Rondo - team cancer?

[litex]

When Rajon Rondo was at Kentucky, Tubby Smith clashed with him constantly, was totally unbothered by him leaving, and didn't really endorse him that heavily to teams calling about him.
"Despite his success at Kentucky, Rondo often clashed with coach Tubby Smith"
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multim ... z2004DPy8m

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multim ... ent.3.html

Throughout his entire time with the Celtics, he has clashed with Doc, and Doc and Danny have admitted they tried to move him. For example, a couple years ago, Rondo reacted to having his mistakes pointed out in the locker room in this way:

"According to multiple sources, Rondo’s errors were being pointed out when he arose and began discussing the mistakes of his teammates. Loudly. Using harsh language.

Coach Doc Rivers got up and fired back, and Rondo threw a bottle that shattered the video screen. He bolted from the practice facility and was prevented from returning when he tried later."

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/9815 ... room-drama

At one point, Doc Rivers even arranged an individual meeting where he called Rondo in and said

"Your own teammates can't stand you. You need to fix that."

http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/i ... on-celtics

He has consistently clashed with his teammates. In 2008, it was Rondo who pushed for the team meeting that started all those "old player vs young player" rumors. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=a ... tics102209

Rondo appeared to want his teammates to air out complaints in the early evening of April 14, but it rapidly deteriorated into a grievance session that had the uncomfortable vibe of the young guys against the Big 3 of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. For some Celtics, there was a sense that Rondo had prodded the younger teammates to speak out on the tough-love tactics of the vets.

Rondo never vented, but one teammate who had challenged K.G. later confessed privately that he wished he had never spoken up, that he didn’t even believe the whiny words tumbling out of his mouth. Rondo insists he had the best of intentions, and yet there’s no mistaking the fact the meeting served to widen a gulf between him and his older teammates.

KG has commented that Rondo doesn't always give it his all ("I guess this was a game he could get up for), Pierce once walked off the court at the end of the half because Rondo wasn't feeding him enough.

And now Ray Allen is leaving, by all accounts because he couldn't stand this dude.

I know he's a great player, but there seems to be a clear pattern of Rondo alienating people throughout his career.

edit: He also feuded heavily with some of the other guys at Team USA tryouts, particularly Rose and Lebron

[smith2373]

KG & Rondo are like brothers, Pierce & Rondo also have a close relationship.

Doc & Rondo have their arguments but at the end of the day, they have a great relationship.

Just because his Kentucky coach hated him and Ray Allen hates him, doesn't make him a cancer.

[KembaWalker]

hes always come off as a bit of a douche

[Wone]

that temper has made him an all star.

he's got heart.

[AKFO]

Even if he has rifts with his teammates, he is not "cancerous" on the basketball court, and that's what matters.

[Froob]

He's stubborn and he has a lot of a pride. Dudes got mad game to along with it.

[Grumpy Heat Fan]

Rondo left the 2010 FIBA championships amid curious circumstances -- the team said he withdrew for personal reasons, but his departure came after he received a DNP-CD during an exhibition game against Spain. Rondo told Fox Sports Florida he left of his own accord because he was "homesick."

[DirtyDez]

NBA players have egos? I don't believe that for a second... Look at all those NBA Cares videos...

[Deathclutch23]

Even if he has rifts with his teammates, he is not "cancerous" on the basketball court, and that's what matters.

This, Rondo is one of the most unselfish guys on the court. Like Steve Nash, he will make you a better player.

[Josephpaul]

NBA players have egos? I don't believe that for a second... Look at all those NBA Cares videos...

[Bertrob]

His image of a "cancer" is extremely overrated and constantly being grown because of idiotic fans who don't even watch and care about the Celtics
Rondo has always had trouble with authority, stemming back to his highschool days because he always believed he was right/smarter than everyone. His intelligence also makes him realize which situations are good for him and which aren't. His situation in Kentucky wasn't good for him, he wanted to run like Steve Nash and the Suns did, not play a straining slow paced halfcourt game every possession. And Smith refused to relent, even when he had a talent like Rondo. Both were in the wrong, both got bad things happen to them because of it.
When Rondo entered the league in 06, he was the 3rd string PG behind Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair. Who are these guys? Oh yeah ones a decent backup PG and the other is a huge bust. Rondo realized that he wasn't being properly utilized and his development was being hampered, and resisted Doc's plans. When Doc finally decided to let him off the leash a little, he responded better and was rewarded for his play by being put on the All NBA Rookie team. When Rondo rose to stardom when KG went down, he realized that the team would be best off with him in a huge role. Thus he got into it with the "vets". People act as if Rondo's side was the only problem, but refuse to accept that both Ray and Paul aren't the nicest people. Both sides were often in the wrong, but Rondo was the one being blamed. Who else had it bad like Rondo? Being constantly threatened if the Big 3 failed even if it wasn't his fault, being the poster child of "inconsistency" and "indifference" even though he was one of the hardest workers in the league. When Rondo has a bad game? "Oh he wasn't trying". Ray has a bad game. "Every player has a stinker". Paul has a bad game "Oh he was just a little tired". Rondo has constantly tried to better his situation, like EVERY normal person tries to do, and was resisted by several forces throughout his career. These skirmishes become the juice for idiotic news stories like SImmons writes, one example being the one he wrote before Rondo's Epic near 20/20/20 (where he hopped back on the Rondo-wagon) and he said "Rondo is a cancer"
Rondo is not the nicest person in the world, he is hard headed and has an odd mix of a huge ego and no self confidence, but he is the kind of guy that would never let a teammate down, and THATS WHY KG, the nicest and classiest guy in the league, loves him.
Rondo is always pushing society's standards, being crucified for it while hes doing it, and ALWAYS having people regret their actions when what he wants turns out to be right
Rondo is not a cancer, he has never been a cancer, and will never be a cancer

[Fantaxp7]

You are reading too much into what the media are TELLING you to think..

[humblebum]

Rondo is a vocal and emotional guy. I also think he's one of those guys who's got his own plan for how he wants to play the game and the ego to follow that rather than strictly following coach or the veterans. Of all guys to be paired with I think Ray and Rondo were just a terrible fit from a personality perspective.

Ray is all about routine and following orders and Rondo is more of that artist anti-authority type. Just a bad fit but the Celtics are happy with Rondo's progression as a leader and he's matured this season. I just think the feud with Ray probably ran pretty deep and they'll probably both be happier now.

[Frank Dux]

I liken his personality to that of Kobe's. Both are a little odd, alienate certain teammates, and aren't the best with the media. But you can't say Rondo isn't out there giving it 100% on the court, putting the team on his back, and making everyone on that roster better.

Ray-Ray comes off as the bigger baby of the situation. He's really that butthurt about a younger, better player becoming the "man" on the Celtics that he had to bail out for the superfriends in south beach? loser move IMO. You don't join your rival right after getting ousted by them in the playoffs.

Rondo is just fine, his attitude, like Bryant's is what makes him a great player.

[barborous]

rondo is one of my favorite players - maybe my favorite at this point, and even i have to admit that he comes off as cocky and arrogant a lot of the time. but like everyone said, he's had a rough time making it in the league so it's incredible how far he's come, and his freespiritedness is what makes him so amazing on the court. also, a lot of those incidents are probably either fabricated or exaggerating by the controversy-stirring media.

[Winsome Gerbil]

You are reading too much into what the media are TELLING you to think..

Are we? Because yes NBA guys have egos etc. etc., but since Rondo has come into the league I can't think of a SINGLE other player with as much constant chemistry/lockerrrom smoke surrounding him. If this was just an ego thing, then every player in the league would seem to constantly be feuding with somebody. I've actually agreed with him on half of the rumored stuff, but it never ends and he seems to have had a problem wiht just about everybody at one time or the other.

[litex]

You are reading too much into what the media are TELLING you to think..

where there's a ton of smoke, there's generally fire.

I mean, it would be essentially impossible to construct a similar list of "incidents" involving Ray Allen or Paul Pierce.

[dho4ever]

Should we really care this much about what the media says?

Boston went to the ECF this year, led by Rondo... who had quite a few career games in the post season. Barring Lebron James, how many people can you name who have had a better run this post season?

He's a cancer. He's a douche. w/e.... That's all hearsay that we get from the media. Truthfully, none of us (probably) know Rondo personally, but we can all say that Boston is a much worse team without him. So how can he be a cancer?

[ChiCitySPORTS#1]

Im always going to think hes a bitch, so sure, whatevs.

[StojkoVrankovic]

Rondo left the 2010 FIBA championships amid curious circumstances -- the team said he withdrew for personal reasons, but his departure came after he received a DNP-CD during an exhibition game against Spain. Rondo told Fox Sports Florida he left of his own accord because he was "homesick."

Is it possible for you to stop posting like a robot? Copy and pasting other people's words does not make an opinion