Rondo helping Hudson Improve Defense

[twinbree]

WALTHAM – With the Celtics departing for New York in less than an hour, it was nearly impossible to pull Rajon Rondo and Lester Hudson off the court.
The two point guards were in the midst of an intense post-practice drill and neither wanted to stop. Rondo drove, pulled up for shots, and tried to shake Hudson on the way to the basket. Hudson buckled down and tried to stay one step ahead of him.

The drill, while competitive, was friendly in nature — “Me and Lester are pretty close. I like Les,” said Rondo. They decided some extra practice time would help Hudson improve on defense and Rondo was happy to help him out.

“He can play D, he’s long, he’s athletic, he’s quick,” Rondo said of Hudson. “He’s going to be a great player in the league one day. He’s young, he’s just trying to learn the way and try to find his way on the team.”

“He can shoot better than I thought he could. He’s very quick, so it helps me on my defense. I’m trying to get my defense up,” Hudson said. “He can shoot from the three. In one-on-ones he’s been hitting, so I think he can shoot it. He just has to shoot the ball.”

Lester is a smooth talker 

http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/2009/11/21/rondo-helping-hudson-improve-defense/

Aside from snickering at the the gushing going on this got me thinking about the starter/bench match-ups in practice. I assume it’s:
Rajon/Eddie
Ray/Marquis
Paul/Scal
KG/Sheldon
Perk/Sheed

Ray and Perk are basically the only ones looking to me like they’re getting challenged. That might explain why the practices could be getting sloppy.

[ToppersBsktball10]

Rondo's not the right person to teach him. lol

[Tai]

We don't know that about Marquis and Scal, so let's not assume.

[ManUp]

From what I've seen of Hudsons man defense it's already better than Rondo's.

[pengaloo]

This isn't the first time I've read about Rondo helping Lester out. We can snicker all we want about how Rondo's not the right person to be teaching anyone anything about defense, but I think this article is a sign that Rondo's putting in the effort to be a better leader and locker room presence.

[moiso]

"Now Lester, when I dribble, lunge for the ball as I blow past you for a layup".  Just kidding.

[lon3lytoaster]

Hudson should be getting some playing time.. He looks real solid to me. His man defense is lightyears ahead of what Eddie and Rondo bring, too.

[EJPLAYA]

When he's finished with that pupil he is moving on to teach Ray how to shoot jumpers… What a joke.

[moiso]

When he's finished with that pupil he is moving on to teach Ray how to shoot jumpers… What a joke.

haha!  nice.

[SalmonAndMashedPotatoes]

WALTHAM – With the Celtics departing for New York in less than an hour, it was nearly impossible to pull Rajon Rondo and Lester Hudson off the court.
The two point guards were in the midst of an intense post-practice drill and neither wanted to stop. Rondo drove, pulled up for shots, and tried to shake Hudson on the way to the basket. Hudson buckled down and tried to stay one step ahead of him.

The drill, while competitive, was friendly in nature — “Me and Lester are pretty close. I like Les,” said Rondo. They decided some extra practice time would help Hudson improve on defense and Rondo was happy to help him out.

“He can play D, he’s long, he’s athletic, he’s quick,” Rondo said of Hudson. “He’s going to be a great player in the league one day. He’s young, he’s just trying to learn the way and try to find his way on the team.”

“He can shoot better than I thought he could. He’s very quick, so it helps me on my defense. I’m trying to get my defense up,” Hudson said. “He can shoot from the three. In one-on-ones he’s been hitting, so I think he can shoot it. He just has to shoot the ball.”

Lester is a smooth talker 

http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/2009/11/21/rondo-helping-hudson-improve-defense/

Aside from snickering at the the gushing going on this got me thinking about the starter/bench match-ups in practice. I assume it’s:
Rajon/Eddie
Ray/Marquis
Paul/Scal
KG/Sheldon
Perk/Sheed

Ray and Perk are basically the only ones looking to me like they’re getting challenged. That might explain why the practices could be getting sloppy.

TP for the article, Twinbree. 

These are the kinds of insider stories that I really enjoy.  Say what you want about Rondo's defense, but going AGAINST Rondo in practice can't do anything but help Hudson's defense.  I love how they had to pulled off the court too, which shows me the intense work ethic each player possesses.  As Perk says, hard work pays off. 

I'd love to see Hudson get some time on the 2nd team--his defense, and ability to score and create his shot, as well as his energy are all things we could use right now.  Outside of Rondo, Paul, Marquis and TA, Hudson is one of the few players we have that can create his own shot and get to the rim.  On such a perimeter-oriented team, I'd love to see Doc give Les a look over House sometimes (especially when Eddie's not hitting).  Not only would he be an unknown to the opposing team, he'd also improve our offensive balance.  Hudson may even be able to hang with some shooting guards too, so it's possible to play him and House together against some teams.  One of those teams just might be the Knicks, who have several undersized backup point/shooting guards...

[Roy Hobbs]

I'm glad to see Rondo putting in extra work, and it's encouraging to see him attempting to help his teammates improve.  Any time you hear about guys coming in early or staying late, it's a positive thing.

[Drucci]

I'm glad to see Rondo putting in extra work, and it's encouraging to see him attempting to help his teammates improve.  Any time you hear about guys coming in early or staying late, it's a positive thing.

Yup, finally something really nice and encouraging to hear about Rondo. Hopefully this extra work will pay for him tonight, and may give Lester some minutes in this game too (and by that, I mean meaningful minutes, not garbage time).

[EJPLAYA]

I'm glad to see Rondo putting in extra work, and it's encouraging to see him attempting to help his teammates improve.  Any time you hear about guys coming in early or staying late, it's a positive thing.

Sorry, but if Rondo is putting extra work in I'd much rather have him with an assistant or something shooting jumpers or free throws. He could also do some extra film work and maybe the light bulb will pop on watching himself get blown past by every pg in the league. Obviously we have seen reports of him working on shooting, but he obviously hasn't really made much progress since he has come in the league. I guarantee you that if he would shoot 500+ free throws a day his % will increase. That's nice and all him helping out a teammate, but it really doesn't make him or this team better. A guy getting 1-2 minutes of garbage time all year isn't going to make a difference.

[Roy Hobbs]

Sorry, but if Rondo is putting extra work in I'd much rather have him with an assistant or something shooting jumpers or free throws. He could also do some extra film work and maybe the light bulb will pop on watching himself get blown past by every pg in the league. Obviously we have seen reports of him working on shooting, but he obviously hasn't really made much progress since he has come in the league. I guarantee you that if he would shoot 500+ free throws a day his % will increase. That's nice and all him helping out a teammate, but it really doesn't make him or this team better. A guy getting 1-2 minutes of garbage time all year isn't going to make a difference.

He's putting in other work, as well:

With Orlando in town again tonight for the first time since that playoff series, Rondo sat on the bench watching film of his free throws with Celtics assistant coach Armond Hill more than 3 1/2 hours before gametime. The pair then took to the court to practice Rondo's form. "That's too much," Rondo said of his grip on the ball, his right hand cocked out awkwardly to his right side. "Just square it up," said Hill, a patient teacher. "I'm straight!" Rondo shouted back, taking another free throw. "My elbow is straight." "You think its straight," said Hill. "I can show you right on film, right now." How concerning is Rondo's current free-throw percentage (currently at 25 percent)? Celtics GM Danny Ainge came out to check on the lesson, giving Hill and Rondo a putting analogy from golf. Hill, who played eight seasons in the NBA, took the time to put his hands on Rondo's elbow to shift it into the right position.

Link.

I'm frustrated by a lot of Rondo's game early this season, too, but I don't think there's any need to attack him when he's doing positive things.  I don't see how the fact that he's spending extra time working both before and after practice is anything but a good thing.

[Thruthelookingglass]

This isn't the first time I've read about Rondo helping Lester out. We can snicker all we want about how Rondo's not the right person to be teaching anyone anything about defense, but I think this article is a sign that Rondo's putting in the effort to be a better leader and locker room presence.

I expected a lot of snickering too.  Nice take on this post; I'd be encouraged to see Rondo making more of an effort since this probably will someday be his team.