Rondo is driving me nuts...

[green7]

It's not only rondo..the ball movement sucked last night pierce shooting sucked last night "he had like 4 open 3's at on point".
the inside game sucked last night "all i saw was post fadeaways,Midranges,3's that only ray was making everyone was scared to go inside".

and to tell you the truth this will not work against Chicago.that is a defensive team mess around and play like they played against the pacers last night and get blown out 20  

[twinbree]

Rondo is not the problem. If he is then it's one of those Lebron James type problems but I don't hear people saying the Heat should trade him for Granger or Iguodala.

Rondo's shooting is not a big issue (his FTs are though). He creates quality shots for the team and scores consistently and efficiently.

His problem in the 4th quarter is that he's expected to do too much. He's expected to be a distributor AND scorer. There are only two 4 guys in the league who do that: DWill, CP3, Nash, and Rose (and those last two aren't significantly better than Rondo at it).

If we were to replace Rondo with a 2nd tier PG our offense would look closer to how it looks when Rondo's out of the game than the fantasies people have in their heads.

We lost tonight because of poor rebounding and poor shooting (mainly from people other than Rondo).

late in fourth quarters, though, Rondo doesn't pass or score.  he disappears.  he defers to Pierce / Ray / KG and hangs off to the side.  even when Rondo has dominated earlier, in a close game Rondo always seems to disappear late in the 4th.

  I think he led the league in clutch time assist/48 last year. He doesn't scoremuch but he doesn't disappear at the level you claim.

TP. There's a bit more to winning close games than scoring. Defensive plays, assists and rebounds all count. And I've seen Rondo do his fair share of those in crunch-time. Missing free throws is his most egregious crunch time offense which makes me want to pinch him every time but aside from that I'm usually fine with his 4th quarters.

To the OP no Rondo is not driving me nuts. He is a pass first PG so I don't expect him to turn into a scorer overnight. Instead I appreciate his play-making and all the other little things he does to help the team. Of course I want him to improve his shooting to become an even better player but at this point I'm happy with him.  

[kozlodoev]

so in the past few years when it "wasnt yet rondos team to carry" how come he still got the blame and their were still threads such as these?
get over yourself... the whole team was dreadful capped off by a pathetic 3-17 performance from Pierce...the guy credited with the past 4 wins after he came back from injury...and now he doesnt get blame..
its rondo rondo rondo
sick of this fanbase

Of course it's Rondo. This team will live and die by Rajon Rondo's contributions, and everything you can get from the aging troops around him is gravy.

[greenhead85]

He is supposed to be the one doing the attacking because this is supposed to be his team now. The Old Three do not get the respect anymore from young talented and athletic players of the league. Ray getting embarrassed by Wade's play (he got blocked big time and getting outpaced and out-hustled almost the entire game), PP is waiting to get his embarrassment from the likes of Lebron/Melo/Durant soon and KG getting to be outrun and out-hustled by Bosh/Haslem/ Anthony, Amare, Cousins, Aldridge and Bynum soon. If Rondo doesn't change his approach and mindset in future games then I'm done with him. This team is going nowhere for as long as we have the Old Three getting at least 30 minutes of PTs every game. The Old Three are the team's best "bench" players. Rondo doesn't fit in this team anymore because Doc keeps on going for the Old Three. Rondo's game is compromised by the presence of the Old Three. The transition of using more the recently acquired players and young ones should have started earlier in the season. Since it is not happening then Rondo should bring his talent somewhere else. Some teams where young, athletic talented players would benefit from his play and passes. 

[CelticsFanNC]

  If you're expecting Rondo to take over games as a scorer at any point especially in the 4th quarter you are asking and expecting him to be something he is not.

  He is one of, if not, the best facilitator in the NBA today.  He is an unparalleled passer and sees the floor as well as anyone in the NBA today.  He's not and should never be asked or expected to be his teams #1 scoring option.  

  What I would like to see from him in the 4th quarter is turn up the heat on opposing ball handlers.  He dominates the action when he does this but he doesn't do it enough.  I don't know if it is because he is getting warn down early in games and doesn't have the energy, if someone is telling him not to or he is choosing not to.  This is the way he can dominate the action late in games.  When he(or as we saw Bradley) does this is energizes the entire team, causes turnovers, runs down the shot clock and gets the team out in transition.

  This is a way for him to be a force late in games without being asked to be something he is not which is your primary scoring option.



  

[Swoopz]

so in the past few years when it "wasnt yet rondos team to carry" how come he still got the blame and their were still threads such as these?
get over yourself... the whole team was dreadful capped off by a pathetic 3-17 performance from Pierce...the guy credited with the past 4 wins after he came back from injury...and now he doesnt get blame..
its rondo rondo rondo
sick of this fanbase

Of course it's Rondo. This team will live and die by Rajon Rondo's contributions, and everything you can get from the aging troops around him is gravy.

People seem to be taking the "everything's Rondo's fault" joke a bit too literally. So what you're saying is that no one on the team other than Rondo has any responsibility to make shots? The truth is, the team as a whole (other than Ray) played badly last night. If your team plays like we did against the Pacers, you're probably going to lose.

[Capricious]

My ONLY problem with rondo is his unwillingness to go hard to the basket.  Even on fastbreaks he just does a lazy layup. He has great athleticism/jumping ability, but doesn't use it. Hes never going to consistently get to the line if continues to throw up these crazy shots.

I think after taking a bunch of hard falls, he now shies away from contact.

[kozlodoev]

so in the past few years when it "wasnt yet rondos team to carry" how come he still got the blame and their were still threads such as these?
get over yourself... the whole team was dreadful capped off by a pathetic 3-17 performance from Pierce...the guy credited with the past 4 wins after he came back from injury...and now he doesnt get blame..
its rondo rondo rondo
sick of this fanbase

Of course it's Rondo. This team will live and die by Rajon Rondo's contributions, and everything you can get from the aging troops around him is gravy.

People seem to be taking the "everything's Rondo's fault" joke a bit too literally. So what you're saying is that no one on the team other than Rondo has any responsibility to make shots? The truth is, the team as a whole (other than Ray) played badly last night. If your team plays like we did against the Pacers, you're probably going to lose.

Rondo has the responsibility to take the ball in his hands and make stuff happens -- which may include (but is not necessarily limited to) making shots, setting up people, and generally taking the game over.

Unfortunately, the fact that all we could get were bad jump shots doesn't bode well for Rondo in my book, since I fully expect him to be able to recognize that it's not working. That's what franchise players do. Of course, it's a valid point that "it's not just Rondo's fault". In which case we have to stop and recognize that he's not that guy -- and trust me, this will be way more important in the coming seasons when his supporting cast will not consist of three future hall of famers.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Well, he's usually driving SOMEONE nuts around here, so I guess this is par for the course. He is maddening at times, but so is the whole team. I get the "team" concept, but sometimes it seems as though no one wants to step forward and grab the bull by the horns, almost like the "team" thing sometimes becomes an excuse to do nothing -- "Hey, I'm not gonna take charge and shoot 20 shots this game, because that would be selfish" ... and then the next guy says the same thing, and so on and so forth. These guys need to be more aggressive and just go for it.

[TheTruthFot18]

All this thread does is draw everyone in to another sky is falling argument.

1. We should be lucky we are not CHA, DET, SAC etc

2. Do you really want Rondo taking the game winning/tying shot? When Ray, PP, and KG have almost 3 times as much exp and are just better scorers. His offense is really a bonus so anything above 10-12 points is fine. As for late game disappearances, I'd say this is kind of correct but once again, while the big 3 are still here, who would you want providing the offense late in games?

3. I'd still rather have Rondo as our PG over anyone not named Chris Paul or Derrick Rose.

[BballTim]

so in the past few years when it "wasnt yet rondos team to carry" how come he still got the blame and their were still threads such as these?
get over yourself... the whole team was dreadful capped off by a pathetic 3-17 performance from Pierce...the guy credited with the past 4 wins after he came back from injury...and now he doesnt get blame..
its rondo rondo rondo
sick of this fanbase

Of course it's Rondo. This team will live and die by Rajon Rondo's contributions, and everything you can get from the aging troops around him is gravy.

People seem to be taking the "everything's Rondo's fault" joke a bit too literally. So what you're saying is that no one on the team other than Rondo has any responsibility to make shots? The truth is, the team as a whole (other than Ray) played badly last night. If your team plays like we did against the Pacers, you're probably going to lose.

Rondo has the responsibility to take the ball in his hands and make stuff happens -- which may include (but is not necessarily limited to) making shots, setting up people, and generally taking the game over.

Unfortunately, the fact that all we could get were bad jump shots doesn't bode well for Rondo in my book, since I fully expect him to be able to recognize that it's not working. That's what franchise players do.

  I think, to a certain extent, you're evaluating Rondo based on how well he fits into the traditional role of a label that you're giving him. Most "franchise players" are the focus of their team's offense and the leading scorer of their team. That's not really his role in this offense, and the big three don't fit into the role of most role players.

Of course, it's a valid point that "it's not just Rondo's fault". In which case we have to stop and recognize that he's not that guy -- and trust me, this will be way more important in the coming seasons when his supporting cast will not consist of three future hall of famers.

  "Future hall of famers" is a great have your cake and eat it to phrase that you always see here. In one sentence, they're a better supporting cast than anything you expect him to be surrounded with in the future. In another sentence, they're aging troops and anything you get from them is gravy. LeBron, with his 30/8/8 this year, is a future HOFer. So is Kidd, clocking in at 5/4/5.

[Celtics18]

Well, he's usually driving SOMEONE nuts around here, so I guess this is par for the course. He is maddening at times, but so is the whole team. I get the "team" concept, but sometimes it seems as though no one wants to step forward and grab the bull by the horns, almost like the "team" thing sometimes becomes an excuse to do nothing -- "Hey, I'm not gonna take charge and shoot 20 shots this game, because that would be selfish" ... and then the next guy says the same thing, and so on and so forth. These guys need to be more aggressive and just go for it.

The success that this team has had over the past four years has been based on playing a team style of play that doesn't require anybody to play "hero" ball and take 20 shots a game for the team to win.

I love that team style of play with multiple players who have the ability to make game winning plays.  Apparently, many are tired of team ball and want to go more to a superstar system of lots of one on one basketball.

Let me remind folks that back in the early 2000s, many fans were frustrated watching Paul Pierce often try to win games by himself offensively.  The team wasn't very good and it wasn't a compelling or attractive style of basketball, in my opinion.

Anyway, I'll take a visionary passer whose goal is to get the whole team involved in the offense as my team's point guard for the present and the future.

I don't get the recent fascination with acquiring ball hogs and gunners or turning our own players into ball hogs and gunners.  It's not for me.

[LooseCannon]

My ONLY problem with rondo is his unwillingness to go hard to the basket.

I'm not going to blame Rondo for trying to avoid a string of concussions.

[kozlodoev]

I think, to a certain extent, you're evaluating Rondo based on how well he fits into the traditional role of a label that you're giving him. Most "franchise players" are the focus of their team's offense and the leading scorer of their team. That's not really his role in this offense, and the big three don't fit into the role of most role players.

Not really. My mold of a franchise player is "someone who will make stuff happen for you when the game is on the line". This may mean scoring, setting up other people, or making key defensive stops.

Unfortunately, while Rondo has carried the team in stretches over the course of his career, I can't describe him as a franchise player under this definition until he takes his game a notch up. This may mean extra scoring, making an otherwise limited offence tick, or providing consistent effort on the defensive end -- I really have no blueprint.

But I haven't seen any of these work for him yet. When you have a 2 point game in the middle of the 4th quarter, do you really sit back and think "Rondo will win this for us?". I don't.

Of course, it's a valid point that "it's not just Rondo's fault". In which case we have to stop and recognize that he's not that guy -- and trust me, this will be way more important in the coming seasons when his supporting cast will not consist of three future hall of famers.

  "Future hall of famers" is a great have your cake and eat it to phrase that you always see here. In one sentence, they're a better supporting cast than anything you expect him to be surrounded with in the future. In another sentence, they're aging troops and anything you get from them is gravy. LeBron, with his 30/8/8 this year, is a future HOFer. So is Kidd, clocking in at 5/4/5.

Not really. I'll try to explain.

I'm afraid that as aging as they are, our big three, this season, are a better supporting cast than Rondo may be able to get for seasons and seasons to come. This still doesn't mean that they can carry the team on their backs. So yes, if their heroics win you a game here and there that would be great. But we'll be looking at Rondo first every time.

The problem is that people are basing their assessment of how good Rondo is on the past 3 seasons when the Big 3 was distinctly less aged. So yeah, he was great in wreaking havoc when other teams had to worry about Pierce, Garnett, and Allen. However, we're clearly seeing this doesn't work night in and night out anymore. And Rondo still hasn't figured out how to win games for us under these circumstances.

[Celtics18]

I think, to a certain extent, you're evaluating Rondo based on how well he fits into the traditional role of a label that you're giving him. Most "franchise players" are the focus of their team's offense and the leading scorer of their team. That's not really his role in this offense, and the big three don't fit into the role of most role players.

Not really. My mold of a franchise player is "someone who will make stuff happen for you when the game is on the line". This may mean scoring, setting up other people, or making key defensive stops. Unfortunately, while Rondo has carried the team in stretches over the course of his career, I can't describe him as a franchise player under this definition until he takes it to the next level.

Of course, it's a valid point that "it's not just Rondo's fault". In which case we have to stop and recognize that he's not that guy -- and trust me, this will be way more important in the coming seasons when his supporting cast will not consist of three future hall of famers.

  "Future hall of famers" is a great have your cake and eat it to phrase that you always see here. In one sentence, they're a better supporting cast than anything you expect him to be surrounded with in the future. In another sentence, they're aging troops and anything you get from them is gravy. LeBron, with his 30/8/8 this year, is a future HOFer. So is Kidd, clocking in at 5/4/5.

Not really. I'll try to explain.

I'm afraid that as aging as they are, our big three, this season, are a better supporting cast than Rondo may be able to get for seasons and seasons to come. This still doesn't mean that they can carry the team on their backs. So yes, if their heroics win you a game here and there that would be great. But we'll be looking at Rondo first every time.

The problem is that people are basing their assessment of how good Rondo is on the past 3 seasons when the Big 3 was distinctly less aged. So yeah, he was great in wreaking havoc when other teams had to worry about Pierce, Garnett, and Allen. However, we're clearly seeing this doesn't work night in and night out anymore. And Rondo still hasn't figured out how to win games for us under these circumstances.

Rondo doesn't shoot the ball a lot when the game is on the line, but he does set people up with great passes, make big defensive plays, and has also been known to get big offensive rebounds. 

This team is still an ensemble piece, which means we'll be relying on all four of our star players to make big plays for us this year.  Rondo will certainly be required to do his fair share, but, thankfully, he won't be asked to do it alone. 

Players who are asked to go out and win games and ultimately playoff series and championships all by themselves, don't generally have a lot of success with that.