Locker room issues in Boston? (ESPN)

[Rida]

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=4883285

Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo hinted after last week's loss to the Atlanta Hawks that some changes needed to be made in the Boston locker room, but are there issues also growing behind closed doors in Boston?

"We gotta make a change and do something about it quick," Rondo said after the Hawks capped a four-game season sweep of the Celtics on Friday at Philips Arena. "Not a trade or anything, but just making some changes in the locker room, amongst ourselves. Every guy has to look in the mirror and hold themselves accountable."


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Asked to elaborate his thoughts this week, Rondo went further, suggesting to the Boston Herald that some players might have individual agendas.

"I can't really elaborate on it too much, but I think we've just got to be a team with no agendas," Rondo told the paper. "We've got to play unselfish, you know? That's on defense and offense. You've got to want the best for the next man out there regardless if you're in the game playing well or you're out of the game not playing well."

Asked if he and the Celtics had tried to clear the air on this, he said, "We haven't really been talking about it, but you've just got to know.

"In the locker room, you can feel it," Rondo added. "You don't feel like it's the same continuity and camaraderie in the locker room as it was the first year. The first year, it was a crazy spirit in the locker room. But now it doesn't feel the same. It's not the same right now. We've got to find a way to get that back somehow, some way."

For his part, Celtics center Kendrick Perkins stressed after Sunday's loss to the Lakers that the players in Boston's locker room are behind each other more than ever.

"I don't think it's anything," Perkins said. "I know a lot of people are turning their backs on us, which is cool, that's fine with us. We just gotta keep believing. Everybody's got to be accountable for their actions ... Don't point the finger, everybody look at themselves in the mirror and go from there.

"We're cool, we real cool. There's no beef. Guys still talk, laugh, joke -- we've all got each other's back. That's one thing you don't have to worry about in this locker room, especially with [Kevin Garnett], Paul [Pierce], Ray [Allen], and [Rasheed Wallace] in here. Guys will stick together."

Chris Forsberg covers the Celtics for ESPNBoston.com.

[hpantazo]

I'm glad to here that some guys (Rondo) are upset enough to discuss any problems and deal with them. There is obviously something wrong since they can't win games, so I'm glad to see that they care enough to be upset. If they were happy and kept saying everything is fine, then I would be worried. I'm sure it's just minor issues and they will deal with them quickly. I get the sense that the veterans are just cruising until they get to the playoffs, which is not a good example for the other guys. Also, House looks lost, he may have his next payday in mind.

[CbrewEra]

The whole ubuntu thing is totally out the door I think.  The same fire of going out to win their first title is also gone.  I feel like they aren't feeling the same sense of desire and need to win as they were in their first year.

[Rida]

There were some reports a couple of seasons ago about the young players, Perk and Rondo not being happy with the vets a couple of seasons ago but the team seemed pretty tight.

I hate to harp on old cliches but can Rasheed really be that much of a locker room cancer? Especially since him and KG are so tight?

Seems odd, yet it explains our erratic play