12/03/24
June 07, 2008
You got Rondo'd.: In just his 2nd year in the NBA, Boston Celtic Rajon Rondo has won the hearts of many. He is featured on the homepage of Reebok with this latest campaign. Yet the national announcers on Thursday often refered to the struggles of Rajon and that the fans are up and down on his play. So what do the fans really think about Rajon in general and in the playoffs?
posted by endorfin to basketball at 07:29 AM - 19 comments
I think he's a highly promising second year point guard. I get a little bit nervous when I remember that he has to play well in order for the Celtics to win a championship, but he's capable of doing it. A lot depends on whether or not he can do it consistently. He's a good defender. He's a superb rebounder for a guard; Bob Ryan says he's one of the best 6'1" rebounders in the league, and I tend to agree. He makes dumb decisions sometimes. He can penetrate and shoot -- he has a nice little teardrop floater that goes in more often than you think it's gonna. He spent all summer working on his jump shot, and it improved substantially. I expect he's going to do the same again this summer. Next year, opponents won't be able to cheat off him when he's 18' from the basket, and he'll nail breakaway jumpshots. Last year, he shot .418 from the floor. This year, it was .492. Note that he's slipped in the playoffs -- again, he's a second year guy, and he needs seasoning. He's a pure point guard, moreso than either Chris Paul or Deron Williams. He's gonna be an All Star someday, quite possibly a perennial one. His ceiling... somewhere between DJ and Cousy. Closer to DJ. Yeah, really. He might or might not reach that ceiling. I'm very happy he's a Celtic.
posted by Bryant at 10:30 AM on June 07, 2008
He's a pure point guard, moreso than either Chris Paul or Deron Williams. He's gonna be an All Star someday, quite possibly a perennial one. His ceiling... somewhere between DJ and Cousy. Closer to DJ. Yeah, really. He might or might not reach that ceiling. Put the pipe down...You should get your license revoked for trying to put Rondo in the same category as CP3 or D-Will. He's more of an Avery Johnson type... Rondo is ok. He CANT shoot. By this age he should at least be able to knock down a wide open jump shot. People guard him as much as they guard Ben Wallace, which is rarely. He should get 10-20 points every single night with nobody guarding him. I see him being a decent back-up point guard for his career. If Boston didn't break the bank by buying Garnett and Allen, they would surely have picked up a better starting point guard. On the flip side, he is a great defender and causes a lot of problems for other guards with his length. If he had any offense, Boston wouldn't have lost 1 game in the playoffs.
posted by docshredder at 12:58 PM on June 07, 2008
shredder... maybe there was a premature coronation on some of the posts but it is interesting the contrast between Celtic fans and non-celtic fans(looks like from your postings you may be a Laker fan?). My original post was in response to the announcers saying that Celtics fans are up and down on Rondo which I don't think is true. Celtics fans would rather have Rondo over Telfair or Delonte West. Most of us were happy he was not included in the Allen or Garnett trades. He is just a pup - played just 2 years in college and then only 24 minutes per game last year. As for playoffs... Rondo: PPG 10.7 RPG 4.20 APG 6.6 Fisher: PPG 10.3 RPG 2.60 APG 2.4
posted by endorfin at 01:28 PM on June 07, 2008
He reminds me of Sam Cassell in many ways .. he could care less if he scored 6 or 40, as long as his team wins; he's got the talent and knack to hit the key shot (or make the key assist) whenever called on. He does what it takes it win.
posted by cixelsyd at 05:13 PM on June 07, 2008
endorfin, your numbers make the point adequately. Add Rondo's defensive skills to his offensive output, and you have a starting point guard on perhaps all but 3 or 4 teams in the NBA. He has been coached from the time he was in the NBA to forego his own offense in order to distribute the ball. Now that he has learned to recognize the open shooter, he is left open more and more often. I agree that his shot needs work, but he is beginning to hit his share, and he will devote the off-season to improving his offense. Doc Rivers has said that he listens and learns better than any point guard he has coached. His potential is great.
posted by Howard_T at 04:32 PM on June 08, 2008
but to put him in the same category as D-Will and CP3??? That's just a slap in the face to those two players. The day Rondo is even mentioned in the debate for MVP is the day I stop watching basketball...
posted by docshredder at 08:00 PM on June 08, 2008
16 assists in game 2. Pretty sure that's what a point guard is supposed to do.
posted by whitedog65 at 11:25 PM on June 08, 2008
Read what I said, man. I didn't say he was better than Paul or Williams; I said he was more of a pure point guard. I said he /might/ be a perennial All-Star, and let me put the emphasis on "possible" there. But I do think he's a great point guard for this team, and I think he's easily going to be the third best point guard of his generation, with those two guys clearly ahead of him. He's two games away from being the third point guard ever to win a Finals before his third season, and the first two were Magic Johnson and Tony Parker. It's pretty darned good company to be in, and when the guy throws out 16 assists I don't think you can say he's just along for the ride.
posted by Bryant at 12:15 AM on June 09, 2008
I guess it's ok to rape and pillage, etc., as long as you wear Lakers gold. Allegedly. but to put him in the same category as D-Will and CP3??? That's just a slap in the face to those two players. It's safe to say that you're giving Chris Paul and Deron Williams too much credit for accomplishing nothing as of yet in their young careers. Don't get me wrong, those two are great point gaurds and will be a tough challenge for anyone gaurding them in future games but we're talking about a guy in Rondo that has not only excelled but surpassed everyone's expectations of what he could do on the floor with the Big Three. Rondo isn't going to show much flash as to what he could do on the floor but he will get the job done as far as what a true point gaurd needs to be doing, making everyone around him better. Rondo's assists numbers has gone up and his defense has only gotten better. Rondo's job isn't to try to take over a game with his shooting like it is for CP3 or D-Will but to pass it off to the open man. Give Rondo a little more time and his shooting touch will come but that's just not how he needs to be used right now with this team in order for them to be great and to win the NBA championship. You say that it's a slap in the face to compare Rondo with CP3 and D-Will, I say, how could you not? He's accomplishing much more than those two have in their respective careers at this point so maybe he's doing something that those two need to start doing more of and that's playing team defense.
posted by BornIcon at 08:52 AM on June 09, 2008
Rondo's job isn't to try to take over a game with his shooting like it is for CP3 or D-Will but to pass it off to the open man. Yeah... The only difference is that D-Will and CP3 can score when they want to and Rondo can't make a wide open 15 footer. Anyways..Whatever. Rondo is ok, he ain't the next best thing since sliced bread and that's for sure. As you have noticed, every team in the playoffs has chosen to help off of Rondo because he is the worst offensive player on the court at all times. If he was as good as you all seem to think, I am sure that somebody would have chosen to guard him. Let's see how he plays when he doesn't have KG, Ray-Ray, and Pierce.
posted by docshredder at 08:59 AM on June 09, 2008
It's safe to say that you're giving Chris Paul and Deron Williams too much credit for accomplishing nothing as of yet in their young careers. Uhm, what? I'm a Celtics fan and I like Rondo. He's a good player with a chance to be great if he starts believing in his shot, develops an outside shot, gives up on those lob passes and becomes more consistent. But I'd trade him for either of those guys in a heartbeat. Chris Paul helped take the Hornets to the 2 seed. I find it hard to say they've done nothing so far in their career, especially when you're saying that vis-a-vis Rondo. What the hell has he done they haven't? Please don't tell me he took a team to the Finals.
posted by yerfatma at 09:09 AM on June 09, 2008
What the hell has he done they haven't? Please don't tell me he took a team to the Finals. Ok, I won't because he's not the reason that they're in the finals but he is a piece of the puzzle that helped them reach the finals. Listen: I'm not knocking Cris Paul or Deron Williams because they are both great players in their own right but my point is that Rondo just fits in this Cetics system. Everyone has a role and they're playing it to perfection and Doc Rivers isn't asking Rondo to do too much. Before the season even began and the trade for KG and Ray Allen took place, the number one question that just about everyone was asking was, "How will Rajon Rondo do?" The thing is, and this is just my opinion, Rondo really didn't need to do much except penetrate the paint and that'll allow the defense to collapse which in turn would leave a man open for a high percentage shot. So I'm not saying that Rondo is better than CP3 or D-Will but what I am saying is that he is playing at a very high level with this team and is doing exactly what is being needed of him.
posted by BornIcon at 10:54 AM on June 09, 2008
"Let's see how he plays when he doesn't have KG, Ray-Ray, and Pierce." You mean like this, this (both before Allen and KG) or this (rookie all star game - 18 Minutes 6 Points, 3 Rebounds 6 Assists 3 Steals). Looks pretty good to me. Which would laker fans rather see in the game, Rondo or Cassell?
posted by endorfin at 11:14 AM on June 09, 2008
I'm not saying that Rondo is better than CP3 or D-Will but what I am saying is that he is playing at a very high level with this team Absolutely. I'm ecstatic with his growth. He was a great rookie and he's gotten better. I love the all-around nature of his game, especially the fact he came into the league playing quality defense. I just don't think he belongs in the conversation with the young PGs out West.
posted by yerfatma at 11:32 AM on June 09, 2008
I just don't think he belongs in the conversation with the young PGs out West. Neither do I but I was just explaining how well Rondo has done with the Celtics this year. I truly believe that the sky's the limit with Rondo and he can only improve especially with these perennial Hall of Famers that he's playing alongside. That alone should help any young player with their development, not hurt them.
posted by BornIcon at 11:42 AM on June 09, 2008
Which would laker fans rather see in the game, Rondo or Cassell? Rondo. Although the Celtics are up 2-0 (and I'm pretty sure they'll take the series), Rondo's late-game ball-handling and play-calling have been atrocious. How many lob/balloon passes did he toss up in the waning minutes of, well, all of his playoff games so far? Don't get me wrong. He's a good lead guard. If his career maintains its upward trajectory he'll have a Dennis Johnson-type, solid-but-not-spectacular career.
posted by lilnemo at 05:21 PM on June 09, 2008
Rondo's late-game ball-handling and play-calling have been atrocious I'll grant you the first, but even if both of his hands rot and fall off, he'd still be better than Cassell. It's not even close. Sam can't handle the ball plus he's an offensive black hole. As for the play calling, I think that may be more a feature of the team's offense. Bill Simmons keeps grousing about how the Celtics don't have any offensive plays. Not sure if that's pure hyperbole or not.
posted by yerfatma at 12:04 AM on June 10, 2008
As a Celtics fan, I've gotten a lot of happiness out of watching Rajon grow the past couple of years, and I'm ecstatic that Doc didn't manage to destroy his confidence completely last year. I see him being a lot more like Jason Kidd than Chris Paul, though. I don't think Rondo's scoring will ever rival Paul, but he could end up being a regular triple-double threat in a year or two. He rebounds well for his size, doesn't show fear in the lane, and every once in a while, he flashes some truly impressive playmaking ability. I also like the way he works on the floor with the younger guys on the squad; for once, I think the Celts have a good young core to work with. I agree with Bryant; Rondo has the potential to be a perennial All-Star at PG for the East, and I hope he runs the break for a long time in Celtic green.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 09:51 AM on June 10, 2008
The national announcers just don't have a clue. If he were not wearing a Celtics uniform he would be the greatest thing since apple pie. I guess it's ok to rape and pillage, etc., as long as you wear Lakers gold. But, if you have good character and just play well, you just don't get the credit! The fans in Boston have joined the bandwagon on this young man and the national media has no basis for trying to cast doubt simply because he is not a LAKER! The Rondo lingo has really began catching on, i.e., you have just been Rondo'ed. They won't do that if they are not completely behind him. Boston fans can be the most loyal or the most critical. They just don't seem to ride the fence. GO CELTICS and Rondo around those media ignoramices and prepare for a big Rondo (celebration).