I have learned to love Rondo for what he is. I must say that I was the last person in my immediate and extended family to come around and embrace him. For some reason, I have always seen past the flash and the highlights and nitpicked his game - it went beyond his elusive jump shot and concentrated more on his "punkness." I abhor how he lets balls roll along before picking up the dribble (I know the reason for it, but it still looks ridiculous on TV) and even though his lobs and alley-oops guarantee easy, high percentage shots for the Celtics, I cannot help but hold my breath and think KG or Glenn Davis are a miscalculated pass away from a broken ankle.
But I can get past all of that because I really do accept the fact that Rajon Rondo is an amazing basketball player. However, he needs to grow up and he needs to be a professional and he needs to protect his asset, which are his ankles, his legs, his hamstrings - his whole body. He wears low-top basketball sneakers; never fully ties his sneakers and sometimes refuses to get taped up. Do you wonder why he is having all these lower body/leg/foot problems? Forget all the compression socks, leggings, arm sleeves, etc. - a player's most important gear are his sneakers.
If Rondo continues to be stubborn about these things, then he is being disrespectful to the game of basketball, his teammates, his coaches, his bosses who pay him dearly and most of all to himself because he is not allowing himself to be the best player he can be, which is the best player in the game. Rajon, please wear high top sneakers and wear them properly.
You have GOT to be kidding me! Rolling the basketball inbounds is not a "punk move"...the clock doesn't begin until he touches the ball, which actually gives us 4-5 extra seconds to set up a play (which is huge).
Also, I sell basketball sneakers for a living, and I can tell you that high-tops do not necessarily have any more of a benefit to them than low-tops do. The real support of a shoe is in the base of the shoe...not the weak material that comes up around the ankle and makes it "look" more secure. The real key to ankle protection is bracing or taping up the ankles, something that Eddie Lacerte wouldn't allow his players to NOT do. Rondo's making serious money, has a long future ahead of him, and you don't think Doc and Ainge are aware of this and are taking all the necessary precautions to ensure that their investment will last for years to come? Kobe's wearing low-tops, and he's had himself a heck of a career. Rondo will be fine, whether he wears low-tops or high-tops.
And the alleyoop passes? You're seriously gonna tear into a player for creating easy baskets and points for his teammates? I suppose you'd rather watch him sit by and make Pierce try to make the iso work every play down the floor. Or perhaps you want to watch KG struggle to get past younger defenders in the post? Heck, let's let Shaq work extra hard for his buckets.
The biggest thing that Rondo has going for him though is his basketball IQ: Doc has said that Rondo is the smartest player he's ever coached, and I believe him. The way that Rondo knows where his players are without even having to look shows that he has the confidence of a quarterback that if he makes a precision pass to a certain spot on the floor, the players will be in that exact spot to make the catch and turn it into points. Rondo is not just confident in himself...he is also confident in his teammates. We've watched the offense (and defense) start to sputter without Rondo in the equation, so the understanding of his importance to this team should be at an all-time high. It is my conviction that Rondo is more important to our championship chances than KG is, and that's saying something.
Rondo has done everything right this year, and you're gonna tear into him for "being a punk"? Seriously man, go root for the Lakers and stop whining about the PG who's gonna work wonders in Celtics green for the next several years to come.
Topic: Rondo's stubbornness is disrespectful to everyone (Read 19838 times)