Rondo then and now

[cgreen]

In the 08 championship season, the Cs offense was very good in spite of him. This year the offense is very very good because of him. Yes he was a good ball handler back then but he was very indecisive and looked very reluctant offensively. Is there any question about his command of the team and his confidence offensively now? The ball is moved around beautifully and distributed to everybody. Whether its Rondo running the break and kicking it out to Ray, or him driving and dumping it off to Perk, or a lob to KG for a dunk, Rondo is manufacturing points that were not there two years ago.

basketballreference.com has Rondo listed as 3rd on its MVP tracker right behind guys like Kobe and Lebron and just above Carmelo. Imagine your at a game in Boston and Rondo is at the line against the Lakers. you hear a faint chant but you swear you're mistaken...its getting louder and louder...MVP! MVP! MVP! He won't win it or be seriously considered I know, but wouldn't it be fun to see and hear?

If KG is the heart of the team and Paul is the soul of the team, then I'd say that Rondo is the pulse of the team. 

[Bahku]

In the 08 championship season, the Cs offense was very good in spite of him. This year the offense is very very good because of him. Yes he was a good ball handler back then but he was very indecisive and looked very reluctant offensively. Is there any question about his command of the team and his confidence offensively now? The ball is moved around beautifully and distributed to everybody. Whether its Rondo running the break and kicking it out to Ray, or him driving and dumping it off to Perk, or a lob to KG for a dunk, Rondo is manufacturing points that were not there two years ago.

basketballreference.com has Rondo listed as 3rd on its MVP tracker right behind guys like Kobe and Lebron and just above Carmelo. Imagine your at a game in Boston and Rondo is at the line against the Lakers. you hear a faint chant but you swear you're mistaken...its getting louder and louder...MVP! MVP! MVP! He won't win it or be seriously considered I know, but wouldn't it be fun to see and hear?

If KG is the heart of the team and Paul is the soul of the team, then I'd say that Rondo is the pulse of the team. 

Nice post, CGreen ... great way to start out, and welcome! (Here's a first Tommy Point - edit: second). Yeah, I would call Rage the "catalyst" of the team, as he sets the tempo and mood for what's happening on the floor. I think what makes the difference between a good PG and a great one, is the ability to learn, adapt, listen, change, and hustle his butt off.

Rondo does all of these, and being surrounded with the immense amount of talent that he is, malleability is essential for becoming the best he can be. So many young guys get to the NBA with a chip on their shoulder already, and decide they can't be taught anything they don't already know, and that kind of attitude is suicide at the professional level.

Rondo has always kept his eyes, ears and mind open, and if he continues progressing at the rate he is, will most assuredly be one of the best PG's of this generation ... IMHO. Again, nice to have you onboard here at CB!

[Redz]

The ESPN MVP tracker rank is pretty impressive,

(and BTW Bahku that was me with the 1st TP  )

Nice post cgreen and welcome aboard.

[mainevent]

Good Post, but honestly it's called maturity. It's like comparing a rookie QB who in his first year mostly has his sights locked in on a few certain receivers in pressure situations. After a year or so he begins to "see the field" a lot better and begins to realize he has other options. Frankly I would be disappointed if RR wasn't playing the way he's playing now.

You also have to thank Heavens, The Ghost of Red, or whatever you wish that we did NOT win the lottery the year of the big trade. Imagine if we had, and had gotten Oden or Durant. How quickly do you think RR would have matured if he'd had a bunch of youngsters and a sulking star surrounding him? How could he NOT get better with three of the greatest players at their respective positions to ever play the game, to learn from? Everything happens for a reason and I'm glad that things happened the way they did.

Lastly, you can say the same thing about the big fella. Sure, Perk still gets the moving screens called at least twice a game, but he is night and day from when he first came in to the league. Again, I point to the trade and being around and learning from the likes of KG that has really elevated his game.

I hate thinking about the near past (when we sucked) and I dont like looking too far into the future (where are we gonna be when the big three is done).  I am enjoying the heck out of the boys RIGHT NOW!!!

[ManUp]

Rondo's development is just so fun to watch. It's always fun to see a player mature and succeed through out his career. Every time you draft a rookie you hope he can be this type of impact player, but it's rarely the case. You see the guys like Kedrick Brown, Marcus Banks, Gerald Green, who have all the tools, but just can't put it together and you appreciate Rondo so much more. Rondo had so much potential coming into the league and it's fun to watch him tap into it.

The game against Orlando was another huge step in Rondo's development. Rondo has always been a question mark against Orlando, LA, and Cleveland. These are the only three teams that have successfully turned him into a liability on a consistent basis. With their length and shot-blocking they keep Rondo out the paint and make him a passive player. This is one of the flaws I've been waiting for him to fix and hopefully this game is showing that he will, we already know he can. If he can learn to bring the type of aggressive play he showed against Orlando to LA and Cleveland they simply can't hang with us.

[Celtic#9]

If Rondo was at the line i would be saying MVP! i would be praying please dont miss it this time. Good Post and i love to watch rondo play and develop

[Tr1boy]

His shooting has been better but his drive in penetrations are that much better also. Anyone recall vs orlando the past game game when he blew by nelson like he was a joke and shot up a ridiculous angle bank shot off the backboard with howard trying to block him for example

 Much more acrobatic this year.

He has worked on his body you can really tell. Jumps higher, is faster and stronger.

He and perk are actually looking like the big 2 right now