Interesting comments from Dr J about how PG's control the offense(Rondo)

[rondohondo]

He was on the pregame show last night , and they asked him what he thought of how offenses are run these days. He said that these days PG's pretty much control every play on the offensive end. He mentioned that he doesn't like it because teams don't go to the player that has the mismatch , or give it to a player who has someone guarding him who is in foul trouble .

This makes a lot of sense . After Rondo went down for the year , Danny even mentioned how Green didn't make anything happen in the open court at the beginning of the year because every time he grabbed a rebound he looked for Rondo. Danny said Rondo needs to just run the lanes in the fast break if a capable open court player grabs the rebound , and not worry about being the one with the ball in his hand .

I really hope Rondo and the C's start to do this next year , our offense would benefit from it a lot I think.

[PhoSita]

Yeah, it's a good point.  Generally speaking I think the Celtics are probably put in the best position having the ball in Rondo's hands, but it shouldn't be the default in every single situation. 

Fast breaks are a great example -- the MO on fast breaks should be to get the ball up the court as fast as possible to the person who is most likely to get to the basket ahead of the defenders.

Once upon a time I think the C's operated more like the Spurs -- move the ball around and just get the ball to the open man by whatever combination of passes works best.  In recent years the team seems to settle back into either Pierce going iso or Rondo holding the ball and dribbling around until he finds a guy open, or pulls up for a late-clock shot.

[Casperian]

He´s a smart man, that Doctor.

It´s not the point guard´s job to get his teammates open shots, it´s everybody´s job.

[Yogi]

What Dr. J said actually shows what Rondo does.  Rondo not only has the ability to pinpoint mismatches and identify foul trouble, he has the IQ and ability to get the ball to the right man.  Unfortunately we were not able to do that without him in the playoffs which lead to countless turnovers and Pierce Isos. 

[kgainez]

i agree and i believe that's what helped contribute to the bit of success we had after Rondo went down, not the Ewing theory. Lots of pushing the ball, lots of ball movement.

In the playoffs tho, we regressed and it's hard for me to believe we couldn't have gone further had we continued to play that way. I notie that when the Pacers push the ball, move the ball and hit the matchup, they have tons more success. But when they set up and go thru George Hill, they easily get stopped.

So, I guess I agree. I want to see it happen and I think if Rondo can come back at least 80%, it would help a lot

[kgainez]

What Dr. J said actually shows what Rondo does.  Rondo not only has the ability to pinpoint mismatches and identify foul trouble, he has the IQ and ability to get the ball to the right man.  Unfortunately we were not able to do that without him in the playoffs which lead to countless turnovers and Pierce Isos.

I think the point Dr J was making though is that the ball shouldn't have to be in Rondo's hand for that.

And in my personal opinion, that's not something I saw THIS season.

[Monkhouse]

What? You realize that is what makes Rondo really excellent as a point guard?

He can do fast breaks, and lead the open man to take the shots. Its not about a player who's in foul trouble, or mismatches. You aren't going to have opportunities like that every minute of the game. The point is to free the open man to take the shot.

The problem with Doc is that many of the players we had just weren't confident in their shots. You could tell Bradley, Lee, and Bass were afraid of taking shots, and would often mess up, or turn it over.

I agree with the philosophy, and agree with Dr. J, who is probably one of the most influential players to this day.

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

There's an amazing Kevin Garnett quote for this. Something about all of a sudden having to book for yourself after a long time and realizing you can make loads of amazing dishes.

[Vermont Green]

What Dr. J said actually shows what Rondo does.  Rondo not only has the ability to pinpoint mismatches and identify foul trouble, he has the IQ and ability to get the ball to the right man.  Unfortunately we were not able to do that without him in the playoffs which lead to countless turnovers and Pierce Isos.

Actually, what I see when Rondo has the ball and is just kind of dribbling and looking for an assist is worse than an Iso.  Most good offensive players who are doing an Iso are completely occupying their man and also often the other defenders are sagging that way.  This creates openings for others if the ball is rotated and people keep moving.

When Rondo has the ball, he isn't viewed as a threat to score so his man sags off and actually makes it harder for the other players to find openings.

Rondo will keep improving but he needs to move the ball, move without the ball, and learn to shoot if he wants to continue to develop.

[thirstyboots18]

Opinions are strange things...everyone has one.  I don't think Rondo is looking for an assist every time he has the ball.  I think he is looking for a mismatch, or for someone to move aggressively (cut) to the basket for an easy score, and to try to get his team mates more active and involved.  I also like a passing point guard and team ball more than a shoot first, chucking or hero point guard.  Rondo has had some high point #s in games, so he could have easily turned into the A. Iverson type, if he fell in love with his own shot.  (I think he is too smart for that!)  When people are moving, the ball is moving...Rondo is turning into a great passer.

[nickagneta]

To me, this Rondo spends the whole time dribbling and ruins the offense stuff is right up there with the

Doc doesn't develop young talent urban legend
Doc loves small ball urban legend
Every rookie we ever draft has to be better than the guy playing in front of him ridiculousness we see every year

And some other stuff. Rindo doesn't hold the ball any more or less than the other great PGs in this league. But what he does do is something Erving did talk about. He gets the players the ball where they like to shoot it, in a position to most quickly get a shot off, and he gets the ball to the man with the mismatch. He's maybe the best in the league at these things.

But Erving is right. For the most part, PGs around the league do now dominate the ball and overall it has made it a different game.

[Casperian]

I also like a passing point guard and team ball

With all due respect, thirstyboots, but aren´t you contradicting yourself here?

[Eddie20]

I also like a passing point guard and team ball

With all due respect, thirstyboots, but aren´t you contradicting yourself here?

Not really. There are plenty of pass first PG's that played "team ball". Look no further than Stockton and Magic for that.

[thirstyboots18]

I think maybe casperian was being sarcastic, meaning he doesn't think Rondo passes the ball....just holds it.  Like I said, everyone has an opinion, 

[CoachBo]

To me, this Rondo spends the whole time dribbling and ruins the offense stuff is right up there with the

Rindo doesn't hold the ball any more or less than the other great PGs in this league. But what he does do is something Erving did talk about. He gets the players the ball where they like to shoot it, in a position to most quickly get a shot off, and he gets the ball to the man with the mismatch. He's maybe the best in the league at these things.

Funny. You'd think we weren't 20-23 with a ball-stopping point guard this year.

This one definitely goes in my "Rondo: Urban Legend" file.