Rajon Rondo's Injured Knee

[Chris]

FYI, Doc came out this morning and indicated that Rondo was NOT injured.  This was my feeling after reading KG's quote, where he said that everybody was hurt this time of year.

And by indicating, I am assuming you mean, said very blatently that he is not injured, and he is just playing badly.  When asked about KG's comments, Doc simply said KG was wrong. 

It is interesting.  My guess is the truth is somewhere in between.  This is all purely speculation, but my guess is KG was trying to protect Rondo a bit, and get the press and fans off his back by saying he was injured, and Doc disagreed with doing that.  I think Doc did not like excuses being made for Rondo (whether he is injured or not), and felt that he needs to take responsibility for his play. 

Doc does a lot of teaching with these young guys, and some of it is with things like that.  He knows how important it is for players to feel that pressure to perform, and not make excuses about it. 

My personal guess is that Rondo is being bothered by injuries, just like every other player in the league at this time of year.  The thing is, he is not so hurt that he can't play, and when you are on the floor, being "hurt" cannot be an excuse.  Once you start thinking that it can be an excuse, then you start complaining about how bad your elbow hurts, right as you are getting ready to play one of the biggest series of your career.

  This was in yesterday's herald:

  "Instead, Rajon Rondo [stats]’s play has dropped off dramatically. Part of the reason is injury, specifically his creaky ankles. Part, too, is that he’s simply not playing well."

  And this was in the Globe:

  "After Monday’s 88-79 loss at New Jersey, Rondo sat with his feet soaking in ice, attempting to calm his plantar fasciitis and sprained right ankle while pondering his recent struggles."

  I don't think Rondo's been trying to use injuries as an excuse for his play, and I don't think that plantar fasciitis really falls into the  category of "being bothered by injuries, just like every other player in the league at this time of year". I also think it's a more likely reason for his struggles than laziness/indifference/depression over Perk/lack of confidence/substance abuse or most of the other theories you see here, or the thought that he's always been this bad. I don't recall similar speculation about KG or Paul or Ray when they played poorly for fairly long stretches last year other than old age.

Like I said, its probably somewhere in between.  I wouldn't say he is injured, because injured players don't play.  But I certainly think he is dealing with bumps and bruises (and I would consider plantar fascitis...if he can play through it...in that category). 

But, the way Doc vehemently denied he was injured this morning, to me, it was very clear that he was trying to make a point.  I don't believe for a second that Rondo is 100%, but for some reason, Doc wanted to make it clear that he is simply playing poorly, and its not all just because of an injury.  To me, it sounded like he was just calling Rondo out, to try to get him to play better.

  Danny's on the radio clearing everything up. He said that Rondo's not playing great but he's also not 100%.

Exactly.  Like I said, Doc was making a point.   

[OsirusCeltics]

I've always said thought about this

Rondo has an imbalance in his leg strength. Happened to me like a year ago. My right leg was weaker then my left leg, and cause both of my knees, back, neck, foot, and ankles to hurt. Imbalance causes all of your body to compensate, and even affects the stronger leg

What I did is one legged 90 degree lunges on my weaker leg, after that I had no more problems. My posture improved, no more pain, and even grew a couple inches. I should send Rondo a exercise tape or something lol

Just out of curiosity, why do you think that of Rondo?  Thx.

If you see the mechanics of the way he walks, both of his legs are curved. It's that way because one of his legs are weaker and the only way they are able to hold your body is by being curved.

When one leg is weaker, it throws off your balance of your body. The rest of the body start to ache all over. It not a coincidence that he has ankle problems, plantar fasciitis, sore back, etc. Hope his trainers realize that

[Celtics18]

I don't know about all the other injuries, I'll put those down as bumps and bruises, but Rondo's been playing through the plantar fascitis all season.  We've all known about, but haven't made a big deal about it because it's not going away.

I've had it. You have good days and bad days, but it hurts like a mother most of the time. 

Rondo's a tough kid, and I'm sure he'll be fine for the playoffs, but I'd love to see him get a little time to rest those puppies before the playoffs.  The time is right, now that we've got Carlos and Delonte on board.

[Tai]

I've always said thought about this

Rondo has an imbalance in his leg strength. Happened to me like a year ago. My right leg was weaker then my left leg, and cause both of my knees, back, neck, foot, and ankles to hurt. Imbalance causes all of your body to compensate, and even affects the stronger leg

What I did is one legged 90 degree lunges on my weaker leg, after that I had no more problems. My posture improved, no more pain, and even grew a couple inches. I should send Rondo a exercise tape or something lol

Just out of curiosity, why do you think that of Rondo?  Thx.

If you see the mechanics of the way he walks, both of his legs are curved. It's that way because one of his legs are weaker and the only way they are able to hold your body is by being curved.

When one leg is weaker, it throws off your balance of your body. The rest of the body start to ache all over. It not a coincidence that he has ankle problems, plantar fasciitis, sore back, etc. Hope his trainers realize that

So how did you know which leg was weaker?

[OsirusCeltics]

I've always said thought about this

Rondo has an imbalance in his leg strength. Happened to me like a year ago. My right leg was weaker then my left leg, and cause both of my knees, back, neck, foot, and ankles to hurt. Imbalance causes all of your body to compensate, and even affects the stronger leg

What I did is one legged 90 degree lunges on my weaker leg, after that I had no more problems. My posture improved, no more pain, and even grew a couple inches. I should send Rondo a exercise tape or something lol

Just out of curiosity, why do you think that of Rondo?  Thx.

If you see the mechanics of the way he walks, both of his legs are curved. It's that way because one of his legs are weaker and the only way they are able to hold your body is by being curved.

When one leg is weaker, it throws off your balance of your body. The rest of the body start to ache all over. It not a coincidence that he has ankle problems, plantar fasciitis, sore back, etc. Hope his trainers realize that

So how did you know which leg was weaker?

Well, he has almost all of his injuries on his left side. (left foot, left ankle, left knee, left hamstring). That means his right leg is weaker and the left leg is compensating for it and getting all of the brunt of the pain. It was brutal when I experienced it. Hurt every time I was standing for more than 15 min