Wow... I wouldn't be surprised about ESPN disrespecting Rondo and/or the Celtics anymore. They just don't fit into their mold of "I-wanna-be-like-Mike" SuperStars, because when they play their game it means unselfishness, team ball, and as Doc uses to yell at them "you want to win, but you gotta do it TOGETHER!".
ESPN loves hero ball, the clutch last second shots that define the great players and highlights on Sportscenter. You could say they've defined the way of the modern era sports media, and as much as you can hate that, they've succeeded at their goal.
Rondo will hardly give you that clutchness, so we tend to dismiss what he does on the court, because he's not like the Captain. And yet we'll argue who was the MVP of the game, and for me that's a silly question. Basketball is a team game, and every second counts, not just the last 20 seconds.
I love Rondo, and some time ago I posted here he's this era's Cousy, and I still believe the Celtics are looking for their new Russell to pair with Rondo. They'll probably won't find him, because Russell was the absolutely greatest basketball player of all time. But you can see Ainge is trying.
I loved the Westbrick nickname... here there's an anti-Rondo guy, who is an athletic freak and a good shooter. A lot of people think he's better than Rondo, but in my book Westbrook is a scorer, and he wouldn't look good on the Celtics old squad. There's only one basketball.
Rondo shouldn't be so inconsistent, and if he could make his shoots on a nightly basis he'd probably receive far less criticism. You can't bring your A-game every night in the regular season if your best assets are restricted to physical play. You need to make shoots to get a pass for playing mediocre ball.
It won't be easy for him to bring a consistent jumpshot, so I think he will be disrespected troughout his career. I don't need him to be what sports media call a "superstar", I'm ok with him playing Celtics ball and trying hard every night. He's a true Celtic and we just need a great big man and some scorers (those aren't that hard to find) to build a Dinasty.
Go Celtics!!!
