This is why I can't stand Rajon Rondo

[BballTim]

He's 23 years old.

This guy hasn't hit his ceiling yet.  Very rarely, do point guards come into the league and "have it" right away.  Rondo has made HUGE strides in his 3 years here and I fully expect the trend to continue.

Obviously, I would've liked to seen him play better in the Orlando series but, if anything, its provides a learning experience for him and will probably push him harder in the offseason knowing that he's not quite there yet.

In regards to the headache thing,  just about every 23 year old guy is gonna be a headache.  It's a stage in life that I'd say 99% of men go through.

name the last great PG that DIDN'T have IT right away.  I can't.

  Gary Payton? Steve Nash?

[droopdog7]

He's 23 years old.

This guy hasn't hit his ceiling yet.  Very rarely, do point guards come into the league and "have it" right away.  Rondo has made HUGE strides in his 3 years here and I fully expect the trend to continue.

Obviously, I would've liked to seen him play better in the Orlando series but, if anything, its provides a learning experience for him and will probably push him harder in the offseason knowing that he's not quite there yet.

In regards to the headache thing,  just about every 23 year old guy is gonna be a headache.  It's a stage in life that I'd say 99% of men go through.

name the last great PG that DIDN'T have IT right away.  I can't.  I'm thinking that unless Rondo improves his shot dramatically, which I personally do not believe is possible, then he has just about hit is ceiling already. 

Does that mean I don not appreciate him or want to get rid of him?  No, but let's be realistic as well. 

Tony parker and jason kidd are also great PG's who couldn't shoot when they came in, and developed a decent shot.

Some of you guys don't ralize how far Rondo has already come with his J.  At Kentucky, where I saw quite a few games, Rondo's J was in the vicinity of Rodman and Ben Wallace.  It was non existent.  That's not the same as Parker, who basically just needed some reps or even Kidd, who at least would take jump shots in college.

[ManUp]

He's 23 years old.

This guy hasn't hit his ceiling yet.  Very rarely, do point guards come into the league and "have it" right away.  Rondo has made HUGE strides in his 3 years here and I fully expect the trend to continue.

Obviously, I would've liked to seen him play better in the Orlando series but, if anything, its provides a learning experience for him and will probably push him harder in the offseason knowing that he's not quite there yet.

In regards to the headache thing,  just about every 23 year old guy is gonna be a headache.  It's a stage in life that I'd say 99% of men go through.

name the last great PG that DIDN'T have IT right away.  I can't.

  Gary Payton? Steve Nash?

Jason Kidd. Tony Parker. Devin Harris.

[waltzero]

Didn't Rondo have like 4 ankle sprains by the Magic series? During the Bulls series I thought he must be playing on adrenalin and a determination not to let Derek Rose out shine him. Then it was just hard to get that adrenalin going as much next round and his wheels didn't look as good.

Everybody has faults. A guy who works can add a jump shot. And Rondo being head strong is a lot better than him being an alcoholic or a door mat.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth #20]

The great thing about all our starters is they are true players at their respective positions, none moreso than Rondo who is a point guard through and through. Complaining that the C's have Rondo is like complaining beer is too cold or that the models in this years swimsuit edition are too hot. How many true point guards in the NBA are better than Rondo...a few & you're complaining about when he shows up for games? Be thankful, please be thankful, because when fans of other teams visit the site and see thread titles like this, they just have more reason to hate the selfish Boston fans. Rondo is a gangsta, if you can't handle it, go watch the Revolution!

[RAcker]

Is the OP...is this Gary Payton? 

[BballTim]

if you can't handle it, go watch the Revolution!

  That's a low blow. Definitely uncalled for. As a Rev's fan I can attest to the fact that we suffer enough without any piling on.

[cordobes]

What worries me more about Rondo are all the questions marks surrounding his work ethic: arriving late to two playoff games where he eventually performs poorly, Tommy's remarks about him lackadaisically blowing lay-ups in shoot-arounds, the self-admission of not working properly and consistently his jump-shot till some kind of bet with Garnett this season already, the lazy defense he plays at times during games, etc.

As a player, he needs to bring it every game, not only here and there and to develop his jump-shot (who many see as a minor issue, but that will always be the recipe to beat the Celtics in a playoff series and serious impacts the rest of our offence): without sizeable improvement on those 2 skills, he can't be considered an elite PG like Paul, Williams or Parker, although he's in the bubble of the top-5.

[jsingh1699]

Rondo's defense in the orlando series was pathetic, but you could see he felt more of a burden to produce offensively (pierce and allen struggled too much) and so im sure he was conserving his energy for that. but you can see him developing an attitude, especially after the bulls series where he out-did rose. i think if he can get the jumpshot going for him, then hes we have the perfect point guard for our system.

theres no harm in seeing what we can get back for him and ray in the trade market. our window is 2 years so if trading them gives us a better chance at winning in the next 2 years, why not consider it?

on another note, perkins should be untouchable in trade discussions. especially after watching the cavs get manhandled down low by howard. he deserves a lot of credit for playing him straight up the way he did.

[MrTripleDouble10]

As issues for this team goes, I would rank Rondo right after "what should be the first game that they wear the alternate road jerseys."

Apparently a lot of you guys are really bored to start a thread with this as the topic.

[greg683x]

He's 23 years old.

This guy hasn't hit his ceiling yet.  Very rarely, do point guards come into the league and "have it" right away.  Rondo has made HUGE strides in his 3 years here and I fully expect the trend to continue.

Obviously, I would've liked to seen him play better in the Orlando series but, if anything, its provides a learning experience for him and will probably push him harder in the offseason knowing that he's not quite there yet.

In regards to the headache thing,  just about every 23 year old guy is gonna be a headache.  It's a stage in life that I'd say 99% of men go through.

name the last great PG that DIDN'T have IT right away.  I can't.  I'm thinking that unless Rondo improves his shot dramatically, which I personally do not believe is possible, then he has just about hit is ceiling already. 

Does that mean I don not appreciate him or want to get rid of him?  No, but let's be realistic as well. 

Tony parker and jason kidd are also great PG's who couldn't shoot when they came in, and developed a decent shot.

Some of you guys don't ralize how far Rondo has already come with his J.  At Kentucky, where I saw quite a few games, Rondo's J was in the vicinity of Rodman and Ben Wallace.  It was non existent.  That's not the same as Parker, who basically just needed some reps or even Kidd, who at least would take jump shots in college.

I dont understand your logic here.  Youre saying by your estimation, hes already hit his jumpshot ceiling?  How do you know this?  Have you done research on a certain window someone has before theyre jumpshot can no longer be improved?

Maybe instead of finding odd ways of using Rondos previous improvements against him, you should take the common sense approach and be encouraged by them.

[2short]

WoW.
The only thing that bothers me about rondo is showing up late to 2 playoff games.  This worries me if there is an underlying problem.
 I want our best players to HAVE chips on their shoulders.  Larry Bird? Guy could be considered a jerk but great great competitor.  Remember Carlton Fisk as a rookie getting into it with vet pitchers?  Its ok if the original poster can't stand rondo but this 23 yr old    has what it takes to be one of the dominate pgs in the league.  He was our best player during playoffs and CLEARLY played with bad ankles.  When PP, Ray and KG are gone this is the cornerstone of our franchise.  I'd take rondo over every pg in the nba except chris paul and salt lakes...williams?

[CoachBo]

I used to be one of his biggest fans. But I was very discouraged with his output in the Magic series. People say he's already an elite PG, and that he deserves a pass because he's got a title under his belt. Well let me say something. He is too inconsistent and passive. In fact he's passive most of the time. Defenses know how to react to his shot AND penetration, but they give him free shots anyway because they know if they sag off him he'll miss most of the time. So they're guaranteed to get the defensive board.

And what is this nonsense about him being a 2nd team all defensive player? He stank on defense against the likes of Rafer Alston and Anthony Johnson. He's also very poor at defending the pick and roll, though he did get better, only to get worse again.

If that's not all bad enough, he comes only 30 minutes before games, he fights with teammates (just ask Paul Pierce... he said he's come close to duking it out with him on a few occassions because he's so hard headed... said it in an EEI interview), and he makes poor decisions when he calls the shots. Remember that Christmas game in LA when Rondo took an ill advised three and Ray Allen yelled at him saying he was open. They did this on national TV! How embarrassing! And Rondo also recently got into a yelling match with Doc in a practice (maybe 2-3 months ago) because Doc was criticizing his passes and decision making skills. This happened in practice of course, but it was televised.

I hope we get a good big man and some defensive players for Rondo. You know, guys who actually PLAY defense.

WADR, I think you're exaggerating a little in the opposite direction of 90 percent of the posters on this board, but fundamentally, I agree with you. Rondo is not an elite point guard. He has no perimeter game, his aggressiveness with the basketball is spotty, and I don't like his periodic lack of effort on the defensive end. I will see him strolling into that pick right before halftime of Game 7 while Rafer Alston buries the three. That's the kind of play on my teams that would earn you some major pine time.

None of these things are deal breakers, in my opinion. Rondo can and should be expected to improve in each of this areas - this summer. His game is on the upswing - not as much as some posters here want you to think, but he's definitely earned a spot among the league's top 10 points.

However, there are significant holes in his game - and apparently in his commitment to the game - that need to be addressed right now. That's why I have no interest whatsoever in overpaying to extend him, and why I have no real problem with his name being bandied about in trade rumors. I don't in any way think Ainge has to trade him, but exploring his options sends the young man a pretty clear message.

[droopdog7]

He's 23 years old.

This guy hasn't hit his ceiling yet.  Very rarely, do point guards come into the league and "have it" right away.  Rondo has made HUGE strides in his 3 years here and I fully expect the trend to continue.

Obviously, I would've liked to seen him play better in the Orlando series but, if anything, its provides a learning experience for him and will probably push him harder in the offseason knowing that he's not quite there yet.

In regards to the headache thing,  just about every 23 year old guy is gonna be a headache.  It's a stage in life that I'd say 99% of men go through.

name the last great PG that DIDN'T have IT right away.  I can't.  I'm thinking that unless Rondo improves his shot dramatically, which I personally do not believe is possible, then he has just about hit is ceiling already. 

Does that mean I don not appreciate him or want to get rid of him?  No, but let's be realistic as well. 

Tony parker and jason kidd are also great PG's who couldn't shoot when they came in, and developed a decent shot.

Some of you guys don't ralize how far Rondo has already come with his J.  At Kentucky, where I saw quite a few games, Rondo's J was in the vicinity of Rodman and Ben Wallace.  It was non existent.  That's not the same as Parker, who basically just needed some reps or even Kidd, who at least would take jump shots in college.

I dont understand your logic here.  Youre saying by your estimation, hes already hit his jumpshot ceiling?  How do you know this?  Have you done research on a certain window someone has before theyre jumpshot can no longer be improved?

Maybe instead of finding odd ways of using Rondos previous improvements against him, you should take the common sense approach and be encouraged by them.

No, I am making two related judgements.  First, I believe Rondo's J will always be a weakness.  I think it can get better but not much.  Therefore, I think his game is relatively close to it's ceiling.  So maybe yes to your question?

[CoachBo]

It's possible, mechanically, that you're correct. However, I've seen a lot of bad, ugly jumpshooters turned around by a good coach and hard work.

It's the latter that gives me pause about Rondo's future as a shooter.