get far in the Eastern Conference playoffs.  Many believe the Celtics should sit Garnett out for a couple of weeks and let his knee heal.  I think they should keep Garnett in the lineup, as KG at 80% can still contribute.  Playing can also actually help strengthen his knee as long as he is not risking further injury.  They should definitely limit his minutes though since they don’t want KG to break down before or when the playoffs start.  Around 20-25 minutes per game would be better than the 30-35 minutes they are playing him now.

Rumors have been swirling lately about the Boston Celtics’ sharpshooter Ray Allen possibly being traded.  The big rumor is a possible trade for Monta Ellis, which would send Ray Allen to the Golden State Warriors and bring Ellis to the Celtics.  Although Ellis is younger and a prolific scorer, I don’t think he would fit in with the Celtics.  Allen has been one of the Celtics most consistent players this season, and he is not the reason for their struggles over the past month.  He was a key part of their NBA Championship in 2008 and they will need his clutch shooting come playoff time this year.  Allen is one of the best outside shooters in NBA history and although his shot has not been as good this season as it has in years past, he still has the ability to catch fire and light it up on any given night.  On the season Allen is averaging 15.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.9 steals on 45% shooting and 35% from three point land.  He is also a strong defender and does not have a big ego, saying publicly that he wants to stay in Boston until he retires, even if that means taking a lesser role in the near-future.  The Celtics should hold on to Allen as long as they can.

The Boston Celtics have hit the low point of their season after losing to the Detroit Pistons (15-26) last night, making it their 5th loss in 7 games.  However, you cannot blame Paul Pierce for the Celtics current losing ways.  Pierce is playing hard, leading the team in scoring, and shooting a great percentage (especially from three).  Pierce is shooting 47% from the field and 47% from three, while averaging 18.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals.  With Kevin Garnett out, the Celtics have really struggled.  He is expected to return tomorrow, but it will take some time for KG to get back into form.  In the meantime, perhaps Pierce should get some more shots since he is shooting the ball so well.  He is only averaging 12.4 shots per game and has not shot more than 19 shots in one game all season.  The Celtics’ point totals have been hovering in the 80’s and 90’s lately, so maybe it is time for Pierce to put up some more shots and take on more of the scoring load, especially with the way he has been shooting the ball this season.

Kevin Garnett could be returning for the Boston Celtics as early as this week, and this good news could not have come sooner.  The Celtics have lost two in a row and seven of their last eleven games.  They are 27-12 on the season, so over half of their losses this season have come in the past eleven games.  Garnett has been out nine of those eleven games, not playing since December 28th after hyper-extending his knee, and the Celtics have gone 5-4 without him.  Good news for the Celtics is that Garnett practiced yesterday and plans to return on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers.  Garnett is averaging 15.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks this season.  He is also their vocal leader and anchor on defense, so Garnett has some major intangibles for the Celtics that can’t be measured on stat-sheets.  Garnett has been battling knee problems for the past few seasons after having a relatively injury free career, and hopefully for his and the Celtics’ sake it doesn’t continue.  Garnett is only 33, but since he came into the league as an 18-year-old he has already logged 1,084 games and over 4,500 minutes in his 14-year career, so these knee problems may not go away.