Rondo's defense ...

[ScoobyDoo]

While I'm pretty unconcerned about our little slide here( I think we should have beaten Indy, but Phoenix and Atlanta are on fire early on in this season)...

I am constantly amazed at Rondo's lack of ability to "STAY IN FRONT OF HIS MAN!"
I understand there are picks, but there were about 10-15 times when
Earl Watson, "EARL WATSON" just drifted by him and got into the lane which lead to alot of open shots.

For someone who wants to be a great defender HE MIGHT WANT TO START BY STAYING IN FRONT OF HIS MAN!

I'm not confident that Rondo, with all his athletic gifts, could stay in front of my grandmother for God's sakes. It's realy, really, really annoying.

Rondo's guy gets by him ALL NIGHT. Which leads to breakdown's for the big guys and either layups or open jump shots because the wings are collapsing to cover Rondo's man.

He let's the guy go by and them reaches around for the steal. Works about once in ten tries. Meanwhile the other team has scored 18 points on the nine times it fails.

He either is injured or has some of the fastest end to end speed combined with some of the worst lateral quickness for a point guard in the history of the game.

I just don't get it. I mean how many times do you have to do something that hurts you and your team, that is completely unsuccessful before you stop doing that one thing?   

[Drucci]

Yeah, this lack of defense from Rondo makes me mad, too. I mean, it was at times before but now he is NEVER staying in front of his man. No surprise why the opponents get easy layups or kickouts, because their point guard can do whatever he wants on Rondo, since he is just trying to get steals. Sure it's fun to have steals and lead a perfect fastbreak but it happens once, maybe twice a game while he gets beaten by his opponent twenty times a game...

I'm amazed that Doc isn't yelling at him during timeouts for his lack of defense... if only he could get Rondo to consistently play D, and stay in front of his man, we would'nt have so many defensive problems... Rondo must stop playing lazy.

[Change]

One thing I noticed about Rondo's defense, He doesn't use his long arms on defense. For some odd reason, he keeps his arms tucked in or sometimes even behind his back. Its really odd the way he defends. Its lack of effort. Pierce not the quickest guy, but no body can beat him off the dribble. Rondo lacks the fundamental of basketball, whether its shooting or defending. Its really frustrating cause he's such a gifted athlete, but at the same times he's a knucklehead.

[Jaycelt]

This is nothing new.  I've been saying the same thing since Rondo got here. It seems like he makes an effort one game and then goes back to his lazy ways. And keep in mind every single time Doc complains about our pick and roll defense he might as well be calling out Rondo by name.

[kozlodoev]

This is not the only problem.

A couple of times in the last game the PG got rid of the ball and drifted to the weakside corner. Rondo just ignored him and stayed strong side, which resulted in Ray Allen having to guard both his man, and the corner shooter.

This is unacceptable. It's fundamentally wrong, and it's not worth the one or two times when he'll be able to knock the ball away.

[pengaloo]

Rondo's athletic abilities are perfect for helping him get steals and roam away from his man and still be quick enough to recover. He also has great anticipation skills.

But when an opposing pg is dead set on getting into the lane, Rondo's just too lightly built to be able to stop him. Long arms and quick feet aren't going to help when he's forced to back peddle. We give Rondo too much credit and not enough credit to opposing pgs when we think that Rondo's just letting people go by so that he can poke from behind.

For pick and rolls - sure, you need to be quick, but I think strength is more important than quickness. It looks like Rondo's been fighting through more picks than he did last year, and it's probably taking a toll. He even admitted he has back problems and it's not hard to imagine why.

I'm not trying to make excuses for him, as I think he can be playing much better defense. But the Rondo frustration around here has been pretty rampant lately.

[frontman56]

I completely agree about Rondo's lack of effort to stay in front of his man, while getting praised for his poke-from-the-back steals. Steals are great but not staying in front of your man breaks down everyone else's defense because they have to cover your guy every time and the same point guards that go by Rondo are able to get our big men's attention that allows them to dish out for easy jump shots for the other team.
I'm afraid that if this keeps going, and every single team that they face this year knows that Celtics have a point guard who can't keep his man in front of him and shoots 33% in the free throw line and can't make a jump shot, the C's defense will get hurt everytime. Imagine having a point guard that you don't have to guard because and makes it seem like the the C's are playing with 4 players with one occassionally showing up for some spectacular plays once in a while.
Staying in front of your man does not get you any stats but I'd rather have that disrupt the other teams offense rather than a steal that ends up costing C's defense allowing easy points for the other team.

[Celtic#9]

I agree it just seems sometimes Rondo could care less some plays

[ScoobyDoo]

I also think it is unacceptable. And I wouldn't care or consider for even 2 seconds that Rondo just signed a $55 Mil contract,if I were coaching him, I would yank him on the very first time he played it lazy and let his guy get by him.

I would put in Lester Hudson and tell Rondo his minutes are Lester's until he
(Rondo) decides he's interested in playing defensive basketball.

You know why? Lester would try to stay in front of his man "like his life depended on it". It's a matter of will, it's a matter of effort.

I understnad what you're sayign about Rondo being light, slight of frame. But in my experience unless a guy has 50-70+ lbs on you, you can genrally hold him at bay. Very few points have 40+ lbs on Rondo, maybe 10-20 pounds...

And there is a difference between staying in front of your man and letting him drive by you. Even if a point can back you down from the top of the key there is only so far he can go before he runs into the trees clogging up the middle. Rondo just needs to stay between his man and the basket a smuch as is humanly possible, given the picks,e tc., one of those old fundamental statments.

In fact, him being slight of frame should actually help him stay in front of his guy because he should be able to slip the picks ( over or under) much more easily than bigger points.

What bugs the most is that with his gifts, he should be at the top of the league in this skill, which would make our defense killer. Conversely, he's at the bottom of the league.

And aagain, given his physical gifts, it is comletely unacceptable. 

[ScoobyDoo]

It's like Karl Malone refusing to rebound when he's under the basket. It's one of the few, fundamental things the team needs from him.

[pengaloo]

It's not just Rondo, so I'm not sure why we're so set on singling him out. Here's what Doc had to say today about our pick and roll defense:

After the session there was ample talk about what’s been going wrong the last two games, and it starts with the pick and roll defense.

“Our pick and roll coverage is the main thread,” Rivers said. “It’s been inconsistent. It’s two guys not just the guy on the ball. It’s the guy guarding the ball who sets the pick. And then dribble penetration. Some of our defensive sets have been very good and then with five seconds left on the clock the guy dribbling the ball gets all the way to the basket and that’s not just the guy guarding the ball.”

http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/2009/11/16/open-practice-open-questions/

[Chris]

It's not just Rondo, so I'm not sure why we're so set on singling him out. Here's what Doc had to say today about our pick and roll defense:

After the session there was ample talk about what’s been going wrong the last two games, and it starts with the pick and roll defense.

“Our pick and roll coverage is the main thread,” Rivers said. “It’s been inconsistent. It’s two guys not just the guy on the ball. It’s the guy guarding the ball who sets the pick. And then dribble penetration. Some of our defensive sets have been very good and then with five seconds left on the clock the guy dribbling the ball gets all the way to the basket and that’s not just the guy guarding the ball.”

http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/2009/11/16/open-practice-open-questions/

Your right, the bigs have not been doing a good job on the pick and rolls either...but that does not change the fact that Rondo has not been fighting through the picks like he needs to.

[mgent]

This is not the only problem.

A couple of times in the last game the PG got rid of the ball and drifted to the weakside corner. Rondo just ignored him and stayed strong side, which resulted in Ray Allen having to guard both his man, and the corner shooter.

This is unacceptable. It's fundamentally wrong, and it's not worth the one or two times when he'll be able to knock the ball away.

I yell at him every time he does that, and it's quite often.