I just listened to the podcast and think Simmons broke one of the cardinal rules of journalism. He is using what he saw of the Celtics against the Clippers and is making season-wide conclusions.. off of that one game. Did he not see Rasheed the game before? Rasheed played GREAT defense on Howard, he played in the post of offense, showed up to play, and was one of the big reasons the Celtics beat Orlando w/o Pierce. Rasheed is clearly not washed up, he just needs to "bring it" every game.
I will say there is at least something to what Bucher is getting at with Rondo/Perk. Those two guys have their contracts and have progressed to a level that they are being recognized. I can fully imagine KG going into long tirades/lectures, and I can tell you that if a co-worker is constantly lecturing you then you begin to resent them. This is one of the likely reasons that you hear KG in the news praising Rondo; I bet Doc is pushing him to stay positive. However, on the court, I don't think they are letting it get in the way of winning.
Again, Simmons is full of junk... he says the Celtics, when healthy, are not capable of winning the championship... yet he provides no team that would win! If the Celtics are healthy, who beats them? So far, I don't see anyone.