Rondo threw fit and called out Big Three during Miami series

[PosImpos]

. . . starting to understand why other teams were reluctant to take him on as a rebuilding piece . . .

[screwedupmaniac]

I think it often goes greatly overlooked that Larry Bird called his teammates a bunch of sissies and girls in front of the media and national eye! If I recall, Bird was a younger player on a team of vets at that point, and the name calling worked.

I'd rather see the kid (Rondo) freak out, smash stuff, and call his team to a higher standard than watch him sit back and let the team lose without saying a word. Granted, I'm sure he could have done things a better way, but I love this kid's fire.

[PosImpos]

I think it often goes greatly overlooked that Larry Bird called his teammates a bunch of sissies and girls in front of the media and national eye! If I recall, Bird was a younger player on a team of vets at that point, and the name calling worked.

I'd rather see the kid (Rondo) freak out, smash stuff, and call his team to a higher standard than watch him sit back and let the team lose without saying a word. Granted, I'm sure he could have done things a better way, but I love this kid's fire.

i agree to an extent.  jordan was a notorious butthole to his teammates.  they feared him. 

often great players expect a lot of themselves and just as much of their teammates.  that's really nice.  but the best leaders get people to follow them because they love them, not just because they respect them or fear them. 

rondo's attitude might work okay with the big 3, since the big 3 are too old and grizzled for their egos to get damaged.  they've got thick skin.  but rondo's act might have a negative effect on younger teammates in the future.


just sayin, if you want your best player to be a leader, you want him to be like magic johnson in that regard, not bird or jordan.

[BballTim]

There's a difference between leadership and petulance.  Unfortunately, most of the "incidents" involving Rondo seem to be more about being immature and not having control over his emotions as they do him trying to inspire his teammates.

He's a great PG, but as he admits, he needs to show more emotional consistency and quit being so dang moody and pouty.  If his passion is about winning, great.  If it's about his own personal feeling of being slighted -- which it usually appears to be -- then he needs to grow up and get over it.

  Last year he was about 3 years younger than Paul Pierce was when Danny was looking to trade him because of his immaturity/attitude problems. Danny and Doc have criticized Rondo before, it generally doesn't cause a problem.

[clover]

I think it often goes greatly overlooked that Larry Bird called his teammates a bunch of sissies and girls in front of the media and national eye! If I recall, Bird was a younger player on a team of vets at that point, and the name calling worked.

I'd rather see the kid (Rondo) freak out, smash stuff, and call his team to a higher standard than watch him sit back and let the team lose without saying a word. Granted, I'm sure he could have done things a better way, but I love this kid's fire.

Saint Thomas (Brady) also had to be rebuked by his coach for chewing out another player just this week, and St. Thomas is well into his 30's.  Part of what drives many athletes is a sense of perfectionism rooted in their fearing criticism for not being good enough. But that can also make them immature brats--even before all the favoritism they get along the way.  When it's a team sport and the best player involved, there's got to be some development to leadership as part of the package.  Remember when Belichick had young St. Thomas reading books on leadership in the offseason?

We're at least hearing and seeing some better things from Rondo in these first few days of camp.  Let's hope he can take it to heart this year.

[Roy H.]

I think it often goes greatly overlooked that Larry Bird called his teammates a bunch of sissies and girls in front of the media and national eye! If I recall, Bird was a younger player on a team of vets at that point, and the name calling worked.

I'd rather see the kid (Rondo) freak out, smash stuff, and call his team to a higher standard than watch him sit back and let the team lose without saying a word. Granted, I'm sure he could have done things a better way, but I love this kid's fire.

The difference is that Larry called his teammates out because they weren't putting in maximum effort.  Rondo broke a TV because his feelings were hurt.

“I’ve got to take myself out of the equation,” Rondo said the other day. “It’s about the team. I’ve been saying all I want to do is win a championship, so I have to live it. I have to walk it. I can’t just talk it. I know I have to be better.”

Thus, why Rondo himself draws the distinction between "self" and "team", and notes that he needs to start focusing on the right things.

[celtsrp33]

If this is TRULY how this kid feels and he follows through with his actions throughout the season...LOOKOUT! 

[Fafnir]

I think it often goes greatly overlooked that Larry Bird called his teammates a bunch of sissies and girls in front of the media and national eye! If I recall, Bird was a younger player on a team of vets at that point, and the name calling worked.

I'd rather see the kid (Rondo) freak out, smash stuff, and call his team to a higher standard than watch him sit back and let the team lose without saying a word. Granted, I'm sure he could have done things a better way, but I love this kid's fire.

The difference is that Larry called his teammates out because they weren't putting in maximum effort.  Rondo broke a TV because his feelings were hurt.

“I’ve got to take myself out of the equation,” Rondo said the other day. “It’s about the team. I’ve been saying all I want to do is win a championship, so I have to live it. I have to walk it. I can’t just talk it. I know I have to be better.”

Thus, why Rondo himself draws the distinction between "self" and "team", and notes that he needs to start focusing on the right things.

The same Larry who got in a bar fight during the playoffs.

Hopefully Rondo keeps growing and reaches his potential as a leader and player, but he's not the first or last athlete to pull this crap even at his age. He's just on a big stage in a world where its getting harder and harder to cover things up.

[Who]

Much ado about nothing

[Chris]

Much ado about nothing

Yeah, not a big deal, and really, it can be spun any way you want it to be. 

I will say though, I do find these types of stories fascinating. 

[Fafnir]

Much ado about nothing

Yeah, not a big deal, and really, it can be spun any way you want it to be. 

I will say though, I do find these types of stories fascinating. 

If you win (ala the Pats this weekend) its written off as nothing, but if you lose like the C's did....

[beantownboy171]

Hopefully, when we look back at this crazy off season we'll be glad that we didn't trade Rondo when his trade value was at an all time low.

Hopefully he does what he says he's going to do. Don't try to justify his actions people, the passion he exhibits is good in a lot of ways, but he's not channeling it properly. Rondo has a lot more to give to us even if he never develops a consistent jump shot.

This team is going to be his, ehhh, 7 months from today? Let that set in. He's not going to have the Big 3 to guide him anymore. This year is going to be huge for his development, and for the team going forward.

If free agents aren't drawn to boston because of Rondo's attitude we'll have no choice to dump him for less than he's worth.

[Chris]

Much ado about nothing

Yeah, not a big deal, and really, it can be spun any way you want it to be. 

I will say though, I do find these types of stories fascinating. 

If you win (ala the Pats this weekend) its written off as nothing, but if you lose like the C's did....

Yes, but the game after this whole thing went down, the C's played their best game of the series. 

So yeah, it can be spun however you want it.

[KCattheStripe]

I think it often goes greatly overlooked that Larry Bird called his teammates a bunch of sissies and girls in front of the media and national eye! If I recall, Bird was a younger player on a team of vets at that point, and the name calling worked.

I'd rather see the kid (Rondo) freak out, smash stuff, and call his team to a higher standard than watch him sit back and let the team lose without saying a word. Granted, I'm sure he could have done things a better way, but I love this kid's fire.

The difference is that Larry called his teammates out because they weren't putting in maximum effort.  Rondo broke a TV because his feelings were hurt.

“I’ve got to take myself out of the equation,” Rondo said the other day. “It’s about the team. I’ve been saying all I want to do is win a championship, so I have to live it. I have to walk it. I can’t just talk it. I know I have to be better.”

Thus, why Rondo himself draws the distinction between "self" and "team", and notes that he needs to start focusing on the right things.

Which he did the very next night.

[Marcus13]

Can't blame him...but at the end of the day, we just don't have the talent to compete with Miami.

I can definitely see how that's frustrating for Rajon at this point in his career though