The blame of Rondo is getting ridiculous..

[blink]

I agree with this 100%.  I think in the last few weeks Ray has had more difficulty running people off the screens.  Rondo isn't missing him if he is open, he just hasn't been open very often. 

I think a lot of Ray's ability to be involved in the offense is going to be determined by matchups and adjusting the plays to give teams new looks.  I mean how many times have teams seen the RA curl play coming off two or three screens in a row. I mean it is a good play, but once teams start learning how to counteract a play it is time to draw up something new.  If KG isn't on the floor to screen, then those play wont be nearly as effective.

They gave up 98 points to the fricken pistons.  Theres your problem.  Also rebounding - as much as a love triple J, he looks bad against bigger guys (at least he tries to box out, but fails).

Ray can't dribble and he can't break free on screens.  His defense is also looking bad too.  They need to stop spending so much time trying to run plays for him.

Pierce looks like he was sulking when his shot wasn't falling and he wasn't getting the ball.  He did not look engaged at all.

Is that a joke?  That's ALL Ray does.  He does it better than virtually anybody in the game.  Rondo simply wasnt giving him the ball last night

Ray hasnt been getting open for weeks now. When the play is called for him Rondo waits...and waits...and waits some more.

Im not saying it is Ray's fault either. He doesnt look slower or anything. I just think Doc needs to make an adjustment.


ALSO, KG and JO are the best screeners on the team. JJJ is atrocious and Wilcox isnt much better.

This also factors in.

I didnt see Rondo neglecting a wide open Ray Allen to instead create his own offense.

[Tgro]

I seem to recall Ray just running around in circles all over the place constantly and just wearing his defenders out and he'd get open and pop a 3.

Now he seems to be parking by the 3 point line a lot more and moving slightly here and there. He still manages to get open, but he's not running around like he used to.

He still goes off sometimes and I love his shot but I think he's lost a step this season.

[CelticsFanNC]

I do have to say that I hated the up and.down the court offense we were playing. I know people have been clamoring for players to run with Rondo and how much more effective wed be on offense but our defense suffered drastically.

I think we are best as a team with half court style methodical offense even though that doesn't cater to Rondos game it still gives us the best chance to win every night. Thats why I think people think a solid reliable scoring pg would help us because it would spread the offense more, open it up a little since we arent.a fantastic.1 v 1 team.

  That half court, methodical offense worked in 2008 and again in 2010 but it got completely smothered by Miami in the playoffs least season.  In the 4th quarter Pierce and Ray couldn't find good shots.  It got shut down for long stretches last season and so far this season.

  There is a reason you keep hearing Doc preach push the ball, run, run, run.  The better defensive teams can now shut down the Big Three.  That wasn't the case even two years ago but it is now.  This team needs easy baskets in transition and/or early offense to be successful.  Otherwise they cannot score enough points.

  The defense suffered without KG last night and that is the reason we lost.  it didn't help that no one other then Wilcox showed up in support of Rondo.

[Celtics4ever]

Rondo makes Wilcox a better player and no one mentions that fact.  He has made Chris into a productive player and JJ.

[celtics2]

So, let me get this straight...when rondo Doesnt look for his own offense and chooses to distribute..hes being passive and we are losing because he isnt looking for his own shot.

when rondo looks for his own offense, its rondos fault we are losing because he isnt getting Ray or pierce involved and in a rhthm

it seems Rondo can never win with the fans here...and the sad thing is some want to drive a young electric player out of town for the likes of dalembert/pau gasol..

maybe, just maybe..our problems are because our big 3 are too old to be consistent on a night to night basis...we need production from at least 2 of our big 4...and Pierce/Ray were non-existant tonight...you cant blame rondo that pierces shot wasnt falling and ray wasnt getting open

Rondo can't carry a team. Not a fully developed point guard. A sprinter with an eye for the pass but not the shot.

[nickagneta]

So, let me get this straight...when rondo Doesnt look for his own offense and chooses to distribute..hes being passive and we are losing because he isnt looking for his own shot.

when rondo looks for his own offense, its rondos fault we are losing because he isnt getting Ray or pierce involved and in a rhthm

it seems Rondo can never win with the fans here...and the sad thing is some want to drive a young electric player out of town for the likes of dalembert/pau gasol..

maybe, just maybe..our problems are because our big 3 are too old to be consistent on a night to night basis...we need production from at least 2 of our big 4...and Pierce/Ray were non-existant tonight...you cant blame rondo that pierces shot wasnt falling and ray wasnt getting open

Rondo can't carry a team. Not a fully developed point guard. A sprinter with an eye for the pass but not the shot.

Here's the thing though. Rondo is shooting this year. He currently ranks in the top 15 of all NBA players for FG% for shots taken between 10-22 feet, basically mid range jumpers. The numbers shown here do not include last night's 4-8 shooting from 10-22 ft:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/plus/shot_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&player_id=&year_id=2012&is_playoffs=N&team_id=&opp_id=&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&game_month=&game_location=&game_result=&shot_pts=&is_make=&shot_type=&shot_distance_min=10&shot_distance_max=22&q1=Y&q2=Y&q3=Y&q4=Y&q5=Y&time_remain_minutes=12&time_remain_seconds=0&time_remain_comp=le&margin_min=&margin_max=&is_tying=&is_go_ahead=&c1stat=&c1comp=ge&c1val=&c2stat=&c2comp=ge&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=ge&c3val=&order_by=fg&order_by_asc=&offset=100

[BballTim]

So, let me get this straight...when rondo Doesnt look for his own offense and chooses to distribute..hes being passive and we are losing because he isnt looking for his own shot.

when rondo looks for his own offense, its rondos fault we are losing because he isnt getting Ray or pierce involved and in a rhthm

it seems Rondo can never win with the fans here...and the sad thing is some want to drive a young electric player out of town for the likes of dalembert/pau gasol..

maybe, just maybe..our problems are because our big 3 are too old to be consistent on a night to night basis...we need production from at least 2 of our big 4...and Pierce/Ray were non-existant tonight...you cant blame rondo that pierces shot wasnt falling and ray wasnt getting open

Rondo can't carry a team. Not a fully developed point guard. A sprinter with an eye for the pass but not the shot.

  Rondo can't carry a bad team, which puts him in the same group as pretty much every player in the league.

[kozlodoev]

So, let me get this straight...when rondo Doesnt look for his own offense and chooses to distribute..hes being passive and we are losing because he isnt looking for his own shot.

when rondo looks for his own offense, its rondos fault we are losing because he isnt getting Ray or pierce involved and in a rhthm

it seems Rondo can never win with the fans here...and the sad thing is some want to drive a young electric player out of town for the likes of dalembert/pau gasol..

maybe, just maybe..our problems are because our big 3 are too old to be consistent on a night to night basis...we need production from at least 2 of our big 4...and Pierce/Ray were non-existant tonight...you cant blame rondo that pierces shot wasnt falling and ray wasnt getting open

Rondo can't carry a team. Not a fully developed point guard. A sprinter with an eye for the pass but not the shot.

  Rondo can't carry a bad team, which puts him in the same group as pretty much every player in the league.

Yeah, but wasn't the argument that Rondo is _not_ like "every player in the league", but pretty much the next great thing after sliced bread, because "look at the triple-doubles"?

[CelticsFanNC]

   What the Rondo critic's of his past two games seem to fail to realize is he has to score when teams are backing way off of him.    If he doesn't they will continue to defend him that way.  If he continues to make teams pay for it when they defend him that way they will be forced to adjust and that will open up everything for everyone else.  He is doing exactly what he should be doing and most have been screaming for him to do all along when he is defend in that manner.

[ChainSmokingLikeDino]

So, let me get this straight...when rondo Doesnt look for his own offense and chooses to distribute..hes being passive and we are losing because he isnt looking for his own shot.

when rondo looks for his own offense, its rondos fault we are losing because he isnt getting Ray or pierce involved and in a rhthm

it seems Rondo can never win with the fans here...and the sad thing is some want to drive a young electric player out of town for the likes of dalembert/pau gasol..

maybe, just maybe..our problems are because our big 3 are too old to be consistent on a night to night basis...we need production from at least 2 of our big 4...and Pierce/Ray were non-existant tonight...you cant blame rondo that pierces shot wasnt falling and ray wasnt getting open

Rondo can't carry a team. Not a fully developed point guard. A sprinter with an eye for the pass but not the shot.

  Rondo can't carry a bad team, which puts him in the same group as pretty much every player in the league.

Yeah, but wasn't the argument that Rondo is _not_ like "every player in the league", but pretty much the next great thing after sliced bread, because "look at the triple-doubles"?

No. More so that he is an elite player that you can build around. But you still have to build. Does anyone question that Deron Williams is an elite player in the NBA? And look at The Nets, (I just went to The Bulls game last week or so, and with D-Rose out in the first five minutes they still got absolutely blown out)they are hardly a good team. You still need to build around your players. That goes for every single player in The NBA.

[BballTim]

So, let me get this straight...when rondo Doesnt look for his own offense and chooses to distribute..hes being passive and we are losing because he isnt looking for his own shot.

when rondo looks for his own offense, its rondos fault we are losing because he isnt getting Ray or pierce involved and in a rhthm

it seems Rondo can never win with the fans here...and the sad thing is some want to drive a young electric player out of town for the likes of dalembert/pau gasol..

maybe, just maybe..our problems are because our big 3 are too old to be consistent on a night to night basis...we need production from at least 2 of our big 4...and Pierce/Ray were non-existant tonight...you cant blame rondo that pierces shot wasnt falling and ray wasnt getting open

Rondo can't carry a team. Not a fully developed point guard. A sprinter with an eye for the pass but not the shot.

  Rondo can't carry a bad team, which puts him in the same group as pretty much every player in the league.

Yeah, but wasn't the argument that Rondo is _not_ like "every player in the league", but pretty much the next great thing after sliced bread, because "look at the triple-doubles"?

  Is that really what you're getting from the discussion? Yikes.

[Celtics4ever]

Rondo has never been our finisher.  Even when he has had great games in the past it is usually in the first half or first three quarters that he has done his damage.   PP and the big three took over in the fourth.  Trouble is the big three can't do it anymore.

Rondo and Wilcox play well together.

[chambers]

I just read somewhere above that 'Rondo cannot carry a team'.
I'm not sure what he's done the past three games but I think it probably constitutes carrying a team.

The guy is shooting VERY well this year, his free throws still suck, but his jump shot has improved immensely.

With Paul Pierce, KG and Ray Allen on the team, he shouldn't have to carry us every night, he should be able to rely on Pierce and Ray to be getting their own shots and making them.

If those two were playing up to standard (particularly Ray), it would make it much easier for the C's.

Eventually, (hopefully come playoff time) all three of these guys will click at once and this team will be an absolute monster/nightmare to play.

[kozlodoev]

I just read somewhere above that 'Rondo cannot carry a team'.
I'm not sure what he's done the past three games but I think it probably constitutes carrying a team.

Yep, that's precisely how he'd carry a team -- more likely to losses than to wins.

With Paul Pierce, KG and Ray Allen on the team, he shouldn't have to carry us every night, he should be able to rely on Pierce and Ray to be getting their own shots and making them.

Actually, with those three in their mid-thirties, he probably should have to carry us every night, since neither of the three is able to get their own shot with regularity now.

And while we'll be very lucky to get a supporting cast for Rondo that's better than the Big 3 in their thirties, this is very clearly what they are at this stage of their careers -- a supporting cast.

Rondo has, at this point, somehow lost the ability to make anything click in a half-court game, which lends some credence to the argument that our superior offensive half-court execution may have been chiefly due to the (now diminished) ability of a younger big 3.

It's really unfathomable how our best offensive chance is now reduced to praying that Rondo can scramble up the floor before everyone else.

Maybe things will turn around radically if he have Rudy Gay and Dwight Howard instead of Pierce, Allen, and Garnett. But what if we can only get someone like Jason Richardson, Matt Barnes and Chris Humphries?

[BballTim]

And while we'll be very lucky to get a supporting cast for Rondo that's better than the Big 3 in their thirties, this is very clearly what they are at this stage of their careers -- a supporting cast.

  If we're not going to have a supporting cast better than what we've seen the last few games when Rondo "carried the team to losses" then complaining about Rondo is a waste of your time. Magic Johnson probably couldn't turn a supporting cast like that into a contending team.