Marbury's Influence on Rondo's Development.

[LarBrd33]

There aren't enough Marbury-related threads on this forum... so I figured I'd create one.

I haven't really seen anyone talk about this aspect of signing Marbury.   How will it influence Rondo's development?  Rondo has been lucky enough to be put into a near-perfect situation.  He has two former all-star point guards running the team and certainly offering him suggestions and wisdom (Ainge and Doc)... he has two superstars who are the perfect role models for any young player in KG and Ray... both displaying their different forms of commitment, focus and intensity.   Pierce obviously to a lesser degree, but I can't think of any two players to better have as mentors than Ray and KG... 

On top of that the Celtics were smart enough to bring in another former all-star point guard in Sam Cassell who no doubt also helped Rondo's development over the last year.  Cassell was known throughout his career as being a fantastic leader... definitely a good mentor for a young point guard.  I'm sure they had plenty of time over the last year to go over things in practice.

And now Marbury...      I'm not saying Marbury would act as a mentor to Rondo.... don't get me wrong... marbury's a fool.   But you gotta figure having another former all-star point guard backing up Rondo will benefit the youngster in practice.  I'm assuming that every practice day for the remainder of the season Rondo will be going head-to-head with Marbury in practice.  We have heard about how intense the Celtic practices are.  The best thing you can say about Marbury was that he was a crafty/talented player who knew how to score.  Does Rondo stand to pick up some things and benefit from having Marbury around for the rest of the season? 

I kinda look at it like it's just one more piece into the Frankenstein monster that we know as "Rajon Rondo".

Know what it kinda reminds me of?  I'm not sure how much this influenced Steve Nash's early development, but take a look at the 1996/97 Suns roster that a 22 year old Nash played for.   It looks like at some point during that season the following point guards all made an appearance on the roster:  Jason Kidd, Kevin Johnson and Sam Cassell.  You gotta figure Nash had to pick up SOMETHING during that season from having those guys around.

[Cman]

And now Marbury...      I'm not saying Marbury would act as a mentor to Rondo.... don't get me wrong... marbury's a fool.   But you gotta figure having another former all-star point guard backing up Rondo will benefit the youngster in practice.  I'm assuming that every practice day for the remainder of the season Rondo will be going head-to-head with Marbury in practice.  We have heard about how intense the Celtic practices are.  The best thing you can say about Marbury was that he was a crafty/talented player who knew how to score.  Does Rondo stand to pick up some things and benefit from having Marbury around for the rest of the season? 

Good point.  This assumes that Marbury can actually still play after not playing a pro game for more than a year (which I think this is a reasonable assumption).  Rondo going against Marbury in practice is different from Rondo going against House or Pruitt, that is for sure.

[LarBrd33]

And now Marbury...      I'm not saying Marbury would act as a mentor to Rondo.... don't get me wrong... marbury's a fool.   But you gotta figure having another former all-star point guard backing up Rondo will benefit the youngster in practice.  I'm assuming that every practice day for the remainder of the season Rondo will be going head-to-head with Marbury in practice.  We have heard about how intense the Celtic practices are.  The best thing you can say about Marbury was that he was a crafty/talented player who knew how to score.  Does Rondo stand to pick up some things and benefit from having Marbury around for the rest of the season? 

Good point.  This assumes that Marbury can actually still play after not playing a pro game for more than a year (which I think this is a reasonable assumption).  Rondo going against Marbury in practice is different from Rondo going against House or Pruitt, that is for sure.

Right.  If Marbury still has game, it would push Rondo to improve simply by having Marbury burn him in practice once in a while.   Maybe Rondo discovers new defensive tricks on how to stop a guy that skilled.... maybe Rondo learns some new moves simply by association.   

[Bankshot]

Marbury has game.  Anyone remember the Knicks against the Celtics in preseason?  Marbury was supposedly in the best shape of his career (at least form the last few years) and he played awesome against the C's in preseason. 

[huzy]

Call me crazy, but it may be possible that Marbury has a calming influence on Rondo. I know, I know Marbury calming…sounds like an oxymoron.

But, if his demeanor and attitude are similar to his quotes in the interview with Marc Spears, maybe just maybe, he’ll be able to inject a calming influence on this team.

Trust me, as I’m typing this sounds crazy, but consider the fact that it seems like he’s just happen to play again. I sounds like he’s happy doing whatever is needed. It sounds like, he’s JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE.

With the constant pressure of chasing down home court advantage for the playoffs and having teams gunning for you every night, injecting someone into the lineup that seems to be thrilled at the prospect of just being on the court, could be just the right prescription.

Especially in Marbury’s case, this is a hugely combustible theory. But, perhaps he’ll be able to provide Rondo with something that isn’t necessarily taught on the court rather in the locker room…perspective.

[papa shuttlesworth]

I agree with the OP.  Rondo can't help but pick up something from playing with/against Marbury every day.  He is in a great situation with all the resources in the organization and hopefully he stays humble and learns as much as he can.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Let's just hope Marbury doesn't purposely break Rondo's ankles to get the starting spot for himself.