Hot! Rajon Rondo Injury Will Have Trickle

Rajon Rondo is expected to miss the next 12 months with a torn ACL in his right knee. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

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It s been less than 24 hours since the news of Rajon Rondo s torn ACL made the rounds, and yet some fans and media types have already propagated the bizarre thought that the Celtics might actually play more effectively without their All-Star point guard. It s a claim that to some extent is supported by the data available (Boston s margin is about 1.7 points better per 100 possessions with Rondo off the court; the Celtics are 21-13 without Rondo over the last four seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Info) and the anecdotal evidence of Sunday s double-overtime win over Miami. But those numbers say more about the dangers of context-less statistics and small sample sizes than some greater truth about Boston s performance.

Everything that Boston does begins with Rondo, a fact that earns him a prized piece of real estate on the front page of scouting reports around the league. That placement isn t just flattering; the emphasis opponents place on Rondo is so significant that it offers as much benefit as anything Rondo tangibly provides. It frees Paul Pierce and Jason Terry from having to grapple with an opponent s top perimeter defender. It demands that opponents study Rondo s tendencies, potentially at the cost of paying more due to one of the less prominent Celtics. It creates an environment in which Boston s non-Rondo lineups can fly by night, operating with a very different means of play action against unsuspecting foes.

With Rondo out for the remainder of the season, Boston will be left to grind it out against progressively more informed opponents. The Celtics may have enough versatility to manage a B-side rotation when Rondo rests during games, but the dynamic shifts entirely when a single torn ligament recasts the rest of the Celtics in more prominent roles. Nothing in Boston could possibly be the same, as the absence of a unique a distributor will create an undue burden on coach Doc Rivers, as well as each member of the flexible but incomplete roster that will scrap in vain to make up for what s been lost.

Two things separate Rondo from many of his point guard contemporaries, Celtics or otherwises:

Rajon Rondo s injury puts a huge burden on Paul Pierce (left) and Kevin Garnett. (Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)

GO FIGURE

Ed Davis (left) has been key to the Raptors surge, averaging 14.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per 36 minutes over his last 20 games.(Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images)

NOTES FROM AROUND THE ASSOCIATION

Danilo Gallinari has shot 42.5 percent on threes in Janauary. (Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

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