Rajon Rondo's February

[BleedGreen1989]

I nominate Ron Adams for assistant coach of the year.

I was psyched about that hire, because of his reputation for working with shooters.  Has he been the one working with Rondo?

He's clearly helped Avery's stroke as well and Marco Belleneli gave him credit this season as well for working with him on his shot.

I was very happy about him as a hire and still am. I think he's a fantastic assistant coach, which likely means he'll be hired by somebody as a head coach eventually...

I doubt it.  Not being ageist, but he's what, 65, and has never been a head coach.  He's been a great assistant for years -- started coaching in the late 60s-- if he hasn't become a head coach by now, I think that ship has sailed.  Hopefully we can keep him from retiring for a few years.

Fair point.

I knew he was old. Didn't know he was that old lol

[Fred Roberts]

I'm happy to see better outside shooting from Rondo. I think this is going to be huge when he and the rest of the team put it all together in 2014/2015.

In the words of Tony Allen, "once I get that jump shot, I be like wet wet wet!"

[snively]

Very pleased with the preliminary returns on his 3-point shot (and general comfort shooting) and FT stroke, even with the smallish sample size.

Slowly starting to see his quickness and slashing ability return.  His defensive improvement the last few games has also been very encouraging: moving much better laterally, getting more deflections, hitting the floor, helping and recovering.

[wahz]

The FT% is very encouraging. That's always been his biggest weakness, and if he's a 70%+ FT shooter now, and gets his speed back... yikes. He's going to score a whole lot if that's the case.

Also, is he a three-point shooter now? He's league-average percentage-wise at the moment, and only five makes from setting a per-season high for himself. Hitting them from everywhere 'cept the left corner, too. I guess maybe Tommy wasn't exaggerating about him working hard on his shot.

The thought of losing him now when it appears he may have solved ALL of the shooting issues makes me want to vomit.

[Vermont Green]

Rondo has been just fine lately.  Still has that great court vision but seems to have added an improved shot.  Now just add two all stars and we are good to go.

[kozlodoev]

Rondo has been just fine lately.  Still has that great court vision but seems to have added an improved shot.  Now just add two all stars and we are good to go.

Remember when we were lamenting how Rondo + a jumpshot and free throw shooting would be an unstoppable force? Yet here we are, and we're still looking to add two all-stars to the equation.

[Celtics18]

Rondo has been just fine lately.  Still has that great court vision but seems to have added an improved shot.  Now just add two all stars and we are good to go.

Remember when we were lamenting how Rondo + a jumpshot and free throw shooting would be an unstoppable force? Yet here we are, and we're still looking to add two all-stars to the equation.

Of course we are.  It's better than having to add three all-stars to the equation. 

I love the "Rondo sucks, because he can't make the team a contender surrounded by nothing but mediocre players" argument that keeps popping up.

I guess that means he's not on that elite level like Lebron James . . . and, maybe Kevin Durant . . . and . . . no, that's about it. 

[kozlodoev]

Rondo has been just fine lately.  Still has that great court vision but seems to have added an improved shot.  Now just add two all stars and we are good to go.

Remember when we were lamenting how Rondo + a jumpshot and free throw shooting would be an unstoppable force? Yet here we are, and we're still looking to add two all-stars to the equation.

Of course we are.  It's better than having to add three all-stars to the equation. 

I love the "Rondo sucks, because he can't make the team a contender surrounded by nothing but mediocre players" argument that keeps popping up.

I guess that means he's not on that elite level like Lebron James . . . and, maybe Kevin Durant . . . and . . . no, that's about it.

Right, everyone that surrounds Rondo is a mediocre player unless, well, they make the team a contender.

[Celtics18]

Rondo has been just fine lately.  Still has that great court vision but seems to have added an improved shot.  Now just add two all stars and we are good to go.

Remember when we were lamenting how Rondo + a jumpshot and free throw shooting would be an unstoppable force? Yet here we are, and we're still looking to add two all-stars to the equation.

Of course we are.  It's better than having to add three all-stars to the equation. 

I love the "Rondo sucks, because he can't make the team a contender surrounded by nothing but mediocre players" argument that keeps popping up.

I guess that means he's not on that elite level like Lebron James . . . and, maybe Kevin Durant . . . and . . . no, that's about it.

Right, everyone that surrounds Rondo is a mediocre player unless, well, they make the team a contender.

Which players surrounding Rondo right now are above "mediocre" in your estimation?

We've got a couple who I hope can still get to the point where they are better than mediocre, but I don't see any other players on the team playing at anything approaching star levels as of right now. 

[AidaCelt]

Pulled this from ESPN insider - overrated / underrated article, I would say it's a little harsh....

Rajon Rondo, PG, Boston Celtics




Eastern conference scout: "Three years ago, I was the only scout saying Rondo is overrated, and I was crucified for it. I was saying he was awful. I think he's a selfish player. He's only going to pass it to you if he thinks he can get an assist. I've seen him come out for pregame warm-ups with his shoes untied, shooting lefty foul shots. For him to come out for a game with that attitude makes me question his work ethic. I've never liked his game.




"If you play with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen at close to their peak, they're going to raise everyone's game. Defensively, Rondo's a bit of a gambler, and I don't think his defense is all that. If I was starting a team and had my choice of any point guard, he would be 40th. I mean it. I'd take some backups before him."

That scout is still waiting for Michael Olowokandi, Bo Kimble and Darius Miles to come good

[Celtics18]

Calling him "40th best PG" is like something an SNL Parody version of me would say.

Rondo has played really well this month.  He looks really good.  I think this is just about what we can expect from him heading forward... and it's fine.  I mean... if he can shoot like this heading forward, he's actually going to be even better than he was.   

He's been a Top 10 PG this month.  Just based on conventional stats I think he has been 8th.  CP3, Dragic, Curry, Wall, Lowry, Lillard, Irving, Rondo, Lawson, Thomas

He's shot exceptionally well and kept his turnovers down to reasonable levels.  It's actually rather amazing he's played this well considering he's not far removed from his injury.  I expected him to be good, but not very very good.  He's been very very good.   

At this point, I'm hoping we can keep him here long term.  If we make the playoffs, so be it.  I'd prefer we land a Top 5 pick in spite of Rondo's fantastic play.

What's the chances Rondo continues to shoot 40% from three and 84% from the line. I'd say slim to none.  But if he does... someone cook me up some crow to feast on.  I didn't think it was possible for someone to transition from "bad/mediocre" shooter to "fantastic shooter" at age 28.

Is that list just on scoring, fg%? or just overall performance, cuz if it is overall performance, Rondo definitely can go back to top 5 or even top 3 when fully healthy

It's just conventional stats.  The stat junkies poop on that stuff these days.

Points + rebounds + assists + steals + blocks.  Subtract missed shots and turnovers. 

Rondo has been the 8th best PG over the past month... which is terrific.  At his peak he was 6th, I believe.  The dude gets his stats.

This month, though... he's actually knocking down shots.  It's a nice counter to his month of Jan where he shot comically bad... 27%/20%/50% ...  My guess is he's somewhere in the middle.  No way he continues to shoot 48%/40%/84%...

I'm not sure where you are getting your numbers from, but according to this site:

http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fantasy/nba/playerstats/14/2/eff/27-1

His numbers are third best among point guards for the month of February, behind Paul and Curry. 

[AidaCelt]

Calling him "40th best PG" is like something an SNL Parody version of me would say.

Rondo has played really well this month.  He looks really good.  I think this is just about what we can expect from him heading forward... and it's fine.  I mean... if he can shoot like this heading forward, he's actually going to be even better than he was.   

He's been a Top 10 PG this month.  Just based on conventional stats I think he has been 8th.  CP3, Dragic, Curry, Wall, Lowry, Lillard, Irving, Rondo, Lawson, Thomas

He's shot exceptionally well and kept his turnovers down to reasonable levels.  It's actually rather amazing he's played this well considering he's not far removed from his injury.  I expected him to be good, but not very very good.  He's been very very good.   

At this point, I'm hoping we can keep him here long term.  If we make the playoffs, so be it.  I'd prefer we land a Top 5 pick in spite of Rondo's fantastic play.

What's the chances Rondo continues to shoot 40% from three and 84% from the line. I'd say slim to none.  But if he does... someone cook me up some crow to feast on.  I didn't think it was possible for someone to transition from "bad/mediocre" shooter to "fantastic shooter" at age 28.

Is that list just on scoring, fg%? or just overall performance, cuz if it is overall performance, Rondo definitely can go back to top 5 or even top 3 when fully healthy

It's just conventional stats.  The stat junkies poop on that stuff these days.

Points + rebounds + assists + steals + blocks.  Subtract missed shots and turnovers. 

Rondo has been the 8th best PG over the past month... which is terrific.  At his peak he was 6th, I believe.  The dude gets his stats.

This month, though... he's actually knocking down shots.  It's a nice counter to his month of Jan where he shot comically bad... 27%/20%/50% ...  My guess is he's somewhere in the middle.  No way he continues to shoot 48%/40%/84%...

I'm not sure where you are getting your numbers from, but according to this site:

http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fantasy/nba/playerstats/14/2/eff/27-1

His numbers are third best among point guards for the month of February, behind Paul and Curry.

Drill down a little and RR is equal scoring at a much better clip, out rebounds, less fouls over less mins. CP3 has more ast, more stls and less TO. It's essentially the low TO rate that provides the greater efficiency. Very happy with RR's month and he's still got a way to go

[Vox_Populi]

Rondo has been just fine lately.  Still has that great court vision but seems to have added an improved shot.  Now just add two all stars and we are good to go.

Remember when we were lamenting how Rondo + a jumpshot and free throw shooting would be an unstoppable force? Yet here we are, and we're still looking to add two all-stars to the equation.

Sounds like a personal problem.

[RJ87]

Rondo has been just fine lately.  Still has that great court vision but seems to have added an improved shot.  Now just add two all stars and we are good to go.

Remember when we were lamenting how Rondo + a jumpshot and free throw shooting would be an unstoppable force? Yet here we are, and we're still looking to add two all-stars to the equation.

Welcome to today's NBA where multiple All-Stars (or near-All-Stars) are a prerequisite for contention.

All of the top teams in the NBA have multiple All-Stars - I'm not talking about the Cinderellas of the league (oh hi, Phoenix) but the legitimate teams that are championship or bust.

MIA: Lebron/Wade/Bosh
IND: PG/Hibbert (honorable mention for Stephenson who has played at an all-star level this season)
OKC: KD/Westbrook (honorable mention for Ibaka)
SAS: Parker/Duncan/Manu
LAC: CP3/Griffin (honorable mention for Deandre)

Not yet true Contenders but close and could probably use a 3rd near All-star type player:
POR: Aldridge/Lilliard
HOU: Harden/D12
GS: Curry/Lee

So yes, we are still probably 2 All-Star or near All-star level players from being true contenders even if Rondo was at 100%. If players didn't need help, Lebron would still be in Cleveland and Cp3 would still be in New Orleans.

[BballTim]

You left out the fact that we're 5-6.

Deadspin dude nailed it, though:

"He's only going to pass it to you if he thinks he can get an assist." Roll that one around in your brain for a while. He's only going to pass to you if he thinks it will lead directly to a made field goal, the optimal outcome of a basketball possession.

  According to nba's player tracking data Rondo gets about 8 assists a game and makes about 63 passes a game. So, yeah, pretty much nailed it...