Once Rondo signed the team has gone 2 outta 5

[FatjohnReturns]

His contract hit the news during the pregame show for the Phoenix game. We have gone 2-3 since then. Doc does a good job keeping everyone on the same page. Its only a hunch but I think several of our players really dont like Rondo. I believe the older players find him too cocky. He talks alot of how good he is for a guy who cant hit a 3ptr or a ft. I bet he is really hard to be around and its a long regular season.

[wdleehi]

Then they need to remember they are professionals and get past it.

[Bahku]

His contract hit the news during the pregame show for the Phoenix game. We have gone 2-3 since then. Doc does a good job keeping everyone on the same page. Its only a hunch but I think several of our players really dont like Rondo. I believe the older players find him too cocky. He talks alot of how good he is for a guy who cant hit a 3ptr or a ft. I bet he is really hard to be around and its a long regular season.

Sorry, but I don't agree at all ... Rondo has had small issues here and there with others on the team and staff, but from what I've read and heard, it's no more than anyone else. KG and Pierce have a great deal of respect for this kid and watch out for him in a big way. I haven't heard him doing a lot of bragging or arrogant posturing, but I hope he has a good amount of self-confidence ... without it, he's done in this league. I think this team knows that he's the one responsible for running the offense for some time to come, and they respect and like him a great deal. Maybe I'm just not reading the right material, but I just haven't seen all this "The team doesn't like Rondo" stuff that's being thrown around.

[SamuelAdams]

The 2-3 stat is true but I really think it is other factors.  Like going 1-15 from the 3 point line.

[Atzar]

Against the Suns, we shot 4-18 from 3 and 9-18 from the line.  They shot 13-24 from 3 and 23-30 from the line. 

Against the Hawks, we pulled down 29 rebounds to their 47.  We shot 1-15 from 3. 

Against the Pacers, we shot 3-12 from 3, compared to their 9-18.  They assisted on 31 of their baskets to our 18.  They had 27 fast break points to our 6.

Yes, clearly Rondo is the problem.  Are you kidding me?  Open your eyes and watch the team.  The Suns beat us because we were spent - we were an old team at the end of an 8-game-in-12-day stretch.  The Hawks won because we didn't rebound, and the Pacers won because we played no defense.  I can forgive the game against the Suns, but it's just been lack of effort since then, and that's harder to shrug off. 

Also, the saying 'live by the 3, die by the 3' seems to hold true for this team thus far - they struggle when they aren't hitting from outside, and they also struggle when they get lit up from outside.

[FatjohnReturns]

yeah your right lack of effort. Due to the fact the basketball isnt fun right now.
Doenst it seem strange to go 6-0 and then go 2-3.  Like i said its just a hunch but i think Rondo is really hard to be around and I think his extention took the wind outta this team.

[Kiorrik]

Doenst it seem strange to go 6-0 and then go 2-3.

To answer the main question in your post:

No.

[Chris]

Coincidence.  While Rondo has been terrible lately, he really was not playing much better before he got the contract...teams just hadn't realized what he was doing yet, so he was being more effective.

Almost all season, Rondo has continued to play lazy defense (although he has gotten even lazier in the last few games, I will admit), and even lazier offense.  On offense in particular, he has been relying way too much on the ability to find guys wide open for 3.  In the first few games, it was easy, because teams were playing lax defense against the C's, which allowed Rondo to pick them apart.  However, since teams have found that not only will he not shoot, but he has little interest in attacking the hoop this year, they have been not only sagging off of him, but they are not helping on him at all, and are instead staying glued to Ray and Paul on the perimeter.  

So until Rondo makes an adjustment, they are going to continue to be struggling against good teams.

[moiso]

The 2-3 stat is true but I really think it is other factors.  Like going 1-15 from the 3 point line.

At least Rondo is smart enough not to contribute to that 1-15.  He really needs to force the issue and make some things happen on offense though.  So many of his assists are just simple swings of the ball to good shooters.

[Bankshot]

The 2-3 stat is true but I really think it is other factors.  Like going 1-15 from the 3 point line.

At least Rondo is smart enough not to contribute to that 1-15.  He really needs to force the issue and make some things happen on offense though.  So many of his assists are just simple swings of the ball to good shooters.

It's not that he's smart enough.  He doesn't shoot the 3, because he can't shoot.

[Spilling Green Dye]

There is something off with the "team" in general, which includes Rondo.  I certainly don't think Rondo is the primary cause of the past few games, but he certainly plays into it.

He signed his contract and there is one thing I'm definitely concerned with about his play: He's getting worse at staying in front of his man (i.e. playing even more lazy), and pushes the offense less.  We all knew he wasn't a shooter, so you can't really complain there. 

[ma11l]

In my opinion the reason the defense has been breaking down is because Rondo is going for the steals instead of staying in front of his man.  There is no excuse for not being able to keep Earl Watson in front of you when you have Rondo's speed.

[Chris]

In my opinion the reason the defense has been breaking down is because Rondo is going for the steals instead of staying in front of his man.  There is no excuse for not being able to keep Earl Watson in front of you when you have Rondo's speed.

Its not even that he is going for steals.  He is simply not fighting through picks.  He is either getting caught up on them, or looping under them.  He fought through picks for the first few games, and it made a huge difference, but since then, he has started getting lazy again.  It is very frustrating.

[FatjohnReturns]

yeah agree with Chris about him being lazy. Doc and Danny want him to be a leader but he leads with his mouth not on the court. There is no excuse for the ft% cmon.

[Chris]

yeah agree with Chris about him being lazy. Doc and Danny want him to be a leader but he leads with his mouth not on the court. There is no excuse for the ft% cmon.

Honestly, the FT% doesn't bother me.  He reworked his mechanics over the summer, and that always gets worse before it gets better.  I think he has worked hard on his shooting, and particularly his free throws.  What bothers me is that he has terrible habits in games, that make it easy for teams to gameplan for him...when if he works hard, and fights those habits, he could be close to unstoppable.