Will Rondo ever be exposed?

[Nick Young]

I will first say you can't deny what Rondo has accomplished. He has put up some all time great playoff game performances, and he has a really good IQ. He is also pretty flashy and exciting to watch and plays hardnosed D.

What he can't do is shoot to save his life. Even Austin Rivers in 9th grade beat him in shooting competitions.

I have always been under the impression that Rondo's game benefits immensley from playing with 3 HOFers, 2 of them are all time great long distance shooters, Kevin Garnett has one of the best midrange shots of all time too.

Rondo's performances for Team USA prove this to me, quite frankly he isn't very good for team USA, apart from Durant there aren't alot of pure knockdown shooters on the team and Rondo seems to suffer from it.

It is my belief that when KG and Pierce retire, and Rondo is left leading the team, he will suddenly start to look very average. The key will be clogged and Rondo will not have the space he is used to. Because he has the worst jumpshot in the league for a player of his position, I don't think Rondo will be able to adjust.


So do you think Rondo has been capitolizing off of his elite teammates, or will he look like the same elite allstar PG able to penetrate at will even after his teammates go?

[cavsfanatic]

Rondo was beating The Lebron Cavs by himself in some games. Rondo is unstoppable getting to the rim. you seen the game against Miami when his jumper was on and he dropped what? 44? Pierce, Allen, and KG did not show up that game so Rondo had to do it himself. Rondo is a monster and I love watching him play

[Go Getter]

When you do everything else so well, shooting becomes a small part of basketball, especially when you can make a high percentage of your shots regardless.


Rondo is currently better than Steve Nash and Steph Curry and Austin Rivers.



You suck as a basketball analyst.

[Miller for 3]

Yes Rondo will have so flukey scoring games because no one guards him. Is scoring 44 points( with two fluke 3s in the last seconds that were meaningless) with no one guarding you really something to brag about? 48 minutes of open gym and you only get 44 is pathetic.

Rondo has gotten exposed by the non casual fans. He is the Celtics 3rd best player at best, maybe 4th now that Terry is there. He leads the Celtics to crap offenses, and they dont miss a beat when he is off the court. KG is far and away their MVP. When he retires it will be the end of Celtics basketball

[Nick Young]

Yes Rondo will have so flukey scoring games because no one guards him. Is scoring 44 points( with two fluke 3s in the last seconds that were meaningless) with no one guarding you really something to brag about? 48 minutes of open gym and you only get 44 is pathetic.

Rondo has gotten exposed by the non casual fans. He is the Celtics 3rd best player at best, maybe 4th now that Terry is there. He leads the Celtics to crap offenses, and they dont miss a beat when he is off the court. KG is far and away their MVP. When he retires it will be the end of Celtics basketball
Exactly, the way I see it, no one even guards him so he should be able to get to the rim at will. Unlike Tony Parker who is an elite finisher, Rondo is just a slightly above average finisher so sagging massively off Rondo isn't that bad.

I lost alot of respect for Rondo after seeing Kobe shut him down by giving him 15 feet of space. If you can't punish a player when he gives you 15 feet of space, you aren't the star you are made out to be. The games where Rondo goes off, from what I've seen are mostly when defenses focus everything on shutting down the big 3.

He is smart, so is able to exploit bad that against bad coaches and dumb defenders. But he is playing with 3 of the best shooters in the league, one of whom is top 3 alltime great shooter ATLEAST. I think even Mario Chalmers would be able to become an allstar playing with those 3.

If you get shut down when players give you 15 feet of space, you aren't elite in my book.

[Go Getter]

Yes Rondo will have so flukey scoring games because no one guards him. Is scoring 44 points( with two fluke 3s in the last seconds that were meaningless) with no one guarding you really something to brag about? 48 minutes of open gym and you only get 44 is pathetic.

Rondo has gotten exposed by the non casual fans. He is the Celtics 3rd best player at best, maybe 4th now that Terry is there. He leads the Celtics to crap offenses, and they dont miss a beat when he is off the court. KG is far and away their MVP. When he retires it will be the end of Celtics basketball
You might need to revisit his playoff performances if you think that game was flukey.


He shoots a percentage that guys like Steph Curry will NEVER see.

Your Rondo hate is apparently clear here.

[Go Getter]

Exactly, the way I see it, no one even guards him so he should be able to get to the rim at will. Unlike Tony Parker who is an elite finisher, Rondo is just a slightly above average finisher so sagging massively off Rondo isn't that bad.

I lost alot of respect for Rondo after seeing Kobe shut him down by giving him 15 feet of space. If you can't punish a player when he gives you 15 feet of space, you aren't the star you are made out to be. The games where Rondo goes off, from what I've seen are mostly when defenses focus everything on shutting down the big 3.

If you get shut down when players give you 15 feet of space, you aren't elite in my book.
If people sag off you it is Harder to get to the rim not easier, you moron. You obviously have never played ball....youre too enamored with shooting. Rondo is a champion, plain and simple. Terry is his superior? Now you're reall hating.

[Styles p]

yeah by jrue holiday tonight.

[Nick Young]

You might need to revisit his playoff performances if you think that game was flukey.


He shoots a percentage that guys like Steph Curry will NEVER see.

Your Rondo hate is apparently clear here.
Stop looking at stats. He shoots a percentage of wideopen shots that guys like Steph Curry will never see because the defense actually has to guard them.

When the game is on the line and defenses focus up, unlike Nash, unlike Rose, unlike Westbrook, unlike Curry, unlike Brandon Jennings, unlike guys like Monta Ellis even, Rondo will not be able to get himself a good shot.

[IGOTGAME]

Discussing Rondo seems to be a good way to find out who has absolutely no idea what they are talking about in terms of basketball.

Rondo is a top 10 player in this league. It is not arguable.

[Nick Young]

If people sag off you it is Harder to get to the rim not easier, you moron. You obviously have never played ball....youre too enamored with shooting. Rondo is a champion, plain and simple. Terry is his superior? Now you're reall hating.
EXACTLY-and when Kobe sagged off him, Rondo could not get to the rim and didn't do ANYTHING AT ALL besides pass sideways to a heavily guarded KG, Ray or Pierce. I have seen other guards expose Rondo like this. He usually goes off against dumb guards like Jameer Nelson and dumb coaches like Stan Van Gundy who seemingly tell their players :"Double KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce every time they get the ball"

Rondo is so below average on Team USA when not surrounded by 3 all time great shooters, that's why I'm under the impression that his whole reputation is owed to them.

[Rubio2Gasol]

He's going to be much better this year.

He's going to get to play at a higher tempo with guys like Lee,Terry,Green, KG at Center, and the rest of that ridiculous guard rotation.

[theaussieguy]

going by the 'plays with 3 all stars' logic, shouldn't chalmers be looking like MJ of late.

[All Net]

As long as he has his speed his shooting ability won't be taken advantage of.

[ballup]

I love how "non casual" fans think they know his game. :oldlol:

Here are some statements that are more likely true than a lot stated above.
1. Aside from the 08 team, he hasn't extensively played with a lineup that suits him. Having good jumpshooters help his stats, but he works better with a balance of athletic guys who can cut and a couple of shooters. The Celtics have been terrible on fast breaks because Rondo has almost no one to run with him.
2. His midrange is average, but he's still terrible at the line and he doesn't shoot 3s.
3. He isn't aggressive as he should be, there are many instances were he runs a play for a teammate when he should just penetrate.
4. Kobe did a good job on Rondo because he had two 7 footers deterring Rondo.

[All Net]

Discussing Rondo seems to be a good way to find out who has absolutely no idea what they are talking about in terms of basketball.

Rondo is a top 10 player in this league. It is not arguable.

If people don't have him as a top 5 PG, will would people have him as a top 10 player? he is in the convo but to most he is just outside the top 10...maybe top 12-14 range.

[Kblaze8855]

Id say Rondo might be underrated as a total player but overrated as a point guard. I love his game. Love his defense. Love how he can attack when he chooses to. I love his rebounding to an almost creepy extent. I loooooove his rebounding. And he can pass.

But...I think he cares too much about assists. He plays like a video game point controlled by someone who wants to see how many assists theycan get. Their offense is not as good as it usually should be and him passing so much is not helping as much as one might think.

They would be a better team if he wanted to make the best play more than get the assist I believe. Hes actually kinda predictable at times. You see teams not even respecting his drive knowing hes gonna drop it off.

You cant JUST pass or JUST score. You have to do whats best at the moment and I think hes gone too far in one direction. And as much as people ooh and ahh about 14 assist games making you a pure point....it doesnt always make for a great offense.

He so much more dangerous in playoff mode when hes aggressive. I almost want to see him without KG and Paul for a full season to see if he brings it back to center a bit.

[Nick Young]

going by the 'plays with 3 all stars' logic, shouldn't chalmers be looking like MJ of late.
Chalmers plays with Bosh, who is the only good shooter on the team. Lebron and Wade dominate the ball and make all the plays.

[All Net]

Rondo really does need to attack more as thats when he is at his best. There is no reason for him to have 10-11 point games in losses..

[Grey Dawn]

That behind the back fake pass move is still a travel every time.

[IGOTGAME]

If people don't have him as a top 5 PG, will would people have him as a top 10 player? he is in the convo but to most he is just outside the top 10...maybe top 12-14 range.

If someone doesn't have him as a top 5 pg then there is no reason to talk to them about basketball.

Personally, I don't think there are 10 guys you can currently argue over Rondo. I have him as a top 2 pg in the league and a top 10 player. Well above the Melo, Westbrook class of player.



You cant JUST pass or JUST score. You have to do whats best at the moment and I think hes gone too far in one direction. And as much as people ooh and ahh about 14 assist games making you a pure point....it doesnt always make for a great offense.

He so much more dangerous in playoff mode when hes aggressive. I almost want to see him without KG and Paul for a full season to see if he brings it back to center a bit.

I actually like his style because he has the team functioning as a top tier playoff team without his scoring. That means that his team always has an extra bullet to fire when needed. That bullet being Rondo going off as a scorer. I believe that is his greatest strength.

[Poetry]

When i think of this guy, i just think of one word:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qoSXxWHV7Q

[Kblaze8855]

I actually like his style because he has the team functioning as a top tier playoff team without his scoring. That means that his team always has an extra bullet to fire when needed. That bullet being Rondo going off as a scorer. I believe that is his greatest strength.

Players like Rondo just dont win as much as people seem to think. The most effective points are always willing to score. Not just for a few key playoff games. Magic, Isiah, Cousy, Frazier, Oscar, Nash, and even Kidd were at peak effectiveness when they scored enough to not let the defense ignore them.

Kidd was as unselfish as anyone....still dropped 20ppg to get his team to the finals and peaked around 16-19ppg. Magic played his best ball as a 20-24 a game scorer. Isiah was a brilliant passer but he knew to score enough to keep pressure off his teammates. Bob Cousy might have led the league in assists...but he also led the league in FGAs once or twice. nash was at his best...career best...vs the Mavs in 05. Having 48 point games and putting up 30 for the series. Even Stocktons greatest moment was taking over game 6 in the 97 WCF.

Its not that scoring is all that matters. But when a great playmaker also puts pressure on you to stop his scoring his teammates benefit.

Rondo saving the majority of his scoring for 4-5 playoff games a year doesnt cut it. Not like its actually getting them titles. If its gonna be his team he has to do it all all season.

He has it in him. Rondo can be top 5 to me. Not point guard. Player. But not when hes half assing it 85 games a season. Guys barely even leave his shooters to stop his drives anymore.You have to make teams make a decision...and make it the wrong one. He keeps this shit up hes gonna get less effective not more.

[Dictator]

Rondo is underrated.

[KOBE143]

Rondo is overrated.

[upside24]

Discussing Rondo seems to be a good way to find out who has absolutely no idea what they are talking about in terms of basketball.

Rondo is a top 10 player in this league. It is not arguable.
He can't shoot well though, so that means he sucks, because shooting is all that matters in basketball.:lol

[Nick Young]

He can't shoot well though, so that means he sucks, because shooting is all that matters in basketball.:lol
It doesn't mean he sucks, just that he will get exposed when his all time great HOFer teammates leave and he will be passing to Jeff Green instead of Paul Pierce and Brendan Bass instead of KG and the floor won't be spaced like it currently is for him.

Think for example how CP3, Nash, Deron, Curry, Holiday, Wall, Kyrie, Westbrook, Rose, Jennings, Tony Parker, basically any other top PG would punish teams if they had Paul Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen standing on the perimeter. Imagine even old Andre Miller or old man Jason Kidd with those guys to pass to. All of those guys would be able to get 14 assists a game on this team and have more energy to crash the boards and play better D because they don't have to work that hard on the offensive side of things.

Rondo is not better than Tony Parker btw. Tony Parker is the best point guard in the league, he has the championships and finals MVP as proof. CP3, Deron, Parker are a tier above Rondo. I personally have Westbrook, Nash and Rose above him too but that's a matter of opinion.

Rondo's best advantages are his IQ, rebounding and defense. On offense like I keep saying I think he looks much better than he is because the 3 HOFer shooters.

[Djahjaga]

Yeah, Parker would have killed it with a past-their-prime Boston Big 3, especially considering his best teammates were...a prime Duncan and a prime Ginobili. Oh wait.

[Nick Young]

Yeah, Parker would have killed it with a past-their-prime Boston Big 3, especially considering his best teammates were...a prime Duncan and a prime Ginobili. Oh wait.
Ginobili and Duncan aren't knockdown perimeter shooters.

Parker right now is killing it, he has lead his team to the best record in the west the past 2 seasons. His team of grandpa duncan, 60 games a year Manu and random roleplayers nobody has heard of.

When Manu and Duncan were in their prime, he won 3 titles and one finals MVP as the floor general of all those teams.

Now that he has a great midrange shot he is better than he has ever been. Tony Parker is the best point guard in the league and also the most underrated player in the league.

[Dictator]

It doesn't mean he sucks, just that he will get exposed when his all time great HOFer teammates leave and he will be passing to Jeff Green instead of Paul Pierce and Brendan Bass instead of KG and the floor won't be spaced like it currently is for him.

Think for example how CP3, Nash, Deron, Curry, Holiday, Wall, Kyrie, Westbrook, Rose, Jennings, Tony Parker, basically any other top PG would punish teams if they had Paul Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen standing on the perimeter. Imagine even old Andre Miller or old man Jason Kidd with those guys to pass to. All of those guys would be able to get 14 assists a game on this team and have more energy to crash the boards and play better D because they don't have to work that hard on the offensive side of things.

Rondo is not better than Tony Parker btw. Tony Parker is the best point guard in the league, he has the championships and finals MVP as proof. CP3, Deron, Parker are a tier above Rondo. I personally have Westbrook, Nash and Rose above him too but that's a matter of opinion.

Rondo's best advantages are his IQ, rebounding and defense. On offense like I keep saying I think he looks much better than he is because the 3 HOFer shooters.

Steve Nash avged 11 ast with the "Suns".
Lebron avged 7 ast with the "Cavs".
Jwall avged like 8 st with the "wizards".

c'mon now....

Rondo is just a great passer.

[upside24]

It doesn't mean he sucks, just that he will get exposed when his all time great HOFer teammates leave and he will be passing to Jeff Green instead of Paul Pierce and Brendan Bass instead of KG and the floor won't be spaced like it currently is for him.

Think for example how CP3, Nash, Deron, Curry, Holiday, Wall, Kyrie, Westbrook, Rose, Jennings, Tony Parker, basically any other top PG would punish teams if they had Paul Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen standing on the perimeter. Imagine even old Andre Miller or old man Jason Kidd with those guys to pass to. All of those guys would be able to get 14 assists a game on this team and have more energy to crash the boards and play better D because they don't have to work that hard on the offensive side of things.

Rondo is not better than Tony Parker btw. Tony Parker is the best point guard in the league, he has the championships and finals MVP as proof. CP3, Deron, Parker are a tier above Rondo. I personally have Westbrook, Nash and Rose above him too but that's a matter of opinion.

Rondo's best advantages are his IQ, rebounding and defense. On offense like I keep saying I think he looks much better than he is because the 3 HOFer shooters.
I understand your position and I wasn't really mocking you rather posters that think his poor shooting means he isn't a great player.

The PGs you listed would be good in the same position as Rondo when the Big 3 were still intact and it would be nice if Rondo DID look to score more and had a reliable jumpshot but he doesn't.

I don't think Rondo is a tier down from CP3, Deron and Parker though. He just finds a way to impact games.

He may struggle when the Celtics lose PP and KG and Rondo has to carry a bigger scoring load but I think he will find a way to adjust. Hopefully his midrange jumper will improve but I'm not holding my breath.

[Djahjaga]

Ginobili and Duncan aren't knockdown perimeter shooters.

Parker right now is killing it, he has lead his team to the best record in the west the past 2 seasons. His team of grandpa duncan, 60 games a year Manu and random roleplayers nobody has heard of.

When Manu and Duncan were in their prime, he won 3 titles and one finals MVP as the floor general of all those teams.

Now that he has a great midrange shot he is better than he has ever been. Tony Parker is the best point guard in the league and also the most underrated player in the league.

The Spurs were the first team in the league to determine the importance of the corner three as a floor spacing weapon and as the most efficient shot in basketeball. They had plenty of floor spacers back in the day. Bowen even led the league in 3P% one year. Kerr, Horry, Manu, Jackson...their staple was hard-nosed defense and good post play, but they also sliced up their opponent's D with good ball movement and basket cuts. So, let's not act like Parker didn't walk into the best situation he possibly could have.

And it's not the assists numbers that prove that Rondo is a good passer -- it's his game. Watch it. Last year in particular. He'll be the only one on a fast break and still somehow get the ball to Ray Allen for a wide open three. Throughout the Miami series, he recognized even the slightest opportunities KG had to score and delivered the ball straight to the rim for him. He knows how each of his teammates prefers to score and makes them the most effective they can be at it. And he does that better than anybody in the league, except maybe for Chris Paul.

His assist numbers are impressive, too, though. The jump from 8 or 9 assists to 11 is not as small as you think. And we've seen that Rondo can clearly average more than that, but maybe not to the betterment of the team.

In any case, Rondo's game benefits from floor spacers, yes. But his teammates benefit more from playing with him than vice versa. He has to distribute shots perfectly amongst them, put the ball in the right place at the right time night after night so we don't get players bitching about not getting enough shots and so that our offense doesn't completely shut down.

[DJ Leon Smith]

Rondo is such a pathetic player the Lakers put the all-time top-10 defender Kobe Bryant on him in the 2008 NBA Finals while shooting guard Ray Allen went off and they went down at home after being up 24 points at half-time and lost the deciding game by 39 points.

So either Rondo sucks, or Kobe can't play D. Pick one.

Enjoy.

[I.R.Beast]

Rondo's games goes as his teammates go. I'm a celtic i know, i watch these games. We haven't finished in the top 10 of offensive efficiency since our title run. We have a huge problem with offensive stagnation mainly because of rondo's tendency to dribble off so much of the clock and his timidity toward shooting the ball. His high assists totals are quite deceiving when you take into account how often we "struggle" for offense. His being afraid to score/shoot gives the defense an edge because his man can then roam and reek havoc. His high scoring nights are more often that not "flukey", the person guarding him usually has so little respect for his offense that he will have more space to score than the average top PG like a D rose westbrook, cp3 d-will etc. Most of his points come from wide open lanes because defenders fear the weapons he has to pass to. The moment the weapons are gone his FG% will normalize to match his actual scoring/shooting abilities. It's quite clear that rondo will not be the same without all the help, IMO anyone that denies that is either in denial, biased, or just plain doesn't understand basketball. With every year of rondo's responsibility for running the offense has increased we've finished lower in the offensive efficiency numbers and our record has reflected it. Rondo is what i call an elite "Role Player", you cant build around him, but you can complete a team with him.

[Clippersfan86]

All you need to know is the Celtics were a pathetic 27th ranked offense in the league last year despite being extremely talented, experienced and having Rondo running the show. No way in hell you can call a PG the best in the game or top 3 when he runs the 27th ranked offense in the league, no exceptions.

As a huge Bledsoe homer (as you guys know) I do understand the impact and value of Rondo's rebounding and defense but the fact that he regularly leads the NBA in assists yet the offense is so terrible is troubling to me.

[Clifton]

Discussing Rondo seems to be a good way to find out who has absolutely no idea what they are talking about in terms of basketball.

Rondo is a top 10 player in this league. It is not arguable.
I love posts like this... ok, discussion over, everyone go home. It's not arguable.

Meanwhile I watch this dude play and it's like... teammate must lunge to catch every other basic swing pass he throws... blown layup... opposing defender gives him 6 feet of space and he bricks the jumper... clumsy decision making - not awful but certainly worse than Paul and even Deron - on the pick and roll... his scoring numbers are totally determined by what the defense gives him...

It has nothing to do with playing with hall-of-famers; it has to do with a good strong system and a clearly defined role that he has (admirably) devoted himself to excelling within. And all the props in the world to him for that. But as far as pure ability to play the PG position well... there are a lot of guys who are ahead of him. And they don't have the benefit of such a great system and role. But it's still pretty clear watching them that they are better... every pick and roll Chris Paul does, even if a bucket doesn't result, is more impressive than a whole triple-double game of Rondo's.

Rondo is nothing special. He just makes me sad that every player in the league doesn't have the opportunity and willingness to do what he's doing. What sets him apart is that he has a very clear five-point plan for every game and situation. While it's not clear to me at all what, for example, Deron Williams is doing, or even Derrick Rose. Most guys are freewheeling all the time... most striking example of this was Lebron in Cleveland. Just tragic how lame coaching is for most teams.

IF he were to go to another team it is very likely he would be exposed as merely above-average. Vaguely in the middle of top 10 lists for the position. Sort of like how Jeremly Lin will always be an average or maybe above-average PG who never again puts up the numbers he put up in PG Heaven, aka a Mike D'Antoni offense with no other players who can do anything useful with the ball in their hands.

[Ikill]

You might need to revisit his playoff performances if you think that game was flukey.


He shoots a percentage that guys like Steph Curry will NEVER see.

Your Rondo hate is apparently clear here.
Curry has shot a 57 60 and 61 ts in his first 3 years Currys teams have also been better offensively.

[hipballinjigga]

Rajon Rondo is a totally unique player that makes it hard to really discuss him in any thread. The Boston Celtic fan homer in me screams "how dare you call out Rondo". However, the basketball fan in me understands your arguments and your own analysis.

As someone who has watched the development of Rondo throughout the years, you were right in saying he has no jumpshot and has been protected by being surrounded by three hall of famers.

However, things are changing including my own perception of Rondo. I used to think he had no shot and tried way too hard to get assists, as one of you mentioned, he plays like he is in video game mode at times.

What changed my mind? The way this year's team is structured. The team is structured the correct way to match his playing style for the first time since he has entered the league. Rondo is a running point guard. Running up and down the floor benefits his game and i think it gives him more confidence as well.

A perfect development example would be last year's playoffs when he scored 44 and last night's preseason game. Rondo just kept attacking like I have never seen him attack in those games. He showed that when the big 3 or 2 or not there for him, HE is not exposed, but starts exposing the other team by simply taking over the game.

What we have here is a player that can frustrate you because sometimes he tries doing too much. However, there is no questioning his talent and waiting for him to be exposed. He is the real deal and perhaps, and some of you will say no "f'n" way, one of the BEST ALL-AROUND players in the NBA today.

[ballup]

Rondo's games goes as his teammates go. I'm a celtic i know, i watch these games. We haven't finished in the top 10 of offensive efficiency since our title run. We have a huge problem with offensive stagnation mainly because of rondo's tendency to dribble off so much of the clock and his timidity toward shooting the ball. His high assists totals are quite deceiving when you take into account how often we "struggle" for offense. His being afraid to score/shoot gives the defense an edge because his man can then roam and reek havoc. His high scoring nights are more often that not "flukey", the person guarding him usually has so little respect for his offense that he will have more space to score than the average top PG like a D rose westbrook, cp3 d-will etc. Most of his points come from wide open lanes because defenders fear the weapons he has to pass to. The moment the weapons are gone his FG% will normalize to match his actual scoring/shooting abilities. It's quite clear that rondo will not be the same without all the help, IMO anyone that denies that is either in denial, biased, or just plain doesn't understand basketball. With every year of rondo's responsibility for running the offense has increased we've finished lower in the offensive efficiency numbers and our record has reflected it. Rondo is what i call an elite "Role Player", you cant build around him, but you can complete a team with him.
What? So you are saying that Rondo's passivity makes his defenders look much better than they actually are? If Rondo's defenders reak havoc, it'd be pretty noticeable to Doc Rivers and Rondo wouldn't be an all star, let alone a starter.

Of course Rondo needs decent scorers around him, his playstyle is to distribute the ball instead of looking for his own shot first. I've said this so many times, give him a team that can actually run with him and the offense will be much better. Rondo's skill set works much better in an uptempo offense. People don't understand that the Celtic's offensive schemes aren't so great. They are tailored to an old school template, not to one's specific qualities.

[albas89]

This year's gonna be the real test for Rondo! Allen is not there anymore and I'm pretty sure Pierce and Garnett will play limited minutes all season long compared to previous seasons.
Rondo now has a supporting cast who can run the fast break (Lee, Green, Bradley when he comes back], shoot the ball (Pierce and Terry long range, Bass and KG mid range] and post up (Garnett and Sullinger]. In other words he will be able to be the absolute floor manager and adjust his style of offense... he has one of the best bbiq's in the league and I'm sure he's gonna take full advantage of the current situation, which is perfect for a high bbiq PG like him!

I would even go so far as to say that Rondo will be top 5 in MVP voting at the end of the season. It's a bold prediction, I know, and it will depend on how healthy the Celtics team can stay during the season. Time will tell, though...

[Clippersfan86]

This year's gonna be the real test for Rondo! Allen is not there anymore and I'm pretty sure Pierce and Garnett will play limited minutes all season long compared to previous seasons.
Rondo now has a supporting cast who can run the fast break (Lee, Green, Bradley when he comes back], shoot the ball (Pierce and Terry long range, Bass and KG mid range] and post up (Garnett and Sullinger]. In other words he will be able to be the absolute floor manager and adjust his style of offense... he has one of the best bbiq's in the league and I'm sure he's gonna take full advantage of the current situation, which is perfect for a high bbiq PG like him!

I would even go so far as to say that Rondo will be top 5 in MVP voting at the end of the season. It's a bold prediction, I know, and it will depend on how healthy the Celtics team can stay during the season. Time will tell, though...

Tony Parker was 4th or 5th on MVP ballot last year so it's not THAT farfetched. The key is unlike all other seasons he needs to go all out regular season and not just coast until the playoffs. Celtics also need to be the 1-2 seed probably with him being the clear best player (KG won't let that happen easily, neither will Pierce).

[albas89]

Celtics also need to be the 1-2 seed.
If they stay relatively healthy, I'm pretty sure they will.


Tony Parker was 4th or 5th on MVP ballot last year so it's not THAT farfetched [...]
... probably with him being the clear best player (KG won't let that happen easily, neither will Pierce).
That's why I said it's a bold prediction. I just think that this Celtics team is structured exactly the way needed to let Rondo take over and shine.

[CelticBaller]

the big 3 missed alot of games last year i wonder why he wasn't exposed already

[TheAesirsFinest]

Id say Rondo might be underrated as a total player but overrated as a point guard. I love his game. Love his defense. Love how he can attack when he chooses to. I love his rebounding to an almost creepy extent. I loooooove his rebounding. And he can pass.

But...I think he cares too much about assists. He plays like a video game point controlled by someone who wants to see how many assists theycan get. Their offense is not as good as it usually should be and him passing so much is not helping as much as one might think.

They would be a better team if he wanted to make the best play more than get the assist I believe. Hes actually kinda predictable at times. You see teams not even respecting his drive knowing hes gonna drop it off.

You cant JUST pass or JUST score. You have to do whats best at the moment and I think hes gone too far in one direction. And as much as people ooh and ahh about 14 assist games making you a pure point....it doesnt always make for a great offense.

He so much more dangerous in playoff mode when hes aggressive. I almost want to see him without KG and Paul for a full season to see if he brings it back to center a bit.

Seriously. He had/has a tendency to just dribble at the free throw line extended and farther, waiting to throw an on-point pass while his defender is 6 feet away. I mean, it's good and all to set up your teammates, but he seems almost complacent with not putting pressure on the opposing team's defense...up until the playoffs, like you said. Then his true impact on the game is realized :bowdown:

[Salazaar]

Chalmers plays with Bosh, who is the only good shooter on the team.

Oh lawd... One of the stupidest things I've ever read here :wtf:

[Rolando]

Enjoy watching Rondo this season all you haters. Last season he was easily one of the top 15 players in the league. This year he will be in the top ten, easily.

Yes, his shot will still suck and yet, he still will get the job done when it counts.

Rondo cannot be "exposed". He's been to the finals twice already and has won a championship. Aside from that, he's been deep into the playoffs many many times and put up ridiculous stats and generally played hard-nosed, old school ball. The time when he could have been "exposed" is long, long gone.

I hope he annoys the shit out of everyone with his brilliant play.:cheers:

[tmacattack33]

I will first say you can't deny what Rondo has accomplished. He has put up some all time great playoff game performances, and he has a really good IQ. He is also pretty flashy and exciting to watch and plays hardnosed D.

What he can't do is shoot to save his life. Even Austin Rivers in 9th grade beat him in shooting competitions.

I have always been under the impression that Rondo's game benefits immensley from playing with 3 HOFers, 2 of them are all time great long distance shooters, Kevin Garnett has one of the best midrange shots of all time too.

Rondo's performances for Team USA prove this to me, quite frankly he isn't very good for team USA, apart from Durant there aren't alot of pure knockdown shooters on the team and Rondo seems to suffer from it.

It is my belief that when KG and Pierce retire, and Rondo is left leading the team, he will suddenly start to look very average. The key will be clogged and Rondo will not have the space he is used to. Because he has the worst jumpshot in the league for a player of his position, I don't think Rondo will be able to adjust.


So do you think Rondo has been capitolizing off of his elite teammates, or will he look like the same elite allstar PG able to penetrate at will even after his teammates go?

He's already been exposed many times.

The biggest came in what was supposed to be the best series of his career...the 2008 NBA Finals. LA sagged off of Rondo so much that Boston was forced to throw Eddie House in there instead of Rondo.

He was forced to play less than 22 minutes in three of the six games. His plus minus for all three of these games was around -10 in each of them. Which solidifies what i saw with my eyes and what Doc and the Boston coaching staff saw.

[CTulc]

He's already been exposed many times.

The biggest came in what was supposed to be the best series of his career...the 2008 NBA Finals. LA sagged off of Rondo so much that Boston was forced to throw Eddie House in there instead of Rondo.

He was forced to play less than 22 minutes in three of the six games. His plus minus for all three of these games was around -10 in each of them. Which solidifies what i saw with my eyes and what Doc and the Boston coaching staff saw.

This is really ignorant.

A 2nd year player got exposed! Oh wow what are the odds! He did what his team needed him to do and they all got rings because of it.

[Nick Young]

This is really ignorant.

A 2nd year player got exposed! Oh wow what are the odds! He did what his team needed him to do and they all got rings because of it.
He did what his team needed him to do? He should get credit for sitting on the bench so an old undersized SG journeyman could do a better job than he could?
Adam Morrison did what he had to do, without him who would have guarded Luke Walton in practice and give him so much confidence.

Adam Morrison should get more praise for doing what he had to do, he sat on the bench for two titles
http://www.sportsgrid.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/adam-morrison.jpg

:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[Mach_3]

He's already been exposed many times.

The biggest came in what was supposed to be the best series of his career...the 2008 NBA Finals. LA sagged off of Rondo so much that Boston was forced to throw Eddie House in there instead of Rondo.

He was forced to play less than 22 minutes in three of the six games. His plus minus for all three of these games was around -10 in each of them. Which solidifies what i saw with my eyes and what Doc and the Boston coaching staff saw.

:biggums:

[Miller for 3]

Tonights game is further proof. Rondo plays 32+ minutes, most of any of Bostons stars, and the celtics are getting killed by the Bynum less Sixers. Rondo is a product of a great team, not a great player

[Kevin_Garnett_5]

:oldlol: Funny how we never see these threads during the Playoffs.

[Mach_3]

:oldlol: Funny how we never see these threads during the Playoffs.

Gotta love these ignorant haters :applause:

[Kyle_korver]

OMG anyone who plays basketball can easily see rondo is a product of the celtics offense.. he doesnt have the tools to be a franchise player... people seem to forget that rondo got injured last year.. paul pierce stepped up n controlled the offense much like he did when they won the championship n averaged 9 assist while rondo was out n having one game with 16 assist.. rondo is the only point guard who can get away with having 10 assist with 2 points.. players like rose, paul, deron , westbrook would get bashed heavily .. he has all the time in the world to work on his shot.. FREETHROWS AT LEAST.. you shoot freethrows from middle school high school college NBA n your point guard who shoots like a center.. COME ON YOU SUCK RONDO!!

[jdm_dc_fan]

OMG anyone who plays basketball can easily see rondo is a product of the celtics offense.. he doesnt have the tools to be a franchise player... people seem to forget that rondo got injured last year.. paul pierce stepped up n controlled the offense much like he did when they won the championship n averaged 9 assist while rondo was out n having one game with 16 assist.. rondo is the only point guard who can get away with having 10 assist with 2 points.. players like rose, paul, deron , westbrook would get bashed heavily .. he has all the time in the world to work on his shot.. FREETHROWS AT LEAST.. you shoot freethrows from middle school high school college NBA n your point guard who shoots like a center.. COME ON YOU SUCK RONDO!!
He's shooting 77% free throws in the pre season. Dood is being ranked top 12 in the nba and is still improving. It's no coincidence that people who respect rondo are generally Heat, Magic, cavs and Lakers fans.

[cavsfanatic]

damn, I never knew how many people lacked basketball knowledge till now. Rondo in the playoffs >>> any pg in the playoffs. dude be dropping triple doubles. Pg's aren't supposed to average 20 ppg when they have a good supporting cast.

[Kevin_Garnett_5]

Tonights game is further proof. Rondo plays 32+ minutes, most of any of Bostons stars, and the celtics are getting killed by the Bynum less Sixers. Rondo is a product of a great team, not a great player

:oldlol:

Preseason > Postseason

[ChuckOakley]

Tonights game is further proof. Rondo plays 32+ minutes, most of any of Bostons stars, and the celtics are getting killed by the Bynum less Sixers. Rondo is a product of a great team, not a great player
Funny cause he carried the bench the other night without PP and KG to a win.

Perhaps KG and PP in their mid to late 30's aren't the players they once were and are the ones lucky to have Rondo around?

Nah...

[MasterDurant24]

You might need to revisit his playoff performances if you think that game was flukey.


He shoots a percentage that guys like Steph Curry will NEVER see.

Your Rondo hate is apparently clear here.
:confusedshrug: Curry shot a better percentage than Rondo last year shooting more shots. The year before when he wasn't hurt most of the year he shot slightly worse than Rondo that year and better than he did last year.

[ChuckOakley]

People that don't like or appreciate Rondo's game either don't really know basketball or are a fan of a rival team or PG.

As a Nets fan I will easily admit Rondo > D.Will and pretty much any PG not named Paul or MVP-year Rose.

[BlackWhiteGreen]

. I'm a celtic

:roll:

Anyway, the fact these threads even exist is surely a testament to how great Rondo is.

[Kblaze8855]

Pg's aren't supposed to average 20 ppg when they have a good supporting cast.


The person who pretty much defined the position first...Cousy...he led the league in FGA when he was one of 3 all NBa players on his team. Then Oscar came and dropped 30ppg even when he had 3 all stars. Walt Frazier put up 20 a game as one of 5 HOF players. Jerry West put up like 10 assists a game dropping like 27 a game with 3 other good scorers as they contended for rings. Magic Johnson put up 20-24ppg in his prime and did so on stacked teams. Isiah put up 20 a game with 5 good scorers and Dennis Rodman and 18-19 a game with even more talent. Jason Kidd put up 19ppg in his best season and 20ppg in back to back playoffs to make the finals.

Kevin Johnson scored a lot. So did Tim Hardaway. Both did so on teams with great great talent. Same for Gary Payton. 18-24 a game always with talent until like...01 or 02?

Chris Paul was doing 23 a game not long ago. Deron Williams has always been a scorer. Westbrook helped his team to the finals scoring.

Rose won the MVP dropping 25 a game.


Who exactly made you think PGs shouldnt be 20ppg scorers when they have good teams?

Stockton?

Is he literally the only example you could come up with?

Maybe Lenny wilkens? Guy Rodgers or something?

Great points have always been scorers because you can only pass so much before your lack of aggression makes your team easier to defend.

If Stockton didnt play his entire career with the #2 scorer of all time he would have known to shoot too.

This myth that great, real, or "pure" points shouldnt score has to end. It just doesnt hold up.

Every great point there ever was...John Stockton aside....was a scorer. And they were scorers good teams or not.

[Nick Young]

He's shooting 77% free throws in the pre season. Dood is being ranked top 12 in the nba and is still improving. It's no coincidence that people who respect rondo are generally Heat, Magic, cavs and Lakers fans.
If he really is ranked top 12 in the NBA by anyone, that person is a stats nerd.

[Nick Young]

People that don't like or appreciate Rondo's game either don't really know basketball or are a fan of a rival team or PG.

As a Nets fan I will easily admit Rondo > D.Will and pretty much any PG not named Paul or MVP-year Rose.
:facepalm

[Nick Young]

Chauncey and Tony Parker, the last PGs to be Finals MVP, are score first point guards.

Everyone is always discrediting Parker, calling him a product of a system, while hyping up Rondo. IT SHOULD BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND! Tony Parker is absolutely unstoppable and has 3 rings to his name! Rondo has 1 ring that he was carried to by 3 HOFers while sucking in the finals and lead his team of 3 HOFers to the 27th ranked offense in the league last year but is a top 10 overall player:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

When will people learn?

[pegasus]

People just need to accept the fact that Rondo is a great player, and he won't be exposed unless you think eventually getting old and slowing down is being exposed.

He is an excellent point guard to build a team around, and even with Garnett and Pierce gone, the Celtics will be a force as long as he is around and Ainge continues to acquire good pieces.

He is definitely a top-3 PG, and I would actually only take Rose before him.

[ChuckOakley]

:facepalm
Rondo is a better Point Guard than D.Will and has a much bigger influence on both ends of the floor.

Rondo simply controls a court when he's in.

[BlueandGold]

Getting exposed happens more to guy's in their 2nd or 3rd years or guy's that had one good season a year ago and now coaches/scouts have had proper time and attention to plan against them.

A guy in his 7th+ season normally doesn't just get "exposed". His game might regress because of injury (physical or psychological) or a change in coaching/teammates but there isn't like some master plan out there in stopping rondo that coaches learn about after his 7th season.

[Kiarip]

Ginobili and Duncan aren't knockdown perimeter shooters.

Parker right now is killing it, he has lead his team to the best record in the west the past 2 seasons. His team of grandpa duncan, 60 games a year Manu and random roleplayers nobody has heard of.

When Manu and Duncan were in their prime, he won 3 titles and one finals MVP as the floor general of all those teams.

Now that he has a great midrange shot he is better than he has ever been. Tony Parker is the best point guard in the league and also the most underrated player in the league.

When did the Spurs not have great shooters? They had Bowen, Jackson, and now they have a ton more guys...

[veilside23]

When will people learn?


people dont want to learn from people like you.. stupid... :D


these kids want their point guard to shoot like crazy ....

point guard defined for kids

Point guard (PG), also called the one, play maker or "the ball-handler," is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game and is commonly abbreviated "PG." A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right players at the right time. Above all, the point guard must totally understand and accept his or her coach's game plan; in this way, the position can be compared to a quarterback in American football.



do you expect a quarterback to always score a touchdown?

[Nick Young]

people dont want to learn from people like you.. stupid... :D


these kids want their point guard to shoot like crazy ....

point guard defined for kids

Point guard (PG), also called the one, play maker or "the ball-handler," is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game and is commonly abbreviated "PG." A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right players at the right time. Above all, the point guard must totally understand and accept his or her coach's game plan; in this way, the position can be compared to a quarterback in American football.



do you expect a quarterback to always score a touchdown?
Wow, that sounds just like Tony Parker, who has lead his team to a top 5 offense in the league the past two seasons. Rondo leading his team to 27th best offense in the league while playing with Paul Pierce, KG and Ray Allen=better pointguard than Parker leading his team to the best record in the west and the number 1 offense with old Manu, Old Duncan and randoms no one has heard of. And Manu missed about 40 games the past two seasons.

[veilside23]

Wow, that sounds just like Tony Parker, who has lead his team to a top 5 offense in the league the past two seasons. Rondo leading his team to 27th best offense in the league while playing with Paul Pierce, KG and Ray Allen=better pointguard than Parker leading his team to the best record in the west and the number 1 offense with old Manu, Old Duncan and randoms no one has heard of. And Manu missed about 40 games the past two seasons.


you talking to me ? :rolleyes:

[tpols]

Wow, that sounds just like Tony Parker, who has lead his team to a top 5 offense in the league the past two seasons. Rondo leading his team to 27th best offense in the league while playing with Paul Pierce, KG and Ray Allen=better pointguard than Parker leading his team to the best record in the west and the number 1 offense with old Manu, Old Duncan and randoms no one has heard of. And Manu missed about 40 games the past two seasons.
Lol.. Popoviches game plan and focus on equal opportunity scoring and execution is what makes the spurs offense potent. Tony Parker doesn't control anything.. He has brief moments of scoring and that's it. Rondo is given the ball and expected to create shots for the slowest, oldest worst penetrating team in the league. Your bball clueless bro

[Infinite-Sky]

Tonights game is further proof. Rondo plays 32+ minutes, most of any of Bostons stars, and the celtics are getting killed by the Bynum less Sixers. Rondo is a product of a great team, not a great player

The celtics were +3 with rondo on the floor. Do you know what that means? maybe watch the game instead of looking simply at the box score. Boston's second unit lost it in the forth quarter.

[Infinite-Sky]

He's already been exposed many times.

The biggest came in what was supposed to be the best series of his career...the 2008 NBA Finals. LA sagged off of Rondo so much that Boston was forced to throw Eddie House in there instead of Rondo.

He was forced to play less than 22 minutes in three of the six games. His plus minus for all three of these games was around -10 in each of them. Which solidifies what i saw with my eyes and what Doc and the Boston coaching staff saw.

You think 2008 playoffs finals were rondo's best series? Have you stopped watching basketball?

[Whoah10115]

I think Rondo is probably a lot like Rod Strickland, except he's more athletic and flat out better. He gets to the rim, even tho he can't shoot.



And since last season, that can't shoot thing is becoming less and less true. He's looking to shoot and he's hitting a decent amount.



OP will usually troll around, but even if someone disagrees with his OP, it didn't come off as a hater post (unlike Millerfor3). I have no idea how he could be the 4th best player. Courtney Lee? Avery Bradly? Jared Sullinger? Is Ray Allen still on the team?



Rajon Rondo is a terrific player. Non-casual fans will watch and feel the impact. The truth is that his end of season regular season run might have been appreciated by casual fans, but the non-casual fans should recognize that he's played much better than that before. So far this preseason, there is the glimpse of Rivers dong better with his offense.