I accept that Rondo will never be a good free throw shooter

[mmmmm]

I was talking specifically about Jason Kidd.  How many players have improved roughly 13% at the free throw line over the course of their careers?

Can't imagine too many and, like I mentioned before, I think its more an exception than the norm.

I can't answer the 'How many' question, but I can quickly toss out another anecdotal example:  Jermaine O'Neal.  He sucked as a FT shooter his first 5 years in the league - worse than Rondo.  As in: well below 60%.  Then he started to be sorta 'league average' (~71%) for several years and over the last 5-6 years he's been pretty good (~75%).

So basically, over the last 5-6 years he's been a little more than 15% better than he was in his first 5 years.

[Celtics18]

I still haven't accepted it.  I think he'll improve.

[deekhead]

So guys, what's the next basic skill you guys plan on being enablers/apologists about? Perhaps the ability to hit a break away layup?  The ability to get the inbounds pass in?  Oh but look at all the other things he can do!  He shouldn't be able to do that. It would take away from his other skills!

  Apologist, poster who points out that your claims are obviously nonsensical. Tomayto, tomahto.

Well if it's nonsensical to say there's no reason he shouldn't be as good at free throw shooting as a high school kid, then I don't want to be sensical   

  Obviously there's a reason (or reasons) that he's not a great foul shooters, but you haven't really demonstrated any great insight into what the reason(s) are.

Maybe Rondo at some time in the near future will acknowledge and speak to the issue itself and enlighten us as to why his FT shooting is so abysmal... but more importantly what he plans to do about it... if anything.

That IMHO would constitute a very serious 1st step toward fixing this problem and demonstrate accountability at long last.

Short of that, HELLO Kwame Brown.

DH

[BballTim]

So guys, what's the next basic skill you guys plan on being enablers/apologists about? Perhaps the ability to hit a break away layup?  The ability to get the inbounds pass in?  Oh but look at all the other things he can do!  He shouldn't be able to do that. It would take away from his other skills!

  Apologist, poster who points out that your claims are obviously nonsensical. Tomayto, tomahto.

Well if it's nonsensical to say there's no reason he shouldn't be as good at free throw shooting as a high school kid, then I don't want to be sensical   

  Obviously there's a reason (or reasons) that he's not a great foul shooters, but you haven't really demonstrated any great insight into what the reason(s) are.

Maybe Rondo at some time in the near future will acknowledge and speak to the issue itself and enlighten us as to why his FT shooting is so abysmal... but more importantly what he plans to do about it... if anything.

That IMHO would constitute a very serious 1st step toward fixing this problem and demonstrate accountability at long last.

Short of that, HELLO Kwame Brown.

DH

  Rondo's accountability is to his team, not to celticsblog or other fansites. You're talking like he's an alcoholic who won't begin to work on his problem because he won't admit he has a problem, really meaning he hasn't admitted he has a problem *to you*. This is fairly ridiculous. I doubt it's the case Rondo and the coaches have never discussed his outside shooting or free throw shooting. I really can't imagine it's the case (as some here imply) that, in those discussions, Rondo stubbornly denies that it would benefit the team if he improved his game in those areas.

  I also find it really hard to imagine that he's gone 5 years without working on his flaws without word getting out, and I seriously doubt that Danny would have given him that contract if such concerns existed. Bottom line, though, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't really know for sure why he's a bad free throw shooter. If he did, I imagine he'd fix whatever the issue was.

[deekhead]

So guys, what's the next basic skill you guys plan on being enablers/apologists about? Perhaps the ability to hit a break away layup?  The ability to get the inbounds pass in?  Oh but look at all the other things he can do!  He shouldn't be able to do that. It would take away from his other skills!

  Apologist, poster who points out that your claims are obviously nonsensical. Tomayto, tomahto.

Well if it's nonsensical to say there's no reason he shouldn't be as good at free throw shooting as a high school kid, then I don't want to be sensical   

  Obviously there's a reason (or reasons) that he's not a great foul shooters, but you haven't really demonstrated any great insight into what the reason(s) are.

Maybe Rondo at some time in the near future will acknowledge and speak to the issue itself and enlighten us as to why his FT shooting is so abysmal... but more importantly what he plans to do about it... if anything.

That IMHO would constitute a very serious 1st step toward fixing this problem and demonstrate accountability at long last.

Short of that, HELLO Kwame Brown.

DH

  Rondo's accountability is to his team, not to celticsblog or other fansites. You're talking like he's an alcoholic who won't begin to work on his problem because he won't admit he has a problem, really meaning he hasn't admitted he has a problem *to you*. This is fairly ridiculous. I doubt it's the case Rondo and the coaches have never discussed his outside shooting or free throw shooting. I really can't imagine it's the case (as some here imply) that, in those discussions, Rondo stubbornly denies that it would benefit the team if he improved his game in those areas.

  I also find it really hard to imagine that he's gone 5 years without working on his flaws without word getting out, and I seriously doubt that Danny would have given him that contract if such concerns existed. Bottom line, though, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't really know for sure why he's a bad free throw shooter. If he did, I imagine he'd fix whatever the issue was.

Precisely! You've read my innermost thoughts perfectly.

DH

[Capricious]

Shawn Marion is a career 81% FT shooter with this form:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBLlXddUGK8

There is always hope.

[BballTim]

So guys, what's the next basic skill you guys plan on being enablers/apologists about? Perhaps the ability to hit a break away layup?  The ability to get the inbounds pass in?  Oh but look at all the other things he can do!  He shouldn't be able to do that. It would take away from his other skills!

  Apologist, poster who points out that your claims are obviously nonsensical. Tomayto, tomahto.

Well if it's nonsensical to say there's no reason he shouldn't be as good at free throw shooting as a high school kid, then I don't want to be sensical   

  Obviously there's a reason (or reasons) that he's not a great foul shooters, but you haven't really demonstrated any great insight into what the reason(s) are.

Maybe Rondo at some time in the near future will acknowledge and speak to the issue itself and enlighten us as to why his FT shooting is so abysmal... but more importantly what he plans to do about it... if anything.

That IMHO would constitute a very serious 1st step toward fixing this problem and demonstrate accountability at long last.

Short of that, HELLO Kwame Brown.

DH

  Rondo's accountability is to his team, not to celticsblog or other fansites. You're talking like he's an alcoholic who won't begin to work on his problem because he won't admit he has a problem, really meaning he hasn't admitted he has a problem *to you*. This is fairly ridiculous. I doubt it's the case Rondo and the coaches have never discussed his outside shooting or free throw shooting. I really can't imagine it's the case (as some here imply) that, in those discussions, Rondo stubbornly denies that it would benefit the team if he improved his game in those areas.

  I also find it really hard to imagine that he's gone 5 years without working on his flaws without word getting out, and I seriously doubt that Danny would have given him that contract if such concerns existed. Bottom line, though, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't really know for sure why he's a bad free throw shooter. If he did, I imagine he'd fix whatever the issue was.

Precisely! You've read my innermost thoughts perfectly.

DH

  Yes, but that's a really farfetched thought.

[Greenbean]

Shawn Marion is a career 81% FT shooter with this form:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBLlXddUGK8

There is always hope.

You laugh, but that is a really short, efficient stroke.

Hardly any movement at all before his release.

It is easy to train your body to repeat that motion every time versus repeating a form with as much wasted motion as Rondos.

[Eja117]

So guys, what's the next basic skill you guys plan on being enablers/apologists about? Perhaps the ability to hit a break away layup?  The ability to get the inbounds pass in?  Oh but look at all the other things he can do!  He shouldn't be able to do that. It would take away from his other skills!

  Apologist, poster who points out that your claims are obviously nonsensical. Tomayto, tomahto.

Well if it's nonsensical to say there's no reason he shouldn't be as good at free throw shooting as a high school kid, then I don't want to be sensical    

  Obviously there's a reason (or reasons) that he's not a great foul shooters, but you haven't really demonstrated any great insight into what the reason(s) are.

Perhaps he is haunted by the ghost of Wilt Chamberlain

[green7]

Shawn Marion is a career 81% FT shooter with this form:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBLlXddUGK8

There is always hope.

You laugh, but that is a really short, efficient stroke.

Hardly any movement at all before his release.

It is easy to train your body to repeat that motion every time versus repeating a form with as much wasted motion as Rondos.

 rondo should try the shawn marion free throw form lol could work it's such a fast release

[RayAllen4Three]

I love this thread so much. Makes me want to go out and practice my free throws 

[deekhead]

I love this thread so much. Makes me want to go out and practice my free throws 

Yup.... Me too. I've got my FTs up to 70% already... and I'm going to keep working at it.

Maybe I can teach young Rondo a lesson or two about the value of persistence and discipline.

On 2nd thought..... probably not.

Next I'm going to work on a serviceable jumper.

DH

[BballTim]

I love this thread so much. Makes me want to go out and practice my free throws 

Yup.... Me too. I've got my FTs up to 70% already... and I'm going to keep working at it.

Maybe I can teach young Rondo a lesson or two about the value of persistence and discipline.

On 2nd thought..... probably not.

Next I'm going to work on a serviceable jumper.

DH

  Ever see Rondo, with his off hand, dribble all the way behind his back and continue to dribble with the same hand at full speed when he's on a break? Why not perfect that move next?

[guava_wrench]

I love this thread so much. Makes me want to go out and practice my free throws 

Yup.... Me too. I've got my FTs up to 70% already... and I'm going to keep working at it.

Maybe I can teach young Rondo a lesson or two about the value of persistence and discipline.

On 2nd thought..... probably not.

Next I'm going to work on a serviceable jumper.

DH

I assume you are playing in a league and not talking about your percentages shooting around. I'm sure Rondo shoots way above 70% when alone in the gym.

[Eja117]

I love this thread so much. Makes me want to go out and practice my free throws 

Yup.... Me too. I've got my FTs up to 70% already... and I'm going to keep working at it.

Maybe I can teach young Rondo a lesson or two about the value of persistence and discipline.

On 2nd thought..... probably not.

Next I'm going to work on a serviceable jumper.

DH

  Ever see Rondo, with his off hand, dribble all the way behind his back and continue to dribble with the same hand at full speed when he's on a break? Why not perfect that move next?

Because moves like that sell t-shirts. They don't win or lose games