In response to snakeoil123's comment:

I'm not saying (and I bet most others are not saying) that everything Rondo does is wrong.  Nor am I saying that Rondo isn't monstrously valuable to this team.   He can save us at times with his tremendoes play - including guard rebounding.  But, the comments about him not playing well RIGHT NOW are true when you look at him holding the ball so he can get assists rather than moving the ball around and about his defense, especially.    His defense is the NUMBER ONE reason our bigs get out of position - having to help Rondo.   

I love Rondo but I'd love him a LOT more if he fought to stay in front of his man rather than playing lazy and then trying to reach from behind.   Just 5 stops a game by our point guard changes the nature of every game we've been in!!!

Glad we had a discussion about him tonight.  He heard us and played good D tonight To go with a great offensive game.

 

Rondo's best game of the year.

The team is coming together.

 

Rondo is an exceptional basketball athlete.  Statistically one of the best in the NBA today.  His assist production is off the charts.  He can string together double-doubles with a triple double here and there like nobody since Magic.  When Rondo plays well and the team is in sync with his play, the Celtics win against anybody. Thats the good news.

The bad news is that like Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain, also extraordinary players, they all lacked leadership qualities that are so important to team chemistry and on court team performance...and coordinating an off-season charity event with the team does not define leadership.

Despite his positive attributes, I believe HE is the reason that the Celtics play so inconsistenly.  When Rondo's head isn't into the game, he doesn't play any D and his offense is sub-standard. The top 6-7 PGs in the league blow by him with regularity and brake down the rest of the Celtics defense. On offense, he too often holds the ball out front and paralizes the offense. This is what drove Ray Allen crazy.  He turns the ball over too much.  And why is it that when the Celtics need a key basket with time running out, its the worst shooter on the team, Rondo, who holds the ball for 12 seconds and launches a long range prayer that never goes in...  

Rondo may be one of the best PGs in the league and the best player on the Celtics...but the team does not play well as a unit with Rondo at the point and does not respond to him as the proclaimed team leader.  He hurts team chemistry and team play just like AI. 

I would much rather have a PG who plays smart and hard CONSISTENTLY day in and day out. A PG who makes others on the team better and orchestrates a natural team flow on the floor and better chemistry in the locker room than Rondo's statistics and potential.

Rondo is a key asset to the Celtics and he is also the key liability. 

 Outstanding  post  with  excellent  points.  For  many  fans, who  just  focus  on  stats  and  spectacular  plays, RR  is  beyond  reproach.  Rondo  has  obvious  strengths  and  weaknesses. But,  he  seems  incapable  of  staying  in  front  of  opposing  point  guards, decreasing  his  turnovers,  making  free  throws  and  developing  leadership  skills.  Too  many  fans  engage   in  "all  or  nothing"  thinking.  Rondo  isn't  THE  PROBLEM  the  Celts  have.  But  his  flaws  are  certainly  a  problem  for  the  team.  IMO, the  Celts  inability  to  protect  the  rim  and  rebound  are  the  primary  problem.  And  Rondo's  inability  to  prevent  lane  penetration  contributes   to  this  problem. 

In response to Eldunker's comment:
[QUOTE]

Rondo is an exceptional basketball athlete.  Statistically one of the best in the NBA today.  His assist production is off the charts.  He can string together double-doubles with a triple double here and there like nobody since Magic.  When Rondo plays well and the team is in sync with his play, the Celtics win against anybody. Thats the good news.

The bad news is that like Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain, also extraordinary players, they all lacked leadership qualities that are so important to team chemistry and on court team performance...and coordinating an off-season charity event with the team does not define leadership.

Despite his positive attributes, I believe HE is the reason that the Celtics play so inconsistenly.  When Rondo's head isn't into the game, he doesn't play any D and his offense is sub-standard. The top 6-7 PGs in the league blow by him with regularity and brake down the rest of the Celtics defense. On offense, he too often holds the ball out front and paralizes the offense. This is what drove Ray Allen crazy.  He turns the ball over too much.  And why is it that when the Celtics need a key basket with time running out, its the worst shooter on the team, Rondo, who holds the ball for 12 seconds and launches a long range prayer that never goes in...  

Rondo may be one of the best PGs in the league and the best player on the Celtics...but the team does not play well as a unit with Rondo at the point and does not respond to him as the proclaimed team leader.  He hurts team chemistry and team play just like AI. 

I would much rather have a PG who plays smart and hard CONSISTENTLY day in and day out. A PG who makes others on the team better and orchestrates a natural team flow on the floor and better chemistry in the locker room than Rondo's statistics and potential.

Rondo is a key asset to the Celtics and he is also the key liability. 

 Outstanding  post  with  excellent  points.  For  many  fans, who  just  focus  on  stats  and  spectacular  plays, RR  is  beyond  reproach.  Rondo  has  obvious  strengths  and  weaknesses. But,  he  seems  incapable  of  staying  in  front  of  opposing  point  guards, decreasing  his  turnovers,  making  free  throws  and  developing  leadership  skills.  Too  many  fans  engage   in  "all  or  nothing"  thinking.  Rondo  isn't  THE  PROBLEM  the  Celts  have.  But  his  flaws  are  certainly  a  problem  for  the  team.  IMO, the  Celts  inability  to  protect  the  rim  and  rebound  are  the  primary  problem.  And  Rondo's  inability  to  prevent  lane  penetration  contributes   to  this  problem. 

naming point guards who consistently prevent penetration is like naming players who consistently stop lebron james, kevin durant, and derick rose. they don't exist. this is the nba. 

In response to Eldunker's comment:

naming point guards who consistently prevent penetration is like naming players who consistently stop lebron james, kevin durant, and derick rose. they don't exist. this is the nba. 

Rondo is an exceptional basketball athlete.  Statistically one of the best in the NBA today.  His assist production is off the charts.  He can string together double-doubles with a triple double here and there like nobody since Magic.  When Rondo plays well and the team is in sync with his play, the Celtics win against anybody. Thats the good news.

The bad news is that like Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain, also extraordinary players, they all lacked leadership qualities that are so important to team chemistry and on court team performance...and coordinating an off-season charity event with the team does not define leadership.

Despite his positive attributes, I believe HE is the reason that the Celtics play so inconsistenly.  When Rondo's head isn't into the game, he doesn't play any D and his offense is sub-standard. The top 6-7 PGs in the league blow by him with regularity and brake down the rest of the Celtics defense. On offense, he too often holds the ball out front and paralizes the offense. This is what drove Ray Allen crazy.  He turns the ball over too much.  And why is it that when the Celtics need a key basket with time running out, its the worst shooter on the team, Rondo, who holds the ball for 12 seconds and launches a long range prayer that never goes in...  

Rondo may be one of the best PGs in the league and the best player on the Celtics...but the team does not play well as a unit with Rondo at the point and does not respond to him as the proclaimed team leader.  He hurts team chemistry and team play just like AI. 

I would much rather have a PG who plays smart and hard CONSISTENTLY day in and day out. A PG who makes others on the team better and orchestrates a natural team flow on the floor and better chemistry in the locker room than Rondo's statistics and potential.

Rondo is a key asset to the Celtics and he is also the key liability. 

 

In response to zeitgeist49's comment:

Why would you start  thread saying that he is THE problem and then comment that he isn't THE problem.

Looks like someone's mixing up two different people and post or else I'm not understanding something.

As I said earlier your hyperbole was the only reason I commented on your thread.  Obviously Rondo has weaknesses.

In response to snakeoil123's comment:

 - - -

- - -

I think the leadership issue that dunker brought up is being overlooked and is the most important point in his thread.

This is a point I've been making this season. I think Celtic's management's annointing Rondo the new team leader was a mistake. You earn team leadership and become a team leader by earning it, it can't be given to you by management.

Perhaps Rondo will grow into being a team leader, but I don't think he has the stuff right now, and I think this hurts the team and contributes to the chemistry problem that someone else mentioned.

I agree that Rondo is one of the problems this Celtic's team is having as outlined by dunker and others because of his defense and because he holds and dribbles too long.

But I think eldunkers main point was not soo much about his floor play being a problem that can't be overcome but the problem inherant with his leadership, which is not something that more practice time on the floor can improve.  It's a maturity and character issue and will only be resolved over time.

I don't think Rondo's sudden elevation to "team leader" sits too well with the vets on the team or with many of the players.  Dubbing it "Rondo's team now!" certainly doesn't appear to sit too well with KG and Paul: all the players will give lip service to Rondo being the engine that drives the team on the floor, especdia;y when his heads in the game and he's doing it well, but that's a far cry from them saying that it's "Rondo's team now" and he's our leader on the floor and off the floor.

I think that in recognizing this aspect of the problem eldunker hit the nail right on the head.

-

 

 

In response to bt33's comment:

Ive been saying that for the longest.  Who stops Wade, Westbrook, Ellis, Wall, Rose, and other guards from breaking down the defense and penetrating and causing havoc?  Folks must live in a vaccum if they think folks can actually stop folks.  Why put such a high expectation on Rondo when he just like all the other guards.  They all blow by each other.

In response to JamLock's comment:

In response to JamLock's comment:

such a shame the way rondo has cheapened the assist stat. i see where the official scorers in the recent milwaukee and chicago games failed to give rondo his due. an 11th bucks assist has since been added and an 11th bulls assist likely will be. he's racking them up at such a rate that the official scorers are not able to keep track. wonder if magic and stockton had similar issues.