So sick of Rondo's laziness

[Fafnir]

he did that because lawson already had a clear lane to basket and didn't want to foul him and make it a 3 point play.

Whatever.  Watch the replay.  He could have rather easily, for Rondo at least, gotten in between Felton and the basket.  He half-assed it down the court like he was going to possibly swat it from behind because he was either lazy or embarrassed.

Chauncey Billups would have manned-up if he had lost the ball.  He would have sprinted and at least TRIED to get between his man and the basket and prevent an easy layup as if his life depended on it.

Rondo is supremely talented, don't get me wrong.  But he doesn't have the attitude that a true superstar has.

Hell, even Kobe would have done everything in his power to prevent that layup. 

First of all, its Ty Lawson, Raymond Felton plays for the Bobcats.

Secondly the worst thing you can do is race down the court and foul ineffectively giving up a three point play. Pierce demonstrated this in the playoffs last year on the Noah break away. Dig in your heels if you want, but Rondo had to rest after that play. He didnt' have the wind to catch him.

[LarBrd33]

Leave our franchise player alone.   Antoine Walker never head to deal with this negativity. 

[angryguy77]

A little off topic here but I really wish the team as a whole would have given a few hard fouls yesterday. Not cheap or dirty but the kind that would have made the Nuggets thing before going to the hole. There were a few times I saw them step aside and not foul and let Denver get a few easy baskets. They played too nice yesterday and it would have been nice to see them get a little mean.

[Greenbean]

he did that because lawson already had a clear lane to basket and didn't want to foul him and make it a 3 point play.

Whatever.  Watch the replay.  He could have rather easily, for Rondo at least, gotten in between Felton and the basket.  He half-assed it down the court like he was going to possibly swat it from behind because he was either lazy or embarrassed.

Chauncey Billups would have manned-up if he had lost the ball.  He would have sprinted and at least TRIED to get between his man and the basket and prevent an easy layup as if his life depended on it.

Rondo is supremely talented, don't get me wrong.  But he doesn't have the attitude that a true superstar has.

Hell, even Kobe would have done everything in his power to prevent that layup. 

I dont even agree with your analysis of the play but even if I did, show me one player who has never pulled up on a fast break where they were beat. Give me a break. Kobe has pulled up, KG has, MJ has.

Not only that, how many times can you clearly say, Rondo didnt give his all on that play and it resulted in a negative play. Maybe earlier in his career but the last year and a half...not many at all.

How can you really complain about this kid's effort? He has some bad habits but his compete level is ALWAYS very high.

[No Nickname]

he did that because lawson already had a clear lane to basket and didn't want to foul him and make it a 3 point play.

Whatever.  Watch the replay.  He could have rather easily, for Rondo at least, gotten in between Felton and the basket.  He half-assed it down the court like he was going to possibly swat it from behind because he was either lazy or embarrassed.

Chauncey Billups would have manned-up if he had lost the ball.  He would have sprinted and at least TRIED to get between his man and the basket and prevent an easy layup as if his life depended on it.

Rondo is supremely talented, don't get me wrong.  But he doesn't have the attitude that a true superstar has.

Hell, even Kobe would have done everything in his power to prevent that layup. 

First of all, its Ty Lawson, Raymond Felton plays for the Bobcats.

Secondly the worst thing you can do is race down the court and foul ineffectively giving up a three point play. Pierce demonstrated this in the playoffs last year on the Noah break away. Dig in your heels if you want, but Rondo had to rest after that play. He didnt' have the wind to catch him.

Lawson, not Felton.  Mixed up former Tarheel point guards. 

Can you read my reply?  The VERY NEXT PLAY Rondo sprinted down the court and put a move on Lawson and drove in for a sweet layup.

Now tell me, if Rondo was SOOO gassed, how did he have the wind to do that? 

You need to take off the green-tinted glasses.  And those who think that Rondo would have risked a "silly foul," if he had just run FORWARD, instead of sideways like he was gonna poke it from behind, he could have gotten into great defensive position and forced a pass.

He wouldn't have had to swipe at the ball or even commit a foul if he did that.  It's basketball 101 and some of you guys obviously have never been coached.

[PLamb]

This thread and the OP are just another example of a dissatisfied fanbase not being happy because this team isn't perfect every play and every game

Fans that aren't happy when we are losing and then when we start winning aren't satisfied when we don't win by blowouts

Fans that complain about every imperfection

Fans that set unattainable goals for this team and then crap all over it when this team can't reach those lofty heights

Rondo lazy??

Rondo expends more energy in a game than most any other 2 Celtics combined and just about every starter on the team has mentioned this time and again

He pushes the ball
He runs every break
He hustle backs on defense
He is running all over the court double teaming down on defense
He pressures the ball 3/4 court
He is the only player busting the offensive boards all the time
He's relentless

And after one mistake in thin air while playing the team's one game in Denver a mile high in altitude when Rondo finally starts to suck wind for the first time in his entire Celtic career, he can't get back to defend the way he normally would a thread is born labeling him lazy like he does this all the time

PUH-LEASE!!!!!

[Greenbean]

he did that because lawson already had a clear lane to basket and didn't want to foul him and make it a 3 point play.

Whatever.  Watch the replay.  He could have rather easily, for Rondo at least, gotten in between Felton and the basket.  He half-assed it down the court like he was going to possibly swat it from behind because he was either lazy or embarrassed.

Chauncey Billups would have manned-up if he had lost the ball.  He would have sprinted and at least TRIED to get between his man and the basket and prevent an easy layup as if his life depended on it.

Rondo is supremely talented, don't get me wrong.  But he doesn't have the attitude that a true superstar has.

Hell, even Kobe would have done everything in his power to prevent that layup. 

First of all, its Ty Lawson, Raymond Felton plays for the Bobcats.

Secondly the worst thing you can do is race down the court and foul ineffectively giving up a three point play. Pierce demonstrated this in the playoffs last year on the Noah break away. Dig in your heels if you want, but Rondo had to rest after that play. He didnt' have the wind to catch him.

Lawson, not Felton.  Mixed up former Tarheel point guards. 

Can you read my reply?  The VERY NEXT PLAY Rondo sprinted down the court and put a move on Lawson and drove in for a sweet layup.

Now tell me, if Rondo was SOOO gassed, how did he have the wind to do that? 

You need to take off the green-tinted glasses.  And those who think that Rondo would have risked a "silly foul," if he had just run FORWARD, instead of sideways like he was gonna poke it from behind, he could have gotten into great defensive position and forced a pass.

He wouldn't have had to swipe at the ball or even commit a foul if he did that.  It's basketball 101 and some of you guys obviously have never been coached.

Again we're talking about one play characterizing his whole game. What other "evidence" do you have that he doesn't play hard or doesnt have what it takes to be a superstar?

[TitleMaster]

I'd almost forgotten how hard it was to breathe up in Denver.

It usually takes a couple of days to adjust to the altitude. If Denver has HCA, the Celtics should arrive immediately, after the ECF, and get themselves into game shape over there, than at home. They'll need to steal one at Denver, hopefully the 1st game, before taking the series back home.

[Fafnir]

he did that because lawson already had a clear lane to basket and didn't want to foul him and make it a 3 point play.

Whatever.  Watch the replay.  He could have rather easily, for Rondo at least, gotten in between Felton and the basket.  He half-assed it down the court like he was going to possibly swat it from behind because he was either lazy or embarrassed.

Chauncey Billups would have manned-up if he had lost the ball.  He would have sprinted and at least TRIED to get between his man and the basket and prevent an easy layup as if his life depended on it.

Rondo is supremely talented, don't get me wrong.  But he doesn't have the attitude that a true superstar has.

Hell, even Kobe would have done everything in his power to prevent that layup. 

First of all, its Ty Lawson, Raymond Felton plays for the Bobcats.

Secondly the worst thing you can do is race down the court and foul ineffectively giving up a three point play. Pierce demonstrated this in the playoffs last year on the Noah break away. Dig in your heels if you want, but Rondo had to rest after that play. He didnt' have the wind to catch him.

Lawson, not Felton.  Mixed up former Tarheel point guards. 

Can you read my reply?  The VERY NEXT PLAY Rondo sprinted down the court and put a move on Lawson and drove in for a sweet layup.

Now tell me, if Rondo was SOOO gassed, how did he have the wind to do that? 

You need to take off the green-tinted glasses.  And those who think that Rondo would have risked a "silly foul," if he had just run FORWARD, instead of sideways like he was gonna poke it from behind, he could have gotten into great defensive position and forced a pass.

He wouldn't have had to swipe at the ball or even commit a foul if he did that.  It's basketball 101 and some of you guys obviously have never been coached.

He was immediately benched for Tony Allen, after that layup you mention.

He was gassed and couldn't recover fast enough, that's not laziness.

[celts55]

he did that because lawson already had a clear lane to basket and didn't want to foul him and make it a 3 point play.

Whatever.  Watch the replay.  He could have rather easily, for Rondo at least, gotten in between Felton and the basket.  He half-assed it down the court like he was going to possibly swat it from behind because he was either lazy or embarrassed.

Chauncey Billups would have manned-up if he had lost the ball.  He would have sprinted and at least TRIED to get between his man and the basket and prevent an easy layup as if his life depended on it.

Rondo is supremely talented, don't get me wrong.  But he doesn't have the attitude that a true superstar has.

Hell, even Kobe would have done everything in his power to prevent that layup. 

First of all, its Ty Lawson, Raymond Felton plays for the Bobcats.

Secondly the worst thing you can do is race down the court and foul ineffectively giving up a three point play. Pierce demonstrated this in the playoffs last year on the Noah break away. Dig in your heels if you want, but Rondo had to rest after that play. He didnt' have the wind to catch him.

Lawson, not Felton.  Mixed up former Tarheel point guards. 

Can you read my reply?  The VERY NEXT PLAY Rondo sprinted down the court and put a move on Lawson and drove in for a sweet layup.

Now tell me, if Rondo was SOOO gassed, how did he have the wind to do that? 

You need to take off the green-tinted glasses.  And those who think that Rondo would have risked a "silly foul," if he had just run FORWARD, instead of sideways like he was gonna poke it from behind, he could have gotten into great defensive position and forced a pass.

He wouldn't have had to swipe at the ball or even commit a foul if he did that.  It's basketball 101 and some of you guys obviously have never been coached.

Well I certainly nderstand why you are so upset, as that play cost them the game . While it might or might not been a good play the truth be told, in general he is not a lazy player. I am confused as to you saying you are so sick of this laziness. This infers that he plays lazy a lot, and I just don't see that.

Now if you want to change the heading to Wallace, I'm with you.

[housecall]

In Rondo's defense in the Denver game,C.Maxwell stated on the Big Show today when asked about the lost,he said he was having altitude problems as some of the players..said he spoke to Pierce who stated that they all got winded quicker than usual due to the altitude n Denver.

He went on to talk about how different the air was when he played in Denver and when the guys fell behind early,they all exerted more energy than normal trying to get back in the game.

[RAcker]

I thought this thread was going to be about his unwillingness to keep his feet in front of his man vs trying to poke the ball out from behind. That qualifies as a little laziness, but this play was clearly exhaustion.  I am sick of the former though, but he does SO much else good that I am willing to overlook it.

Same here, and I was ready to enter the thread to agree with whatever was said on that regard. Or maybe about pushing the ball a bit more and be a bit less lazy with his passes at times (like at the beginning of the Denver game).

But, yeah, I can't agree with anything said in the OP.

Ditto to both these guys.

[PierceMVP08]

he did that because lawson already had a clear lane to basket and didn't want to foul him and make it a 3 point play.

Whatever.  Watch the replay.  He could have rather easily, for Rondo at least, gotten in between Felton and the basket.  He half-assed it down the court like he was going to possibly swat it from behind because he was either lazy or embarrassed.

Chauncey Billups would have manned-up if he had lost the ball.  He would have sprinted and at least TRIED to get between his man and the basket and prevent an easy layup as if his life depended on it.

Rondo is supremely talented, don't get me wrong.  But he doesn't have the attitude that a true superstar has.

Hell, even Kobe would have done everything in his power to prevent that layup. 

First of all, its Ty Lawson, Raymond Felton plays for the Bobcats.

Secondly the worst thing you can do is race down the court and foul ineffectively giving up a three point play. Pierce demonstrated this in the playoffs last year on the Noah break away. Dig in your heels if you want, but Rondo had to rest after that play. He didnt' have the wind to catch him.

Lawson, not Felton.  Mixed up former Tarheel point guards. 

Can you read my reply?  The VERY NEXT PLAY Rondo sprinted down the court and put a move on Lawson and drove in for a sweet layup.

Now tell me, if Rondo was SOOO gassed, how did he have the wind to do that? 

You need to take off the green-tinted glasses.  And those who think that Rondo would have risked a "silly foul," if he had just run FORWARD, instead of sideways like he was gonna poke it from behind, he could have gotten into great defensive position and forced a pass.

He wouldn't have had to swipe at the ball or even commit a foul if he did that.  It's basketball 101 and some of you guys obviously have never been coached.

Uggh, you're wrong for all the reasons stated by others above.  Just because no one agrees there is no need to be rude and obnoxious.

[BballTim]

  Weren't the announcers ragging on Ray Allen for being lazy during the game? PP took a three pointer from one side of the court and missed. Denver got the rebound and nobody ran back to cover Carmelo, who was on the opposite side of the court from Paul. They all seemed to agree that Ray should have had Melo but didn't bother to run back and cover him.

  Where's the thread about that? Aren't you just as sick of Ray's laziness? And how about all those times Rondo speeds up court and has to slow it down because nobody else ran with him? Aren't we all getting a little sick of Paul and KG's laziness?

[No Nickname]

he did that because lawson already had a clear lane to basket and didn't want to foul him and make it a 3 point play.

Whatever.  Watch the replay.  He could have rather easily, for Rondo at least, gotten in between Felton and the basket.  He half-assed it down the court like he was going to possibly swat it from behind because he was either lazy or embarrassed.

Chauncey Billups would have manned-up if he had lost the ball.  He would have sprinted and at least TRIED to get between his man and the basket and prevent an easy layup as if his life depended on it.

Rondo is supremely talented, don't get me wrong.  But he doesn't have the attitude that a true superstar has.

Hell, even Kobe would have done everything in his power to prevent that layup. 

First of all, its Ty Lawson, Raymond Felton plays for the Bobcats.

Secondly the worst thing you can do is race down the court and foul ineffectively giving up a three point play. Pierce demonstrated this in the playoffs last year on the Noah break away. Dig in your heels if you want, but Rondo had to rest after that play. He didnt' have the wind to catch him.

Lawson, not Felton.  Mixed up former Tarheel point guards. 

Can you read my reply?  The VERY NEXT PLAY Rondo sprinted down the court and put a move on Lawson and drove in for a sweet layup.

Now tell me, if Rondo was SOOO gassed, how did he have the wind to do that? 

You need to take off the green-tinted glasses.  And those who think that Rondo would have risked a "silly foul," if he had just run FORWARD, instead of sideways like he was gonna poke it from behind, he could have gotten into great defensive position and forced a pass.

He wouldn't have had to swipe at the ball or even commit a foul if he did that.  It's basketball 101 and some of you guys obviously have never been coached.

Well I certainly nderstand why you are so upset, as that play cost them the game . While it might or might not been a good play the truth be told, in general he is not a lazy player. I am confused as to you saying you are so sick of this laziness. This infers that he plays lazy a lot, and I just don't see that.

Now if you want to change the heading to Wallace, I'm with you.

You're right, this one isolated incident does not show that Rondo is a lazy player.  I didn't want to start a laundry list of plays that he takes off, but there are a handful every game in my opinion.  It sounds like I'm alone in this belief.

Several times in a game, he refuses to play fundamental man-to-man defense where he should just stay between his man and the basket.  He plays matador defense and tries to go for the strip, when he is probably the quickest player in the league (maybe behind Lou Williams for the Sixers) and could prevent so many drives to the basket that cause Perkins to help and give up a pass to his man for a dunk, or a foul by Perk.

The posters on here who say he was just tired, are kidding themselves.  If he was truly that tired, he could not SPRINT down the court right after this and drive to the hoop.  He would have walked it up, or passed off.  The fact that he was winded AFTER his own layup, shows that he reached this "gassed" state AFTER his layup.  I don't understand why he's being defended, with so flimsy an argument.

My basic beef, which this ONE play sums up perfectly, is that Rondo is a risk-taker, and not someone who plays smart basketball. I hated playing with guys who just wanted the glory of a steal, but weren't willing to put forth the effort on TRUE defense.

And just to show I'm not a hater, things I LOVE about Rondo are;

1. His rebounding: best rebounding PG in the league.  Throws his body around without care here.
2. Ball-handling.  One of the 3-4 best dribblers.
3. Splitting two defenders.  Giddy when he does it.
4. His SMARTS when he's dribbling along the baseline, and pulls it back out, but probes the defense again and gets back inside for a reverse layup
5. Not giving up his dribble in bad spots
6. His immensely improved jump shot
7. Getting Ray Allen the ball where Ray likes it best
8. His alley-oops to KG
9. His sick fake behind-the-back pass

There are many other things.  I want to root for Rondo like my Celtics heroes of the past, but he has some flaws which go against the basic principles of basketball, and it drives me crazy!!

Yesterday this one play was the perfect example of it.  I just wish Doc would fine him every time he doesn't try to stay between his man and the basket.  He just gives up too easy.