Rondo has a chance to be MVP like.

[Leprechaun18]

If Rondo's healthy and improves his JS he can be an MVP candidate. Ainge needs to show Rondo the same respect that he shows the Big Three, such as consulting Rondo on personel matters etc. Doc CANNOT ride the big three 50 mins per game. The team needs some younger players that can backup the big three and ruun with Rondo. The Celtics had serious problems finishing at the rim against the heat. They blew some easy layup,

Also the Celtic offense seems to focus on passing to get a good jump sho and they often passed up driving to the hoop even if it was open. This makes the Celtic offense more predictable and easier to defend.

[Edug27]

Rondo is a terrific young player, with all the potential in the world. We will see how much dedication and desire he has this coming offseason. Hopefully he will hire a shooting coach and really hit the gym this summer, nonstop. Shooting hundred of jumpers a day. He needs to change up his form, and develop the confidence. It doesnt have to be a S.Nash type consistency, more along the lines of a T.Parker or D.Fisher ... We'll see

[ryan in Maine]

What reason do I have to believe that Rondo is going to get a jumper any time soon? Or even become a solid ft shooter? Or keep d honest from outside? He's had 5 years to do it.

His shooting is the only thing stopping him from being a top 3 pg in the league. But the lack of it creates a big, big gap that he hasn't physically shown a desire to close.

I like Rondo, but you can only ignore this problem for so long...

[ParticleMan]

if andrew declerq improved his JS he'd have been an allstar.

[Colossus]

If Greg Oden improved his skeletal system he'd be a hall of famer.

[MrsPierce34HOF]

Only on a Celtics board will you find something like this... I swear, sometimes I consider not being a C's fan anymore after Pierce retires. I've never seen an inferior player like Rondo get so much hype.

[ddb]

If I was 6"11 I'd play in the NBA.

[WeLikeOurGuys]

^^ Rondo actully was considerd an mvp canidate when the season first started. then he got hurt and it all when down hill from there. If he devolops a jumpshot, He can rebound,pass and defend to say rondo could never be an mvp is a lil farfetched. he def could be one but he prob will never be an mvp.

[jmr07019]

Well in the summer of 2009 Rondo hired THE BEST shooting coach there is. His name is Mark Price.

Former Providence coach Tim Welsh said on CSN that Rondo went to Atlanta and worked with Mark Price on his shooting all summer. Welsh said before Rondo was a bad shooter and now he is an average shooter. Apparently Rondo has corrected the flaw in his shooting form.

Welsh said Rondo worked out every day all summer with Price and that he’s keeping his elbow in now. Welsh expects him to take many jumpers in preseason to get his confidence down.

From: http://boston.sportsthenandnow.com/2009/09/30/mark-price-is-right-for-rondo/

here we're Price's thoughts on Rondo after the summer:

Shooting coach Mark Price says don't expect things to change over night and don't expect miracles. But he says by the time the playoffs come around in April, you should expect Rajon Rondo to shoot the ball better than he ever has before.

from: http://www.celticsblog.com/2009/11/10/1125047/mark-price-rondos-shot-will-improve

Rondo did not work with Price in the summer of 2010.

I believe Rondo shot significantly better from mid-range this year but nba hot spots doesn't have this season's data up yet. The 3 pt % was slightly up and FT% a bit down.

I don't know what to make of it all but thought I'd pass along some data. And to dispell the idea that he hasn't shown a desire to improve this hole in his game.

[RojanRando]

Only on a Celtics board will you find something like this... I swear, sometimes I consider not being a C's fan anymore after Pierce retires. I've never seen an inferior player like Rondo get so much hype.

So.....we CELTICS fans can't hope for our young player? Who has already proven to be the 4th best PG in the league, is a hard worker, and is a likeable guy?

[LuckyLeprichan]

Rondo is a terrific young player, with all the potential in the world. We will see how much dedication and desire he has this coming offseason. Hopefully he will hire a shooting coach and really hit the gym this summer, nonstop. Shooting hundred of jumpers a day. He needs to change up his form, and develop the confidence. It doesnt have to be a S.Nash type consistency, more along the lines of a T.Parker or D.Fisher ... We'll see

I keep hearing people say stuff like this. If Rondo hasn't already done that the past 3 off-seasons then he's not the type of player I thought he was. I honestly don't believe it's that simple. I highly doubt he hasn't already taken all the steps he can to improve his shot to this point. Could be wrong though.

[IEcelticfan]

if only lequeen choked vs us this yr like he did vs the mavs (or vs us last yr) ....

[Celtics_Champs]

Only on a Celtics board will you find something like this... I swear, sometimes I consider not being a C's fan anymore after Pierce retires. I've never seen an inferior player like Rondo get so much hype.

That doesn't make any sense.

Cause some over-rate rondo, you're going to stop being a fan of the Celtics?

[ParticleMan]

the sad part is that Rondo HAS tried everything to become a better shooter. he hired a great coach, by all accounts he's a hard worker, etc. in a way that's even scarier to think that he still can't consistently hit a 15 footer when left wide open.

[CelticTillDeath]

Only on a Celtics board will you find something like this... I swear, sometimes I consider not being a C's fan anymore after Pierce retires. I've never seen an inferior player like Rondo get so much hype.

So i take it you didnt watch the first 2 months of the regular season huh? Because if you did, then you would know during that time Rondo was actually top 5 in the MVP race up to that point in the season. There were stretches were he was actually ranked 1st in the MVP race over the likes of Rose, Amare, Dirk, Kobe, Howard, and LeBron. I also recall Barkley and Kenny saying he was the MVP during a pregame show in the earlier part of the season. Basically what im saying is, he was already an MVP candidate this season, so for him to continue to be one in the future is not as crazy as you make it seem.

There were two main reasons why Rondo slipped down the MVP race this past season. The 1st reason being that after the 1st two months of the season, he started to pile up some aggravating and nagging injuries. He missed time with a sprained knee, a severe sprained ankle, was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis (this single handily affected his most lethal attribute - his speed), and later suffered a pinkie injury on his shooting hand. Before the injuries started to pile up, he was posting averages of about 15pts, 16ast, 6rbs, and 3stls, on nearly 50% shooting from the field. Just look at his game logs from this past season, particularly October to early January, and look at the MONSTER games this guy had. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/rajon_rondo/game_by_game_stats.html. Its amazing the short memories some people have, because for basically the 1st half of the regular season Rondo was the best player on the best team in the NBA. Injuries slowly but surely altered his production and on-court capabilities.

The 2nd reason why Rondo slipped down the MVP race and struggled down the stretch of the regular season was because of the complete overhaul of our team. Rondo went through training camp working with guys like Shaq, Quis, Nate, Semih, Luke, and of course Perk, to all of a sudden closing out a season with all of those guys gone (due to trade or injury) and replaced with Green, Krstic, Murphy, Sasha, and Arroyo. All of those guys had to come in, learn a new offensive system, a new defensive system, and be able to know where to be on both ends of the floor, with only about 25 games before the playoffs. Rondo no longer had guys that knew the playbook inside and out, and he was forced to play with guys who needed to learn on the fly, which caused for a lot of confusion and chemistry issues early on between Rondo and the new guys. Why do you think Rondo's production increased right when the playoffs hit and the rotation shortened? Now he was spending all his time on the floor with PP, Ray, KG, JO, Baby, and West, all of whom just so happened to be on the team since the start of camp. So between all the injuries Rondo suffered and all the new acquisitions to the team mid season, Rondo was unable to maintain his MVP pace throughout later parts of the year.

Bottom line is, Rondo could be a possible MVP candidate, as well as be the best PG in the league on a yearly basis. Are there other PG's out there who can score the ball better, or be more athletic? Sure there are, but are there any other PG's in this league who run a team as well as Rondo? A PG's job is to lead the team, to set the tone offensively, bring energy, be smart, get everyone involved, protect the ball, make sure the ball is moving, and play defense. Is there any other PG in the NBA that does all those things as well as Rondo does? IMO Rondo is the best floor general we have in this game today (Nash and CP3 are right there though). Not to mention that the kid is an absolute warrior. He played through multiple injuries all year long, including a dislocated elbow that he played through in the playoffs, leaving him to play with one arm. How many other players at his position have that kind of toughness and desire to compete, that they would play through an injury such as a dislocated elbow? I cant think of too many.

If and/or when Rondo can consistently knock down jumpers, he will become virtually unstoppable. He'd literally be the perfect player. Since hes still not great at it though, it makes people forget just how amazing he is at so many other aspects of the game, because they only want to focus on his sub-par shooting. At 25 years old and still not in his prime, i have no doubts he will eventually get a consistent jumper. Look at Kidd, if he can do it, so can Rondo. Ive made numerous Kidd - Rondo comparisons on this forum before, and i stand by them. They are virtually identical players and PGs. From their demeanor on the court, to the way they rebound/defend/pass, to the way they love to get out in the open court, and so much more. These guys are TRUE PG's, and i fully expect Rondo to make the same adjustments Kidd was able to make in becoming an improved shooter. If he gets the shooting touch down sooner rather then later, he could launch himself into some elite category with what he would be able to accomplish on the floor.

[jmr07019]

Some quotes from Nash about Rondo

"He’s pretty unique,” said Nash, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player. “I can’t think of anyone who quite has the same skill set he has. I mean, I guess the closest thing would have been maybe Jason Kidd in his day, but they’re still different types of athletes.”

“I’m sure his outside shot’s improving, but he probably just doesn’t have to rely on it because he does other things so well,” Nash said. “He’s so long. He can finish in the paint, make big plays for his teammates. He does a lot of different things on the court, so he doesn’t have to rely on his shooting.”

Asked if Rondo’s stroke will improve, Nash said, “It should. It’s inevitable if you spend time at anything it’s going to get better. Most guys improve their shooting throughout their career. He’s improving already, and I imagine he’s going to continue to improve.”

http://slumz.boxden.com/f16/steve-nash- ... o-1334991/

[yodi184]

I consider myself an optimist, but I'm not seeing Rondo's jumper improving anytime soon. It's probably how big his hands are (seriously..)

Kidding aside, Rondo plays to his strengths: great D, quickness and speed, drive to the basket, passing, and these are traits that make him an All Star. But to add a reliable jumper to his arsenal will make him more lethal. That being said, recent years tell us there's a slow learning curve

[Bluewhale]

I believe Rondo shot significantly better from mid-range this year but nba hot spots doesn't have this season's data up yet. The 3 pt % was slightly up and FT% a bit down.

Here you go
http://www.hoopdata.com/player.aspx?name=Rajon%20Rondo

By the way, Rondo also need to practice his floater. If he could hit the floater like Jose Barea....

[Edug27]

Some quotes from Nash about Rondo

"He’s pretty unique,” said Nash, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player. “I can’t think of anyone who quite has the same skill set he has. I mean, I guess the closest thing would have been maybe Jason Kidd in his day, but they’re still different types of athletes.”

“I’m sure his outside shot’s improving, but he probably just doesn’t have to rely on it because he does other things so well,” Nash said. “He’s so long. He can finish in the paint, make big plays for his teammates. He does a lot of different things on the court, so he doesn’t have to rely on his shooting.”

Asked if Rondo’s stroke will improve, Nash said, “It should. It’s inevitable if you spend time at anything it’s going to get better. Most guys improve their shooting throughout their career. He’s improving already, and I imagine he’s going to continue to improve.”

http://slumz.boxden.com/f16/steve-nash- ... o-1334991/

Very Accurate.

Its absurd to say that its too late for Rondo to improve his jumper. He will, I'm very confident in that. He showed slight improvement last season as well, when the confidence was there.

Next season, I want to see Rondos numbers at: 14.5 pts, 11 asts, 5.5 rebs, and 2.5 steals, and FT percentage in the 70's.

[Bluewhale]

65% FT would make me happy.