Rondos assists are inflated by scorekeepers

[LT Ice Cream]

I've been noticing this for years now. Rondo's my favorite player and I think he's the best passer in the game but sometimes when I watch the highlights, I just feel like screaming "THATS NOT AN ASSIST!"
For example when he dumps the ball to KG in the post and KG does a shimmy shake, spins left, spins right, steps back and hits the 15 footer. +1 assist to Rondo? No, thats because KG is good, not because it was a good pass. Rondo is gifted like three of these a game by the scorekeepers.

I honestly think Stern or somebody is trying to push some kind of agenda to get Rondo to break some records to create some buzz. It's getting ridiculous. It's not a damn assist when Paul Pierce catches, jab steps, crosses left, spins right, takes two steps into the lane, bricks the layup, grabs his own board, pump fakes twice, and then finally drops the ball into the bucket :mad:

[Beatlezz]

http://oi47.tinypic.com/25p5rt2.jpg

[blablabla]

its the same with every other pg

[Real Men Wear Green]

I've been noticing this for years now. Rondo's my favorite player and I think he's the best passer in the game
No he isn't. If he was you wouldn't be making bs topics to discredit him.

[AngelEyes]

No he isn't. If he was you wouldn't be making bs topics to discredit him.

Agreed

[Fiasco]

It's like that with every point guard, though. Paul gets some weird assists too.

[LT Ice Cream]

No he isn't. If he was you wouldn't be making bs topics to discredit him.

Rondo is by far my fav. player but I'm also for keeping integrity in the game. Integrity takes priority in my book, instead of insufferable homerism like you.

[Rubio2Gasol]

The latter situation is literally never counted as an assist and will never be counted as an assist, neither for Rondo nor any other point guard in the history of the game.

The first situation is not common. Shimmy shake this and that, all KG does is lean and hit the fade away. Which is an assist in my book because entry passing to players with position is an underrated skill.

[Batz]

No he isn't. If he was you wouldn't be making bs topics to discredit him.
??

Bryant's my favorite player, but I always find a way to disparage him. He's grown to be my most favored athlete, but I've grown to be his most ample critic.


And I agree to some degree with the OP. Was watching the 20 assists video posted by the NBA, I saw alot of assists that were just... well, not assists, and not much to do with Rondo. But there are two sides to an assist, the pass and the make. Who knows how many shots his teammates missed where he actually set them up quite nicely. And I bet he's not the only one to get these so called "inflated assists". He had an awesome performance last night, and has had an amazing season thus far. Not much to argue here.

[StroShow4]

No he isn't. If he was you wouldn't be making bs topics to discredit him.

To be fair, it isn't a BS topic at all. Check this out (http://nba247365.com/?p=8435).

The NBA's scorekeepers have been giving out suspect assists for a long time, and Rondo gets plenty of them. He got 4-8 bogus assists last night. Chris Paul used to get a ton of them in NO.

[Nick Young]

He been getting CP3 treatment the past 3 years or so. There is no way to deny this.

The statskeepers inflating his stats, combined with Rondo often refusing to take wideopen layups on fastbreaks, preferring to hand off to a trailing teammate so he can get an extra assist, are the explanation for Rondo's inflated assists stat.

He plays for the stats, now the W, it's really kind of disgusting.

Top 3 PG in the game, plays with 2 HOFer scorers, and the offense is only like top 15 in the league, gj Rondo:facepalm

[bluechox2]

can take 1 dribble after teh pass for an assist to count

[Brujesino]

To be fair, it isn't a BS topic at all. Check this out (http://nba247365.com/?p=8435).

The NBA's scorekeepers have been giving out suspect assists for a long time, and Rondo gets plenty of them. He got 4-8 bogus assists last night. Chris Paul used to get a ton of them in NO.
Goddamn does the NBA look at this stuff?

[QUOTE] This is old news, really. The scorekeepers in New Orleans were notoriously lenient with Chris Paul during his time with the Hornets, and Rondo has been being awarded his share of fraudulent dishes for a few seasons now.

Hell, one former scorekeeper admitted to giving Nick Van Exel 23 assists one night simply because he could. Rondo

[kurple]

To be fair, it isn't a BS topic at all. Check this out (http://nba247365.com/?p=8435).

The NBA's scorekeepers have been giving out suspect assists for a long time, and Rondo gets plenty of them. He got 4-8 bogus assists last night. Chris Paul used to get a ton of them in NO.
Yeah, was gonna say that CP3 got this ALL THE TIME in Nola

[demons2005]

Yeah, was gonna say that CP3 got this ALL THE TIME in Nola
He still ALWAYS gets this. Can't tell you how many times he gives the ball to GRiffin, who makes a pump fake spin fake drives to the basket, hesitates and finishes with an up and under 5-6 seconds after the pass and Paul still gets the assists

[eliteballer]

For example when he dumps the ball to KG in the post and KG does a shimmy shake, spins left, spins right, steps back and hits the 15 footer. +1 assist to Rondo? No, thats because KG is good, not because it was a good pass. Rondo is gifted like three of these a game by the scorekeepers.

......................:roll:

[Real Men Wear Green]

Rondo is by far my fav. player but I'm also for keeping integrity in the game. Integrity takes priority in my book, instead of insufferable homerism like you.
Which is why you make a useless accusation without any evidence.
To be fair, it isn't a BS topic at all. Check this out (http://nba247365.com/?p=8435).

The NBA's scorekeepers have been giving out suspect assists for a long time, and Rondo gets plenty of them. He got 4-8 bogus assists last night. Chris Paul used to get a ton of them in NO.
I "watched the game." I completely disagree with your blog post saying he could be as low as 12. It's got no basis. Your upper end, 16, could only be produced by trying to discount him. If Rondo is getting all of these fake assists it's a league-wide conspiracy because he has big nights both on the road as well as at home. And I guess I must be part of it because I'm watching him all the time and don't see this. Guess I shouldn't trust myself.

[SHAQisGOAT]

They give assists like free candy to every player nowadays

[Darius]

I'd love to see a comparison of Rondo's asst avg on the road vs @ home.

Looked it up, he averaged 1 more asst/game on the Road than @ home:

http://www.nba.com/advancedstats/player.html#Rajon-Rondo|200765;year=201112;season=r;splitType=locati on;splitValue=home

[StroShow4]

Which is why you make a useless accusation without any evidence.
I "watched the game." I completely disagree with your blog post saying he could be as low as 12. It's got no basis. Your upper end, 16, could only be produced by trying to discount him. If Rondo is getting all of these fake assists it's a league-wide conspiracy because he has big nights both on the road as well as at home. And I guess I must be part of it because I'm watching him all the time and don't see this. Guess I shouldn't trust myself.


What do you mean "it has no basis?" I gave the specific examples of the plays where the pass did not lead directly to a basket (the recpient of the pass made some sort of move before shooting). Like I said, I think he earned 14 assists. I would've been fine with 16. But 20? No way. And there is certainly a basis for my argument. Look at the one they gave him for that pass to Pierce. :roll:

[BlackWhiteGreen]

To be fair, it isn't a BS topic at all. Check this out (http://nba247365.com/?p=8435).

The NBA's scorekeepers have been giving out suspect assists for a long time, and Rondo gets plenty of them. He got 4-8 bogus assists last night. Chris Paul used to get a ton of them in NO.

I'm not even remotely surprised you, of all people, wrote an article on this... You even had to state "this post is not to criticise Rondo" because you know it is criticising him...

Anyway, it's hardly a new issue, he even got an assist for a Ray Allen pass a couple of years ago (http://blog.shamsports.com/2011/01/rajon-rondos-biggest-assist-of-year.html). The league would have to tighten up the rules defining an assist to do anything about it, and then current players wouldn't be able to match older players' totals, so they'll never do it.

[StroShow4]

I'm not even remotely surprised you, of all people, wrote an article on this...

You even had to state "this post is not to criticise Rondo" because you know it is criticising him...

Like 14 assists is a bad game. :rolleyes:

[Real Men Wear Green]

I'd love to see a comparison of Rondo's asst avg on the road vs @ home.

Looked it up, he averaged 1 more asst/game on the Road than @ home:

http://www.nba.com/advancedstats/player.html#Rajon-Rondo|200765;year=201112;season=r;splitType=locati on;splitValue=home
I think that was before the last 20 assist game, to be fair. Now it's 15 vs. 11.5. Of course the 15 will come back down over time as that 20 gets watered down by more normal games, and the 11.5 would still lead the league.

[BlackWhiteGreen]

Like 14 assists is a bad game. :rolleyes:

He only had 6 points. If he'd had 6/14 and the Celtics lost, then he'd get criticism for not being aggressive enough.

[iamgine]

To be fair, it isn't a BS topic at all. Check this out (http://nba247365.com/?p=8435).

The NBA's scorekeepers have been giving out suspect assists for a long time, and Rondo gets plenty of them. He got 4-8 bogus assists last night. Chris Paul used to get a ton of them in NO.
I counted 13 assists.

[Real Men Wear Green]

What do you mean "it has no basis?" I gave the specific examples of the plays where the pass did not lead directly to a basket (the recpient of the pass made some sort of move before shooting). Like I said, I think he earned 14 assists. I would've been fine with 16. But 20? No way. And there is certainly a basis for my argument. Look at the one they gave him for that pass to Pierce. :roll:
That's one. It doesn't bring 20 down to 14. Rondo gets the same treatment as any other player when it comes to assists. The Cousy days are over. Not his fault.

[StroShow4]

Anyway, it's hardly a new issue, he even got an assist for a Ray Allen pass a couple of years ago (http://blog.shamsports.com/2011/01/rajon-rondos-biggest-assist-of-year.html). The league would have to tighten up the rules defining an assist to do anything about it, and then current players wouldn't be able to match older players' totals, so they'll never do it.

You call my article a criticism of Rondo, edit your post, and add a more concise version what I said in my article. Okay. :lol

[StroShow4]

That's one. It doesn't bring 20 down to 14. Rondo gets the same treatment as any other player when it comes to assists. The Cousy days are over. Not his fault.

That was only the most ridiculous one. The two entry passes to KG shouldn't have counted either. Neither should the pass that led to the Jeff Green step-back three. Those shots were created by the recipient of the pass, and that brings his total down to 16. Then there were the questionable ones, like the pass to Terry where he changed directions, took two dribbles, THEN shot.

[StroShow4]

And I'm not saying Rondo gets different treatment from any other great PG. I'm saying they all get bogus assists, and Rondo's 20 yesterday is a fine example of that.

[Real Men Wear Green]

That was only the most ridiculous one. The two entry passes to KG shouldn't have counted either. Neither should the pass that led to the Jeff Green step-back three. Those shots were created by the recipient of the pass, and that brings his total down to 16. Then there were the questionable ones, like the pass to Terry where he changed directions, took two dribbles, THEN shot.
So an assist can't happen on an entry pass? This happens all the time.

[BlackWhiteGreen]

You call my article a criticism of Rondo, edit your post, and add a more concise version what I said in my article. Okay. :lol

You refer to the New Orleans/Chris Paul situation as "leniency", and Rondo's as "fraudulent" and "shameful". Some other analysis (perhaps of Paul's bogus assists or the Van Exel game or the article where the Van Exel story came from) would give it a less biased/critical tone. As it is, you skim over the other examples and give plenty of your damning assessment of Rondo's assists. If the piece was to truly attempt to get to the bottom of the situation you could compare it to other stats which may be inflated (eg tipped rebounds) and offer some kind of solution, or explanation of why the NBA is yet to take action.

But hey, you're just a blogger.

[StroShow4]

So an assist can't happen on an entry pass? This happens all the time.

I know it happens all the time. I'm saying it SHOULDN'T, not that it doesn't.

If a player makes a complete post move (or two or three) after receiving an entry pass then the score should not count as an assisted field goal. The scorer created that opportunity. That is my stance.

[StroShow4]

You refer to the New Orleans/Chris Paul situation as "leniency", and Rondo's as "fraudulent" and "shameful". Some other analysis (perhaps of Paul's bogus assists or the Van Exel game or the article where the Van Exel story came from) would give it a less biased/critical tone. As it is, you skim over the other examples and give plenty of your damning assessment of Rondo's assists. If the piece was to truly attempt to get to the bottom of the situation you could compare it to other stats which may be inflated (eg tipped rebounds) and offer some kind of solution, or explanation of why the NBA is yet to take action.

But hey, you're just a blogger.

You're reaching now. I went into detail on Rondo's performance because it was a video of him at hand. Chris Paul didn't get 20 assists yesterday or I would've been talking about him.

Also, I didn't call Rondo's situation shameful. I called the way the NBA inflates statistics shameful. Learn to read and stop being a defensive homer.

[Real Men Wear Green]

I know it happens all the time. I'm saying it SHOULDN'T, not that it doesn't.

If a player makes a complete post move (or two or three) after receiving an entry pass then the score should not count as an assisted field goal. The scorer created that opportunity. That is my stance.
Ok, so long as it's consistent. I just don't see how it's fair to call out Rondo for something that happens for everyone.

[StroShow4]

Ok, so long as it's consistent. I just don't see how it's fair to call out Rondo for something that happens for everyone.

Because he happens to be the one racking up all the dimes right now. Chris Paul, Steve Nash... they don't have streaks of 33 games with 10+ assists. I saw about 57 articles about Rondo having 20 assists this morning and it struck me as a screaming example of the NBA's problems with the assist statistic. So I wrote something about it. Simple as that.

[BlackWhiteGreen]

You're reaching now. I went into detail on Rondo's performance because it was a video of him at hand. Chris Paul didn't get 20 assists yesterday or I would've been talking about him.

Also, I didn't call Rondo's situation shameful. I called the way the NBA inflates statistics shameful. Learn to read and stop being a defensive homer.

Really? I'm offering some criticism as someone in your target market. I've got no problem with someone having bias in their writing/presenting (I read Simmons and watch Magic and Shaq) but at least don't churn out a paragraph trying to defend your bias. I am defensive of Rondo because you're taking shots at him in that article, not anyone else, and yeah, he's one of my favourite players.

[Kevin_Garnett_5]

Yup, Rondo is the only player in the NBA with inflated stats. :rolleyes:

[StroShow4]

Really? I'm offering some criticism as someone in your target market. I've got no problem with someone having bias in their writing/presenting (I read Simmons and watch Magic and Shaq) but at least don't churn out a paragraph trying to defend your bias. I am defensive of Rondo because you're taking shots at him in that article, not anyone else, and yeah, he's one of my favourite players.

I wasn't taking a shot at him though.

[Just2McFly]

Glad to know that Tommy Heinsohn has multiple accounts posting on ISH.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Glad to know that Tommy Heinsohn has multiple accounts posting on ISH.

Seriously :roll:

[BlackWhiteGreen]

Because he happens to be the one racking up all the dimes right now. Chris Paul, Steve Nash... they don't have streaks of 33 games with 10+ assists. I saw about 57 articles about Rondo having 20 assists this morning and it struck me as a screaming example of the NBA's problems with the assist statistic. So I wrote something about it. Simple as that.

OK, well if there's 57 articles similar to yours, why not write something different? I know this makes me sound like a dick, but if you offer a different perspective (like evaluating, say, Scott Skiles' 32 assist game or one of Stockton's bigger ones) you might bring some more readers in than writing something along the same lines as everyone else.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Because he happens to be the one racking up all the dimes right now. Chris Paul, Steve Nash... they don't have streaks of 33 games with 10+ assists. I saw about 57 articles about Rondo having 20 assists this morning and it struck me as a screaming example of the NBA's problems with the assist statistic. So I wrote something about it. Simple as that.
Nash won 2 MVPs on the strength of his assists. Chris Paul is viewed as one of the best players in the game and still viewed as the best pg by most analysts. In no way whatsoever is Rondo getting more praise for what he does than they do, he's just approaching (and still far from) a record no one ever talked about until Rondo made people wonder what the record was.

[Rubio2Gasol]

Main problem with assists as a statistic is that players actually need to make shots when you pass it to them. Not the methodology of recording what is and isn't an assist.

[Dunaprenti]

I believe padding the, elite, pgs assist totals is a great move by the NBA. It gives you something to talk about, creates hype for the next game etc. The game loses, a little bit of, its integrity but its great for the business.

[StroShow4]

OK, well if there's 57 articles similar to yours, why not write something different? I know this makes me sound like a dick, but if you offer a different perspective (like evaluating, say, Scott Skiles' 32 assist game or one of Stockton's bigger ones) you might bring some more readers in than writing something along the same lines as everyone else.

The 57 articles WEREN'T similar to mine. They were quite the opposite. I was presenting a different viewpoint on a hot topic.

[StroShow4]

I believe padding the, elite, pgs assist totals is a great move by the NBA. It gives you something to talk about, creates hype for the next game etc. The game loses, a little bit of, its integrity but its great for the business.

Bingo.

[iamgine]

Is everybody getting the same treatment though?

[StroShow4]

Is everybody getting the same treatment though?

Chris Paul certainly gets it. At least he did in New Orleans. That was really, really bad.

I imagine the other elites do too, but it's something someone should look into.

[BlackWhiteGreen]

The 57 articles WEREN'T similar to mine. They were quite the opposite. I was presenting a different viewpoint on a hot topic.

Well, ok then. Some further analysis would have been nice, but if that's not really what you do on your site then ok

[Dunaprenti]

Boston and Rondo fans shouldn't be on the defensive. It's obvious that Stroshow isn't attacking Rondo and the OP is stat baby so he doesn't count. Like Rubio said, not all great passes become assists. Rondo is a great distributor no matter how many dimes he makes...

[Darius]

Boston fans looking like fools in this thread.

As a CP3 fan I have no doubt his assists are padded.

[jdm_dc_fan]

Are they really just handing out assist like candy? Because kyrie didn't get one piece of candy at all yesterday. Oh and 0 rebounds. These kid pointguards just wanna shoot first. Smh

[josh99]

Boston fans looking like fools in this thread.

As a CP3 fan I have no doubt his assists are padded.
This. Just chill guys, just cuz its about Rondo doesn't mean its attacking Rondo, he's not the one who scorekeeps his assists.

[GilZero]

The one thing european leagues are better at than the nba - keeping the assists real.

If a guy averages 7-8 in euroleague that is EASILY 12 in the nba, it is a joke really.

[CTulc]

The one thing european leagues are better at than the nba - keeping the assists real.

If a guy averages 7-8 in euroleague that is EASILY 12 in the nba, it is a joke really.

That argument is just as empty as some of these "assist totals"

Were never gonna know if 7-8 assists in Euroleague = 12 in the NBA.

[MetsPackers]

The one thing european leagues are better at than the nba - keeping the assists real.

If a guy averages 7-8 in euroleague that is EASILY 12 in the nba, it is a joke really.

Euroleague >>> NBA

[gyu]

how about this assist awarded to lillard?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0gpxlJc6VY&feature=g-u-u

[pauk]

can take 1 dribble after teh pass for an assist to count

I am not sure, only yesterday i saw Lebron had 5 passes to Bosh, Allen & Cole who all made on the go transition quick layups with only 1 dribble and had 3 passes to Ray Allen/Mike Miller who grabbed the ball and immediately did a headfake and did a quick 1 dribble to the side & shoot... none recorded as assists... Just before this game i watched Celtics vs Toronto and these same passes were all instead given to Rondo as assists, now i am not agreeing with the OP, but this was indeed fishy at least last night....

[SourPatchKids]

http://counterkicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/garnett.jpg


+1

[DatAsh]

Nash won 2 MVPs on the strength of his assists.

To be fair, Rondo isn't the offensive player that Nash was in his prime. Having a prime Nash on your team pretty much guaranteed you a top 3 offense.

[Real Men Wear Green]

To be fair, Rondo isn't the offensive player that Nash was in his prime. Having a prime Nash on your team pretty much guaranteed you a top 3 offense.
Nash averaged 15.5 points his first MVP year. He was a bigger scoring threat than Rondo but what set him apart was how he set up his teammates.

[imdaman99]

rondo will lead the league in assists easily, but once again the celts will be average offensively :confusedshrug:

[Miller for 3]

Nash averaged 15.5 points his first MVP year. He was a bigger scoring threat than Rondo but what set him apart was how he set up his teammates.

The PPG are irrelevant. The Suns had plentty of options, so they didn't need Steve to score much in the RS. As Nash showed in the playoffs, he could step up and take over when needed (Dat Dallas series :bowdown: ) After Joe went down, Nash took over. Rondo doesn't have that ability (his fluke 44 point game was basically all shots give to him by the defense, plus 2 stat padding 3s at the end of the game that were meaningless). The Celtics offense is always stalling and struggling for points, and Rondo never does anything to help. He just dribbles out the clock and passes for a long jumpshot :facepalm

[LA Lakers]

Anyone else here think that if Rondo was a good shooter or at least consistent hed be the best point guard in the league? I remember a couple years ago I got into it with co workers they were throwing out D Rose and Chris Paul and I thought I argued Rondo a lot more effectively but they told me Rondo was a joke this and that. Im still convinced if he had a consistent shot hed be up there with a Nash or Stockton...

[chips93]

rondo will lead the league in assists easily, but once again the celts will be average offensively :confusedshrug:

they are actually 10th in points per possession so far this year

[imdaman99]

Anyone else here think that if Rondo was a good shooter or at least consistent hed be the best point guard in the league? I remember a couple years ago I got into it with co workers they were throwing out D Rose and Chris Paul and I thought I argued Rondo a lot more effectively but they told me Rondo was a joke this and that. Im still convinced if he had a consistent shot hed be up there with a Nash or Stockton...
enough of these what if's with rondo. this is his 7th year. if he is not working on that jumpshot now (his FT% been steadily declining every year), than who knows if it will develop down the road either. he does NOT have a good jump shot, so stop arguing hypothetically about him BEING a good shooter already.

[CTulc]

enough of these what if's with rondo. this is his 7th year. if he is not working on that jumpshot now (his FT% been steadily declining every year), than who knows if it will develop down the road either. he does NOT have a good jump shot, so stop arguing hypothetically about him BEING a good shooter already.

Butthurt lol.

[Nick Young]

so overrated, he averages so many assists, is a "top 3 point guard in the league" and still his team is always ranked bottom half in the league offensively.

[CTulc]

so overrated, he averages so many assists, is a "top 3 point guard in the league" and still his team is always ranked bottom half in the league offensively.

Good thing you have little to no knowledge surrounding basketball and no one can take you seriously.

[itsGameTime]

You're reaching now. I went into detail on Rondo's performance because it was a video of him at hand. Chris Paul didn't get 20 assists yesterday or I would've been talking about him.

Also, I didn't call Rondo's situation shameful. I called the way the NBA inflates statistics shameful. Learn to read and stop being a defensive homer.

+1

Real Men Wear Green and his gimmick BlackWhiteGreen's homerism getting exposed yet again. This time, by another mod! Stroshow :applause: :bowdown:

[9erempiree]

Assists are kinda overrated considering that it's a subjective stat from the score keeper.

Points are points.

Point is a point.

Rebound is a rebound.

Assist is not an assist.

[Real Men Wear Green]

The PPG are irrelevant. The Suns had plentty of options, so they didn't need Steve to score much in the RS. As Nash showed in the playoffs, he could step up and take over when neededYour whole post is irrelevant. Nash's max ppg, career, is 18.8. He's always been a pass-first pg. He can score, he can shoot, but he's an elite passer, not an elite scorer.
(Dat Dallas series :bowdown: ) After Joe went down, Nash took over. Rondo doesn't have that ability (his fluke 44 point game was basically all shots give to him by the defense, plus 2 stat padding 3s at the end of the game that were meaningless).No one is trying to act like Rondo is Nash's equal as a scorer. You just randomly tried to discredit a great playoff performance because you're a troll and can't help yourself. Had nothing to do with anything.
The Celtics offense is always stalling and struggling for points, and Rondo never does anything to help. He just dribbles out the clock and passes for a long jumpshot :facepalm
You've aleady been told they're 5th in fg% and 15th in ppg. Yet you repeat this crap. Quit trolling, I'm not interested.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Rondo's assists just got deflated by Wilcox...