Its still Paul...if you think its Rondo you're kidding yourself.
That's funny because Kevin Garnett recently stated that it is Rondo's team now.
So I suppose he's kidding himself?
Alright Ill bite.
[DISCLAIMER: This isnt Rondo hate. I like Rondo]
Kevin Garnett is always going to love the guy that feeds him jumpshots. Thats where the quote comes from. Dont take it as gospel. (This is why KG hates the 5 position, he wants to play the 4 and roll off picks and shoot jump shots all game.)
Rondo runs the offense for most of the time he's on sure.
Pierce still finishes games and makes baskets in the clutch, which Rondo is unable to do. Rondo is actually fairly ineffective at the end of games due to his poor free throw shooting and reluctance to actually score instead of pass off.
Pierce is ALSO a great passer, averaging 5 assists this year, and making several clutch passes to Ray for HUGE shots over the journey.
When the opposition is on a run, Paul takes the ball to their defense and gets to the line to stem the tide. Rondo does not and cannot due to his ineffectiveness at the free throw stripe.
Pierce is the vocal leader to rev up the team before and during games. Rondo stays quiet on the bench and sits there looking like ET wrapped in towels.
Pierce still carries the team's scoring load, being the only real guy that can create his own baskets. Its great to get assists but its even better to get the ball in the hoop, and until Rondo does this to even 3/4 of the level that Pierce can, he will always be second.
Pierce has learnt to accept responsibility for his own wrongdoing in games and taken full responsibility in post game interviews when the team has lost. Rondo constantly hints about things "the team" hasn't done well instead of his own mistakes, and also chucks hissy fits in film sessions, destroying TV's when his shortcomings are highlighted. Not signs of a true leader.
Rondo goes on camera proclaiming himself as "the best point guard in the league", yet has not developed a 3 point shot to make him a proper offensive threat at that position like nash and kidd have before him. Pierce says nothing of the sort, but yet can pass, shoot and drive to the rim, therefore is the more complete offensive triple-threat player.
Several things here:
First of all, KG's comment had nothing to do with him getting fed jumpers by Rondo, it was about how Rondo handled the trade rumours (which he did really great) and reassuring our best player, that he is needed.
Pierce is indeed a great passer but he falls short against elite one-on-one defense, where teams don't double team him. His offense simply stagnates (no passing, no free throws etc.), and I really hope Doc has some solutions for that. Rondo is much better at handling elite defenders, simply because noone can hold him. A semi valid strategy is to sag off him and make him hit jumpers. But when teams have done that this season, he has several times risen to the occasion and hit at a good percentage.
We might have different opinions about what a vocal leader is. What you point out is to me a difference in personalities, but Rondo is absolutely the vocal leader on this team when on the floor. He is the floor general, and that is probably why some people says that it is Rondo's team.
You point to one unconfirmed incident and generalize about Rondo's maturity. While I also believe the report, that he once accidently crashed a TV, when he threw something at it, I think that Rondo learned from that incident. He is still young enough to learn from his mistakes. And you haven't seen many interviews with him, if you say that he doesn't take responsibility for his own mistakes. Some of his cocky attitude probably comes from playing with future HOFs. If he didn't assert himself among them, he would be irrelevant.
After his 2008 finals MVP award, Pierce according to a Spanish news site called himself the best player in the World.
Q: Is Kobe really the best player in the world? Pierce: I don't think Kobe is the best player. I'm the best player. There's a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don't cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself.
That's probably not what he actually said (I don't really trust news from Spain). But my point is: Pierce was and is also a cocky player.
As for Rondo's proclaiming himself the best point guard: No he's not, and he probably knows better now, than when he said it. But I also think that this is the standard he sets for himself, and that some of his problems comes from those high expectations.
Imo this team isn't really about being Rondo's or Pierce's or KG's or even Doc's. This team looks beyond that.
Topic: Jeff, front page topic suggestion. Who's team is it now? (Pierce or Rondo) (Read 5411 times)