Why blame Rondo? What are people exactly blaming him for?

[greece66]

For the people who talk about tanking:
Every bad team's fan base is soothing themselves with this thing, that we are not this bad we don't want to win.... In reality very few team start the season with tanking purposes. Philly is of them that is unquestionable. Look at the nuggets. They started the season horrible. Now they are at 0,5 in the west. I bet fans in Denver talked about how the team tanking after they lost by 30 multiple times and looked dead. I bet they are now talking about the 8 seed. When they lose again and look hopeless "they will be tanking again".

Don't tell us. Explain this to Ainge.

[eugen]

I don't think he should be blamed for anything.  He's the best player on this team

Rondo is the best player on this team??? Wow!  ???Any evidence to prove that...?!

[rondohondo]

I don't think he should be blamed for anything.  He's the best player on this team

Rondo is the best player on this team??? Wow!  ???Any evidence to prove that...?!

Who is the best player then ? please enlighten us .

[Celtics18]

I do think one could make an argument that Jared Sullinger is currently our best player. 

[ssspence]

Best player on your team needs to be a + not a - in the last <4> mins.  Who is that? Rondo's looking the other way on that one, like all the other vets on this team.

[playdream]

Rondo surely is the best player of padding his states
Not much beyond that though

[Rondo9]

I think Celticblog is the only place where people constantly bash their best player

[indeedproceed]

I think Celticblog is the only place where people constantly bash their best player

I think you should look at more message boards. If the Internet existed in 1925, there would be a thread on the New York Yankees message board that was titled, 'Is It Time To Trade The (Not So Great) Bambino?'

[Eddie20]

I'll tell ya one thing.  I drafted Rondo in the 6th round of my fantasy league this year and so far he's been a Top 40 statistical player.  I consider that solid value.  Almost as good as Sullinger who I drafted in Round 8 and so far has been the 23rd best player in the league in terms of points-based fantasy production.    Wicked.

I take it you play without FT% and turnovers. He's ranked 118th in my league, but I play where all percentages, 3pt made, and turnovers all count.

[ViolentGhandi]

Rondo for sure is the best player on the team. Ok he is having a lower FT% than me and I only play because I like the sport and I need to move so my back doesnt kill me.

Without Rondo everyone else would have a much harder time scoring - he will find the open guy or generate a bucket by his amzing passes. Without Rondo right now you would have Evan Turner handle the ball more often which leads to him getting stuck with nowhere to go close to the basket 50% of the time. The Clock would run down and someone would have to toss up a bad shot late in the clock if Evan didnt manage to turn it over b4.

Zeller wouldnt have the shooting % he has. Since nobody other than Rondo can deliver the passes he needs on a regular basis. Green woulndt score 20+ points cause he would recieve the ball out of his sweet spot most of the times - just like last year when Rondo wasnt playing. Sulli wouldnt make have the 3s he is making since he needs the ball delivered so he can shoot in rythm - just a slight once off and its a brick.

Unlike LeBron (and a few others) nobody on the C's on a regular basis creates for himself so they depend on someone to generate a situation that allows them to play to their strenghts instead to just play something.

Early last season the C's struggled scoring really hard because there wasnt a guy running the game who could make the other 4 players look good.

Giving Rondo the fault for this yours inconsistency just isnt right. The few FTs he doenst make can't cause 15 point leads to disappear. He hardly ever makes 2-4FTs a game so there would still be 10+ points lead left. Its the inconsistency and the team D they are suffering from.

With a winning record every1 would praise Rondo and point out that he is the best player on the team scoring close to a triple double every game but as it is now many just troll him. Whatever he does will not be enough to change their oppinion since it will not be enough switch the W/L columns. Few players if any have that much impact to the game and thats a good thing - basketball would be a by single individuals dominated "team sport". If you as a team happen to sign the freakish über player everyone else would be [dang]ed to lose. They could just declear the team LeBron is on champs at the start of the season and spare us the bore. Good thing basket ball is more than that just as Rondo is more than Fts.

[CoachBo]

I don't think he should be blamed for anything.  He's the best player on this team (though it does seem like SUlly is quickly improving).  The problem is that the team as a whole is pretty bad.  Rondo isn't a superstar level player who can win games by himself.  He's an exceptional player with some major flaws.  He's immensely skilled, but what he's immensely skilled (distributing, rebounding for a point guard) aren't really the most important attributes towards winning a championship.  Stick him on a team of hall of famers that compliment his skills, you can have a really nice team with Rondo.

MAJOR exaggeration, but it's like having the world's greatest NFL kicker.  If the team is garbage, he shouldn't be blamed.  It's not his fault.  He's still a great kicker.    Rondo is a great passer regardless of the fact his team is bleh and "passing" isn't the most important NBA skill.

Here's where the bickering comes from.  You have some fans here who liked to believe Rondo was a superstar talent that could raise the level of a team and lead them to the playoffs by himself.  It's simply not true.  Lots of debates stemmed from that.  I myself have been vocal in saying that Rondo can't be the best player on a champion.   Rondo's my favorite player on the team... I love that guy.  But on the internet you're either all-in or all-out.  I've been called a hater for pointing out the guy's flaws.  I mean... I said the same stuff about Pierce, but Pierce was my favorite modern player of all time.  It wasn't going to prevent me from admitting that Pierce wasn't on LeBron's level.  Still... in the age of hyperbole everything is either the "best ever" or "worst ever".  You can't admit that LeBron was better than Pierce without being a Pierce hater in the eyes of some. 

So then you have fans who really disagree with everything I just said.  They point out that 3 years ago in the 2012 Playoffs, Rondo did this and that... or claim that he was the best player 5 years ago in 2010...  That stems more disagreement.  That stems more bickering.  It starts to slant everyone's view, because they are tired of arguing points they are convinced are right.  On top of that you have fans who buy into the media idea that Ainge has been shopping Rondo for years... and you have fans who buy the company line that Ainge will never shop Rondo.  That stems more disagreement.  More people become bitter with one another.  The snark goes off the charts.   

I mean at the end of the day, Rondo is the most prominent figure on a terrible team in a big market.  He's been both overrated and underrated.  If the team was winning, it wouldn't matter as much... but we are in the thick of irrelevance and Rondo is at the head of it... that combined with the trade culture Ainge has fostered, the disagreement amongst fans and Rondo's impending free agency means you're going to hear people complaining about Rondo for at least a few more months.

Pretty accurate post.

Rondo is what he is - the best player on a terrible team who is never going to be more than a complementary player on a quality team, a passer - when he wants to be - whose offense is limited at best, and limited more now by his total inability to make a free throw. He's not a number one; never has been, never will be, and a game here and a game there doesn't change that, regardless of the protestations of his Celtics Blog fan club.

If Ainge wants to waste max money on that package, then I'll be at the forefront laughing at him. Again.

If Ainge wants to offer a legitimate contract - $15 to $17 million AAV - then fine. If Rondo wants more, he can walk with my thanks for what he contributed to the championships.

Refreshing to see people coming around to what some of us diagnosed years ago.

[cb8883]

I've been labeled a Rondo basher for a few years now. That's far from the truth. I like Rondo but he is not a star player in this league. On a championship team he's a role player. A good defensive point that can pass pretty well. He cannot shoot and recently cannot shoot free throws. At this point dealing Rondo needs to happen before his value gets even lower and the Celtics win more games.

[GreenWarrior]

Best player on your team needs to be a + not a - in the last <4> mins.  Who is that? Rondo's looking the other way on that one, like all the other vets on this team.

yeah because great players have never turned the ball over or played bad in the last 4 mins. .

I get that our best player has to be held to a higher standard. and he should be called out when he doesn't perform. but this team is so flawed from the ground up that blaming Rondo is like saying a car doesn't run because stereo is broken.

[Greenback]

Wow! Mr. Max Contract really rose to the occasion today: 2 points in 31 minutes, zero steals or blocks, 0 for 2 at the free throw line, 1 for 5 from the field...what a leader.

[ssspence]

Best player on your team needs to be a + not a - in the last <4> mins.  Who is that? Rondo's looking the other way on that one, like all the other vets on this team.

yeah because great players have never turned the ball over or played bad in the last 4 mins. .

I don't really follow your sarcasm. In a number of ways, Rondo's a liability. He's the worst FT shooter in the league. That's not great. Nor is his "ole" defense, nor the 10-12 seconds of top-of-the-key pounding looking for that assist every.... [dang].... possession.

Rondo's a very good player, just an overrated one. You can't build around Rondo. So until he's traded, leaves, or is super-seeded here by a better player, he'll bear the brunt of the blame for ample losing.