Rondo.....WOW. I want to watch this in games that mean something

[KCattheStripe]

I'd appreciate seeing him work on his shooting more instead of playing what are essentially pickup games against scrubs. At least KD, lebron, Wade etc are playing exhibitions against decent players now and then.  Wth is Alice lloyd college? lol

Rondo played in the same type of exhibition games as well. Those same games were against scrubs and had scores in the mid 100s.

[Celtics4ever]

Alice Lloyd College is a work study college.  It's mission is to bring education to the mountain folk of Appalachia.   It was founded by a New England lady named Alice Lloyd who moved to SE Kentucky for health reasons.  They offered her a cabin and land if she would teach their children.   She took them up and founded a college eventually.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/alice-lloyd-college-1951

By work study, you work a job for the college to pay your way.   It's a pretty sweet deal.   You must work for ten hours a week but other than the books and room and board for most students it's free to go there.   So most students leave there with a no debt and a bachelor's degree.  You have to be from Appalachia to get in and they only accept a small numner of students.  I think the acceptance rate is like 7 percent.

They are small and their sport's program is only NAIA.   They have one player who play's overseas in Europe from what I heard.  Josh Harrelson, one of the big blue all stars is dating a girl from there and comes down to play often.  He played for Kentucky last year.  ALC front court is listed at 6'10", 6'4" and 6'4" but I would say they are more like 6'9" and 6'3" and 6'3".   My wife teaches there and I am an inch shorter than their center and tower over the forwards a good five inches.   I am 6'7" or 2m in barefeet exactly.

This was the game I was at.  Like I said I can't wait to see Rondo be able to run with Johnson.   I thought he would run with Jeff Green but it never happened.

[snively]

Love to see Faried and Rondo on the court together.  It's like Kenyon Martin and Jason Kidd reunited.  Shame he didn't fall to us in the draft.

[Celtics4ever]

I think Faried is going to be a monster rebounder in the pros better than Marshall if he stays injury free. 

[CelticsFanNC]

Maybe Rondo should go play on the and1 tour
Wake me up when he can shoot better than half his free throws.

  Ah, yes. Free throw shooting (and outside shooting), the *only* way to judge point guards...

Or just ignore the fact that he cant shoot. Yes shooting free throws is a basic and necessary skill for a point guard.

Most high school points guards shoot better from the line than Rondo. Its a joke.

  Many High School PG's can probably shoot ft's better then Rondo but NO High School, NCAA and for that matter, most NBA PG's cannot dominate an NBA playoff series involving future HOFers, Pierce, Garnett, Allen and LeBron James as Rondo has already done.  

  He might not have the skills many here believe a PG should have but he also has certain skills rarely seen in a PG on any level.  

He's far from a joke.  

puzzling might be a better word

Is undoubtedly a uniquely talented guy, more than capable of taking over games at the highest level of competition, but his deficiencies can also make him prone to disappearing.

  I agree he is inconsistent.   He also has had a knack for playing his best in the post season which is an admirable trait in any player.   He seemed to finally find consistency for the first couple of months of last season.  Then for whatever reason(mounting nagging injuries, Perkins trade) the wheels kind of fell off in the 2nd half.

  He's dominated in big games against the highest levels of competition the NBA has to offer in many cases without really looking to score.  

Is he perfect?  Absolutely not.  Is he one of the best players at his position in the NBA today and fully capable of hanging with anyone on any given night?  Absolutely.  He does that in-spite of the holes in his game.  

  Not every player is going to be Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Paul Pierce in terms of all around skill set.  The majority of NBA players have holes in their game as big as the holes Rondo has.  Most of them aren't as much of a factor on both end of the floor as Rondo.  He makes the players around him better.

  I don't get all of the Rondo hate around here.  He's a very good NBA player, not over paid, a great fit for this and many good teams with multiple scoring options because he defends and he is a pass first PG.  He's tough.  He's a winner.  He's a great, great passer with excellent court vision.  A capable scorer.

  Is he perfect?  NO.  That doesn't mean he isn't very, very good.

[GreenFaith1819]

I think Faried is going to be a monster rebounder in the pros better than Marshall if he stays injury free. 

Faried reminds me of a bigger version of Gerald Wallace.

He will be a solid player, for sure.

[dtrader]

I'd appreciate seeing him work on his shooting more instead of playing what are essentially pickup games against scrubs. At least KD, lebron, Wade etc are playing exhibitions against decent players now and then.  Wth is Alice lloyd college? lol

Rondo played in the same type of exhibition games as well. Those same games were against scrubs and had scores in the mid 100s.

I'm not talking about the score. All star games score in the mid hundreds, and have the best players.  I'm just saying its different playing against alice lloyd college versus playing at Rucker for example where even the unknown cats are usually legit ball players.  And when Wade, KD,and lebron played, their teams were playing against teams that included other NBA players. One game was lebrons team versus KDs.  Playing all NBA+potential NBA cats versus what would probably be a D1 intramural team doesnt say much.  Its like all D1 players versus the kids at the local park...theres gonna be lots of highlights, but it doesnt say much.

[Celtics4ever]

The best players are not always on the team especially in a small school.  I was the second third best ball player on campus most of the time I was in college.  Coaches and players asked me every year to play and I declined.  I did play in intramurals and never lost a game in four years and  some games I scored forty plus with ease.  We had a couple of all state guys who didn't even play ball either one had a won a small state class championship too.  My first three years there was only one kid on campus I could beat and my last year there was one more.  The one kid had a full ride offered him from Tennessee and didn't play.  He went with the big fish in a small pond.   I myself didn't care for all the running either you can play or you can't running ten miles is for the birds and the team studying was sucky too.   I could my studies down in two hours and pull B's.  I was not going to study with the team to boot.  I also discovered the evils of alcohol and drank too much back in the old days.  I went to a Div. III  college.  I was able to hang with Div I players too and I was told to practice with them every night at Bob Huggins Camp.   I won the best dunker and best shooter and three on three award as a junior there.  My problem always was that I was actually better at street ball than in a gym.  I was good in the gym but I was God at my park.  Every play has a guy who didn't play but could ball it up.

I did play organized ball in the US Army though for a post level team where 120 blokes tried out for the team.  I had to talk a guy there into playing who was one of the best ballers on the base.  He didn't play either until I told him about it.  I am sure on the biggest campuses there are a few guys who could play on knock off half of the kids on a team if they tried. I've also seen kids too poor to play better than kids in high school in rural areas but no one would take them to practice so they slipped between the cracks.

The pros were clearly taking it easy in this game.   I was there and they approached it with a casual ease.   A game like this can keep you in shape somewhat.   Cream is going to rise to the top against any competition.  One thing I noticed is that while the pros dunked they would not let the College boys dunk.   They either rejected it or tied them up for a foul.   I am sure it was the experience of a life time for them.

Rondo posted this was his best season ever.   I bet it is he doesn't have to play during the summer.   I am sure he is practicing some.   He was 2-4 from trey line this game but was mainly setting up opps.  I saw 5-6 of them to Faried and a few to Cousins.   I was 15 feet back and I only get that good of seats rately (twice) to see the pros.

[Redz]

Maybe Rondo should go play on the and1 tour
Wake me up when he can shoot better than half his free throws.

  Ah, yes. Free throw shooting (and outside shooting), the *only* way to judge point guards...

Or just ignore the fact that he cant shoot. Yes shooting free throws is a basic and necessary skill for a point guard.

Most high school points guards shoot better from the line than Rondo. Its a joke.

  Many High School PG's can probably shoot ft's better then Rondo but NO High School, NCAA and for that matter, most NBA PG's cannot dominate an NBA playoff series involving future HOFers, Pierce, Garnett, Allen and LeBron James as Rondo has already done.  

  He might not have the skills many here believe a PG should have but he also has certain skills rarely seen in a PG on any level.  

He's far from a joke.  

puzzling might be a better word

Is undoubtedly a uniquely talented guy, more than capable of taking over games at the highest level of competition, but his deficiencies can also make him prone to disappearing.

  I agree he is inconsistent.   He also has had a knack for playing his best in the post season which is an admirable trait in any player.   He seemed to finally find consistency for the first couple of months of last season.  Then for whatever reason(mounting nagging injuries, Perkins trade) the wheels kind of fell off in the 2nd half.

  He's dominated in big games against the highest levels of competition the NBA has to offer in many cases without really looking to score.  

Is he perfect?  Absolutely not.  Is he one of the best players at his position in the NBA today and fully capable of hanging with anyone on any given night?  Absolutely.  He does that in-spite of the holes in his game.  

  Not every player is going to be Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Paul Pierce in terms of all around skill set.  The majority of NBA players have holes in their game as big as the holes Rondo has.  Most of them aren't as much of a factor on both end of the floor as Rondo.  He makes the players around him better.

  I don't get all of the Rondo hate around here.  He's a very good NBA player, not over paid, a great fit for this and many good teams with multiple scoring options because he defends and he is a pass first PG.  He's tough.  He's a winner.  He's a great, great passer with excellent court vision.  A capable scorer.

  Is he perfect?  NO.  That doesn't mean he isn't very, very good.

I don't hate Rondo.  I love watching him play.  But I do see why people could get frustrated with him or sell him short.  He is not a complete player, but in the areas he does well he is just about the best in the league.

[Celtics4ever]

I agree he is flawed with no shot and sometimes we are playing 4 on five in the half court set.   Still he has loads of IQ and hustles and passes well.  I love him because he is a Celtic.  I generally don't hate anyone on our team and want them to do well.

While, I have disliked certain players it was because I thought they were hurting us in some fashion.   I hated Antoine's shot selection, Potapenko's hands for instance in the past and Big Baby becoming Chris Mullin Jr with the jumpers instead of playing where we need him inside.  I suspect it's for others with Rondo.  I bet they cringe when he shoots it or is left open and defenders are sagging off him.   What about when he has to chuck it up late in the shot clock?

I can live with these faults if I see effort and I usually see it with Rajon.  Some people act like he is a lottery pick and forget he is twenty something pick.  Lower picks almost always have some holes in their games.

[CelticsFanNC]

Maybe Rondo should go play on the and1 tour
Wake me up when he can shoot better than half his free throws.

  Ah, yes. Free throw shooting (and outside shooting), the *only* way to judge point guards...

Or just ignore the fact that he cant shoot. Yes shooting free throws is a basic and necessary skill for a point guard.

Most high school points guards shoot better from the line than Rondo. Its a joke.

  Many High School PG's can probably shoot ft's better then Rondo but NO High School, NCAA and for that matter, most NBA PG's cannot dominate an NBA playoff series involving future HOFers, Pierce, Garnett, Allen and LeBron James as Rondo has already done.  

  He might not have the skills many here believe a PG should have but he also has certain skills rarely seen in a PG on any level.  

He's far from a joke.  

puzzling might be a better word

Is undoubtedly a uniquely talented guy, more than capable of taking over games at the highest level of competition, but his deficiencies can also make him prone to disappearing.

  I agree he is inconsistent.   He also has had a knack for playing his best in the post season which is an admirable trait in any player.   He seemed to finally find consistency for the first couple of months of last season.  Then for whatever reason(mounting nagging injuries, Perkins trade) the wheels kind of fell off in the 2nd half.

  He's dominated in big games against the highest levels of competition the NBA has to offer in many cases without really looking to score.  

Is he perfect?  Absolutely not.  Is he one of the best players at his position in the NBA today and fully capable of hanging with anyone on any given night?  Absolutely.  He does that in-spite of the holes in his game.  

  Not every player is going to be Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Paul Pierce in terms of all around skill set.  The majority of NBA players have holes in their game as big as the holes Rondo has.  Most of them aren't as much of a factor on both end of the floor as Rondo.  He makes the players around him better.

  I don't get all of the Rondo hate around here.  He's a very good NBA player, not over paid, a great fit for this and many good teams with multiple scoring options because he defends and he is a pass first PG.  He's tough.  He's a winner.  He's a great, great passer with excellent court vision.  A capable scorer.

  Is he perfect?  NO.  That doesn't mean he isn't very, very good.

I don't hate Rondo.  I love watching him play.  But I do see why people could get frustrated with him or sell him short.  He is not a complete player, but in the areas he does well he is just about the best in the league.

  Sorry.  I wasn't saying you personally hate on Rondo.  I was questioning the over all negativity associated with him around here.  After spending the past decade or so on various Celtic message boards I realize that for some odd reason many Celtic fans need a whipping boy whether it be Al Jefferson, Rajon Rondo or someone else. 

  I just don't get why the people who love to hate on him seem to only focus on what he doesn't do well while for the most part ignoring all of the various things he does extremely well.  If the guy was being paid like a franchise player then I would absolutely understand but he's not, not even close.    He's one of the bigger bargains in the NBA today.  If he were the only guy on this team with holes in his game, again I would understand but again he's not.  If he didn't play hard or wasn't willing to play hurt I would understand but again that's not the case.

  He's a very good, bordering on great basketball player and we are lucky to have him on our side IMHO.

[dtrader]

Maybe Rondo should go play on the and1 tour
Wake me up when he can shoot better than half his free throws.

  Ah, yes. Free throw shooting (and outside shooting), the *only* way to judge point guards...

Or just ignore the fact that he cant shoot. Yes shooting free throws is a basic and necessary skill for a point guard.

Most high school points guards shoot better from the line than Rondo. Its a joke.

  Many High School PG's can probably shoot ft's better then Rondo but NO High School, NCAA and for that matter, most NBA PG's cannot dominate an NBA playoff series involving future HOFers, Pierce, Garnett, Allen and LeBron James as Rondo has already done.  

  He might not have the skills many here believe a PG should have but he also has certain skills rarely seen in a PG on any level.  

He's far from a joke.  

puzzling might be a better word

Is undoubtedly a uniquely talented guy, more than capable of taking over games at the highest level of competition, but his deficiencies can also make him prone to disappearing.

  I agree he is inconsistent.   He also has had a knack for playing his best in the post season which is an admirable trait in any player.   He seemed to finally find consistency for the first couple of months of last season.  Then for whatever reason(mounting nagging injuries, Perkins trade) the wheels kind of fell off in the 2nd half.

  He's dominated in big games against the highest levels of competition the NBA has to offer in many cases without really looking to score.  

Is he perfect?  Absolutely not.  Is he one of the best players at his position in the NBA today and fully capable of hanging with anyone on any given night?  Absolutely.  He does that in-spite of the holes in his game.  

  Not every player is going to be Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Paul Pierce in terms of all around skill set.  The majority of NBA players have holes in their game as big as the holes Rondo has.  Most of them aren't as much of a factor on both end of the floor as Rondo.  He makes the players around him better.

  I don't get all of the Rondo hate around here.  He's a very good NBA player, not over paid, a great fit for this and many good teams with multiple scoring options because he defends and he is a pass first PG.  He's tough.  He's a winner.  He's a great, great passer with excellent court vision.  A capable scorer.

  Is he perfect?  NO.  That doesn't mean he isn't very, very good.

I don't hate Rondo.  I love watching him play.  But I do see why people could get frustrated with him or sell him short.  He is not a complete player, but in the areas he does well he is just about the best in the league.

  Sorry.  I wasn't saying you personally hate on Rondo.  I was questioning the over all negativity associated with him around here.  After spending the past decade or so on various Celtic message boards I realize that for some odd reason many Celtic fans need a whipping boy whether it be Al Jefferson, Rajon Rondo or someone else. 

  I just don't get why the people who love to hate on him seem to only focus on what he doesn't do well while for the most part ignoring all of the various things he does extremely well.  If the guy was being paid like a franchise player then I would absolutely understand but he's not, not even close.    He's one of the bigger bargains in the NBA today.  If he were the only guy on this team with holes in his game, again I would understand but again he's not.  If he didn't play hard or wasn't willing to play hurt I would understand but again that's not the case.

  He's a very good, bordering on great basketball player and we are lucky to have him on our side IMHO.

It isn't about the $. I have yet to hear anyone say that Rondo isnt a bargain.  I have yet to hear anyone say he isn't very good.  The issue is that what you usually hear is related to him being "the best there is at..", "best in the league at..", etc.  It's not really negativity as much as it is tempering the hype.

Plus he is an exceptional player.  It's rare to see a player capable of being so dominant with such obvious deficiencys.  Its not like theres just holes in his game...Like you said, every player has holes...Lebrons shot is iffy, D12 has limited post moves, until recently Dirk wasnt a good rebounder.  The difference, is that no other player given the "elite" tag has such blatant shortcomings.  It's sort of like Shaq with free throws...theres no question that he's great...but imagine if he could just hit a free throw lol.

[BballTim]

It isn't about the $. I have yet to hear anyone say that Rondo isnt a bargain.  I have yet to hear anyone say he isn't very good.  The issue is that what you usually hear is related to him being "the best there is at..", "best in the league at..", etc.  It's not really negativity as much as it is tempering the hype.

  It's not hype. Among point guards he's the best or arguably the best at running an offense, passing, rebounding and defending. Those might not be as noticeable as scoring but the all help win games.

Plus he is an exceptional player.  It's rare to see a player capable of being so dominant with such obvious deficiencys.  Its not like theres just holes in his game...Like you said, every player has holes...Lebrons shot is iffy, D12 has limited post moves, until recently Dirk wasnt a good rebounder.  The difference, is that no other player given the "elite" tag has such blatant shortcomings.  It's sort of like Shaq with free throws...theres no question that he's great...but imagine if he could just hit a free throw lol.

  Rondo's clearly a unique player. But what matters isn't whether a player has a blatant shortcoming, but their overall impact on a game. Dirk makes your elite list without being known as a really good rebounder, passer or defender. If great at one thing and average at three can be elite, why can't great at 3 things and below average at one?

[dtrader]

It isn't about the $. I have yet to hear anyone say that Rondo isnt a bargain.  I have yet to hear anyone say he isn't very good.  The issue is that what you usually hear is related to him being "the best there is at..", "best in the league at..", etc.  It's not really negativity as much as it is tempering the hype.

  It's not hype. Among point guards he's the best or arguably the best at running an offense, passing, rebounding and defending. Those might not be as noticeable as scoring but the all help win games.

Plus he is an exceptional player.  It's rare to see a player capable of being so dominant with such obvious deficiencys.  Its not like theres just holes in his game...Like you said, every player has holes...Lebrons shot is iffy, D12 has limited post moves, until recently Dirk wasnt a good rebounder.  The difference, is that no other player given the "elite" tag has such blatant shortcomings.  It's sort of like Shaq with free throws...theres no question that he's great...but imagine if he could just hit a free throw lol.

  Rondo's clearly a unique player. But what matters isn't whether a player has a blatant shortcoming, but their overall impact on a game. Dirk makes your elite list without being known as a really good rebounder, passer or defender. If great at one thing and average at three can be elite, why can't great at 3 things and below average at one?

Dirks game doesnt have a glaring weakness...thats why he makes my elite list.  I mentioned the holes in other elite players, to show that no players are perfect. Still...none of their weaknesses can be called glaring.  D12 has limited post moves (and isnt good at free throws), but those weaknesses aren't so severe, that other teams can readily exploit them to foil his entire team.  The same can be said for lebrons jumper.  Rondo is a GREAT point guard.  My point isnt to contest that.  My point, is that a lot of what appears to be negativity towards him only comes up when he is discussed as being somehow the "best".  If the only negativity a player with obvious shortcomings receives, occurs when he is talked about as being the best, I dont think that really qualifies as hate.

[BballTim]

It isn't about the $. I have yet to hear anyone say that Rondo isnt a bargain.  I have yet to hear anyone say he isn't very good.  The issue is that what you usually hear is related to him being "the best there is at..", "best in the league at..", etc.  It's not really negativity as much as it is tempering the hype.

  It's not hype. Among point guards he's the best or arguably the best at running an offense, passing, rebounding and defending. Those might not be as noticeable as scoring but the all help win games.

Plus he is an exceptional player.  It's rare to see a player capable of being so dominant with such obvious deficiencys.  Its not like theres just holes in his game...Like you said, every player has holes...Lebrons shot is iffy, D12 has limited post moves, until recently Dirk wasnt a good rebounder.  The difference, is that no other player given the "elite" tag has such blatant shortcomings.  It's sort of like Shaq with free throws...theres no question that he's great...but imagine if he could just hit a free throw lol.

  Rondo's clearly a unique player. But what matters isn't whether a player has a blatant shortcoming, but their overall impact on a game. Dirk makes your elite list without being known as a really good rebounder, passer or defender. If great at one thing and average at three can be elite, why can't great at 3 things and below average at one?

Dirks game doesnt have a glaring weakness...thats why he makes my elite list.  I mentioned the holes in other elite players, to show that no players are perfect. Still...none of their weaknesses can be called glaring.  D12 has limited post moves (and isnt good at free throws), but those weaknesses aren't so severe, that other teams can readily exploit them to foil his entire team.  The same can be said for lebrons jumper.  Rondo is a GREAT point guard.  My point isnt to contest that.  My point, is that a lot of what appears to be negativity towards him only comes up when he is discussed as being somehow the "best".  If the only negativity a player with obvious shortcomings receives, occurs when he is talked about as being the best, I dont think that really qualifies as hate.

  I don't really agree with the thought that being average at many things is better than being great at dome and poor at one. Also, one could easily argue that the fact that DH isn't a reliable late game scorer is the reason the Magic haven't accomplished more, or point out that the Mavs foiled LeBron's entire team by exploiting his weaknesses on offense.