Great article on Rondo's leadership

[European NBA fan]

As always Jackie MacMullan does an excellent job.

Just one passage:

Both Rivers and Celtics president of basketball operations Ainge repeatedly announced it was Rondo's time, even if some of his teammates weren't completely buying into that.

"Two years ago I think they wanted him to be one thing," Paul Pierce said. "But he was still learning. They were saying, 'It's Rondo's team,' but he wasn't to the point where he was that constant presence.

"They put him in a role he wasn't ready for yet."

Or, perhaps, was he thrust into a role that some of his more celebrated teammates weren't quite ready to relinquish? The former Big Three boasted a collective resume steeped in excellence. Rondo, it seemed, had to wait his turn.

Yet his younger counterparts claim Rondo has been the glue to the locker room for years. Avery Bradley said it was Rondo, not the seasoned veterans, who checked on him regularly during his rookie season to make sure he was eating right, had the transportation he needed or had someone to talk to when he was feeling lonely or overwhelmed.

Bradley was devastated when he sent to the NBA Developmental League in January 2011. "I felt like it was a punishment almost," he said.

It was Rondo who stopped by Bradley's apartment and stressed the move was a chance for him to play and improve, and Rondo who made arrangements to watch Bradley play in Maine before a last-minute change to a Celtics practice scuttled the plans.
"But it showed how much he cared about me," Bradley said. "How much he cares about everybody."

[indeedproceed]

Jackie Mac knows, if you need a quote, you go to Keyon.

[j804]

I saw this on ESPNBoston man does Jackie McMullan kill it everytime wish she would write a book on this Big Three era need 18 first though.

[Edgar]

this is pretty much the difference between a man who is sn insider and some media drivven coments
of coure we all know we have to be carefull with extra insidership

[get_banners]

great read. one question, though. dooling mentions the vets didn't really help out rondo as much as they should have. is that a generic shot at some of the older guys, or maybe directed specifically at ray (who he does take a backhanded shot at in the article re: talking to the press more than his teammates)? just curious what people think.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

Dang...


"Ray was great in many ways," Dooling said. "Rondo learned a lot from him -- how to prepare, how to take care of his body, how to be professional.

"But the way Ray led was different than how Rajon did it. Not wrong, just different.

"Ray didn't know how to communicate with Rondo the way some of us could, like myself, like KG, who fully embraced Rajon.

"I love Ray. I love his family. He's a true pro. But it's unfair how this all came out. Ray had such a good relationship with all the reporters and Rondo was so quiet. So who gets all the good press?

"Sometimes it felt like Ray spent more time talking to the media than he did to his teammates.''

[KGs Knee]

Keyon was rather scathing of Allen in a subtle way.  Ouch!

I suspect he, along with Doc, KG and Pierce, all still respect Allen though.

[RJ87]

Great read. Actually, it'd be news if something Jackie writes isn't a good read.

I love all the stuff from his teammates - AB, Paul, Wilcox, and Keyon all provided great insight into Rondo's leadership. I love the strides Rondo has made and his continuing maturation. Honestly when he played through the dislocated elbow, it really hit me - this kid is dedicated to this team and wants to win just as much as any other player. Some media (and fans) will always find negatives in him because of his reputation and past, but there's been tremendous growth in his game and his leadership since he came into the league.

I'm truly excited to watch him play this season.

[CelticG1]

I like jackie mac for the most part and obviously love Rondo but just funny how these journalists can really paint whatever picture they want to the public.

Like last year he wasn't mature cause he threw a water bottle at a tv screen. Now this year he has grown up even tho he got suspended twice for referee altercations, one a playoff suspension and also walking out of game 7 against the Heat before the game was over?

Just funny that a lot of this stuff is from 2 years ago and now that they want to write something nice about Rondo they ask his teammates a couple questions and ignore anything bad he's done lately

[Yogi]

What has Rondo done recently that's bad?  Rondo getting thrown out of that Hawks was almost necessary.  Celtics, with the exception of Rondo, played like crap in the first two games.  It was only after Rondo got thrown out they started playing well.  On a side note, I almost punched Marc Davis through the television.  He is a horrible ref and he kept making bad calls that directly affected the game.  Obviously the game meant a lot to Rondo.  Furthermore he was standing up for Bass who never complains but was just hit with a mind boggling foul when neither team had possession and was scrambling for the ball.  I want to see those qualities in players I root for.  Red would've been proud.

[Prof. Clutch]

There is no body better than Jackie Mac at getting to the bottom of things.  Just like when KG and Pierce hang it up, we'll all be worse off as fans when Jackie decides to call it quits.

[RJ87]

I like jackie mac for the most part and obviously love Rondo but just funny how these journalists can really paint whatever picture they want to the public.

Like last year he wasn't mature cause he threw a water bottle at a tv screen. Now this year he has grown up even tho he got suspended twice for referee altercations, one a playoff suspension and also walking out of game 7 against the Heat before the game was over?

Just funny that a lot of this stuff is from 2 years ago and now that they want to write something nice about Rondo they ask his teammates a couple questions and ignore anything bad he's done lately

But what bad has he done lately? When these incidents happen, he got ripped by the press. Lately, he's been embracing the leadership role so why shouldn't that be highlighted?

Your post pretty much highlights what I said previously - he's got a bad rap that people will throw in his face no matter what he's actually doing in the present. For the sake of argument, I should remind you that KG too walked off the court in game 7 without shaking hands. And just a year prior to that Paul was ejected in a playoff game against the Heat. Where's all the outrage over their maturity? Rondo seems to be under a different microscope than others.

[BballTim]

I like jackie mac for the most part and obviously love Rondo but just funny how these journalists can really paint whatever picture they want to the public.

Like last year he wasn't mature cause he threw a water bottle at a tv screen. Now this year he has grown up even tho he got suspended twice for referee altercations, one a playoff suspension and also walking out of game 7 against the Heat before the game was over?

Just funny that a lot of this stuff is from 2 years ago and now that they want to write something nice about Rondo they ask his teammates a couple questions and ignore anything bad he's done lately

  First of all I'd be willing to bet that if you knew about all of the bad behavior of all of the stars in the league what you've heard about Rondo would pale in comparison. It's also worth pointing out that Rondo's still a few years younger than PP was when Danny was trying to trade Pierce after Paul got thrown out of a playoff game and did the press conference with his head wrapped in a bandage, or KG was when he sucker punched a teammate for showing him up in practice.

  ...or possibly the source of a lot of the "Rondo's a head case" rumors took his talents to south beach.