Will Rondo have trouble finishing at the rim w/ Shaq and company

[j804]

As we know Rondo facilitates and thats a big part of his game we rely on, but also when he takes it to the hoop being aggressive, we sometimes need that extra scoring punch from him. I was thinking will Rondo have trouble finishing at the rim with Shaq, Z, and Lebron roaming around??

Something tells me like last year against the Magic theyre going to use Rondos defender as a roamer as long as they clog and keep him out of the paint. Will we be able to make them pay?? Big defenders like Shaq, Howard etc usually throw rondos game off and he shys away from the rim hope thats not the case

[Witch-King]

Rondo would have little to no problem shooting over Shaq if the occasion arises, he has a pretty reliable tear-drop 'floater' shot that he does, plus he is quick enough that he may be able to evade an older Shaq. Shaq's presence in the paint will force Rondo to adjust, though I don't think it will make or break Rondo's 'inside-game'.

[PosImpos]

In a word...yes.

Shaq won't be the issue so much as Anderson Varejao and LeBron.

[Witch-King]

Side-show Bob (Varejao) is a non-issue unless he is trying to record an offensive foul, ie. waiting for contact and then flopping.

LeBron on the other hand is probably better than blocking shots than Varajao, though he records most of his blocks while chasing someone down who is trying to convert a fastbreak into a lay-up.

Long story short I don't think it will be a huge issue because Rondo doesn't venture too far into the paint agaisnt teams that are loaded with bigs anyways so the chances of them catching on are lower as a result because they naturally have to focus on their original defensive assignment.

[the_Bird]

I hope Rondo goes right after Shaq; the big fellow's WAY too slow to get in position in time, it'll be foul after foul after foul.

Actually, that may not be a good thing, as I tend to worry more about Sideshow Bob (offensive rebounds) than Shaq.  

[Meadowlark_Scal]

Well that is a good point/post...and I'd say that it is the rest of the teams job to be "plugged in" and aware, awake, and ready to make these things work...Perk needs to be aware, and either stand in front of the center when rondo is slashing in, or a little earlier, rotate out on the other side, to pull the center out with him, then stand in between the center and the rim...the same with the rest of the team..these are plays Doc needs to get going, just little dupes, that Coach Brown will have toi figure out...also, I HOPE DOC plans on pics for Ray allen..PP's outside shooting should open up more space for Ray, and if Finley can hit often, that would cause more problems for cleve D....BUT, the C's have to D up Varajo, he is their X factor..and has proven to be a problem for us....i watched all those games, the C's NEVER cover Varajo, he just moves around freely, always in and out of the paint..!

[Chris]

With Shaq, no, he will fly right past him, but he will absolutely (and has always) have trouble getting shots past Andy.  He is just so long, and such a quick leaper, it makes it very tough for Rondo to find much free space when he is in there.