Rondo Interview

[SonicYouth34]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/paul_forrester/09/22/rondo/

Some good stuff there.

[Dogen]

Some very good stuff there, indeed. I really get the impression that Rondo is able to take a good look at his few weaknesses and make the effort to grow. It didn't seem to be like the generic words that you sometimes get from players in an interview, saying all the right things and all but without much substance. Rondo sounds like he has been thinking about these things and if so it is very good news for Celtics fans. If he can improve his shooting and lapses in attitude he will be an All Star in the next year or so.

[Scalamental]

SI.com: Were Ainge's comments fair? Could you have handled some things better last season?

RR: Maybe on the court ... [when] a possession or two may go by and I'm frustrated about the game, and things aren't going well for me, I may get quiet or shut down, I may not talk as much on the defensive end and call out all the sets and all the screens. But I still have to call the plays and not be difficult in front of my teammates. I'm my harshest critic. If I can keep the team first whether I'm playing well or poorly and help us win, then my game doesn't really matter.

God dammit, Rondo is spotless. I love the kid. Nice article, wish they went into more of where Rondo was being immature on the court or in practice, because it's impossible to see on t.v. or in the news.

[stiles21]

The Celtic's need to hurry up and sign Rondo to an extension, give him want he wants. If the off-season comes around and he's a free agent teams are going to be all over him.

[hairybyrd]

Good interview but I have one question; What do you guys think about Rondo gaining 8 pounds? It doesn't sound like much but last year he added 7 lbs. from the previous year and the article stated he weighed 160 when he entered the league. Currently he weighs 187. Will this added weight be detrimental to his speed? Or, will the weight help him garner position and power-through in the lane? Is this positive, negative, or a non-factor?

[TheMartian]

The weight he gained is all muscle, so I'm guessing that must be good.

[SonicYouth34]

He added muscle and dropped his body fat, so I'm not worried about his weight gain.

[Dogen]

He really did need the extra muscle. The way he plays he was constantly getting smacked to the floor. The weights mostly a positive, yet 187 sounds high considering his body type. But we'll see how he looks soon enough, he may end up dropping a few pounds naturally during the season.

[UGA Hayes]

^ Yeah hopefully it means he will fight through a pick once in a while. He gained significant muscle last year and it didn't effect him from what I could see.

[LenBiasBaller]

You gotta love the straight talk from Rondo...he admits his immaturity and growth as a player...He is very lucky he is on a team with our veterans.

If he was on a young team I could see Rondo blowing up emotionally in his early years.

It is a gift and a curse that he is so head strong. Its great because your pg needs to be the floor leader but its not so great if he gets upset and stops running plays.

I was most surprised that he did not take a shot at DA when they mentioned his comments. Instead of making a sly comment he said he has to address DA's concerns to be a better player....

A lot of credit to Doc and the players for how they are handling Rondo and helping mold his personality.

[TheOGJabroni]

I enjoyed that article.

One thing that bothered me was him saying he wants to be wherever he is wanted. Knowing that Rondo seems to get bothered by little things people say to him at times, I hope he doesn't get the impression Boston doesn't want him after all these trade talks that happened in the offseason. He could have just as easily said I love Boston, I want to stay here. Instead, he almost took the LeBron approach and stayed neutral, of course it won't be as big of a deal in the media because its Rajon Rondo, not LeBron or Wade.

[mwhis21]

I am sure he does love the fans of Boston and the city itself, but he has now earned himself the right to say he wants to play where he is wanted...if your job didn't want you why would you work for them?

we will never know what went on behind the scenes, but you hear what Rondo said and you heard what Ainge said so you might as well put the truth somewhere in the middle. I think the Celtics saw an opportunity to sell VERY HIGH on a cheap, young PG and were rebuffed by teams who wouldn't give the Celtics what they thought they could get. In turn Rondo, more so his agent, stepped in and made this a media event by saying it was all to decrease his value so the Celtics could sign him to a cheaper deal with both sides bringing his "short comings" to light. Unfortunately this is the business side of it that we must accept to watch a great product such as the NBA.

all and all...expect big things from Rondo and the Celtics this year.

[King Of The 4th]

Nice to see how mature he acted during that interview. Makes me think that he might actually develop that jumpshot that he needs so much.

[LongTimeFan]

It is hard for me to see a team where Rondo is a better fit. He was drafted for this team. He is so good because he has so many great players around him.

Both sides are negotiating and trying to assess what a fair price is. I'd be surprised if they do not get the extension done.

[celtics792244]

I've said this in the past and I'll say it again. Teams cannot throw max contract or near max contracts to point guards. The point guards for recent championship teams... fisher, rondo, parker, williams, fisher again, harper, smith or maxwell, paxson, THOMAS, and MAGIC. You have to go all the wayyy back to 1990 to find a championship team that had a dominate pg. You save your $$ for big men. Chris Paul is not worth a max contract.

The recipe for championships is a dominate 5 with an average 1,2,3,4 OR above average 5 coupled with a very strong 3 and 4, and decent 1 and 2 OR average 5 paired up with a strong 4, 3, and 2 with an adaquate 1. Ainge knows this... that is why the game is being played with rondo.

A Derek Fisher will burn Chris Paul on the offensive end atleast 6 out of 10 tries, but a Mark Blount will not burn a Shaq with the same ratio. It is a basic formula.

Would I love to see Rondo sign with the C's? Hell Ya! Love his game. But there is a limit on how much cap space I would be willing to devote to that position.

BTW, didn't get a chance to pipe in when the heading was in... posting Ainge's personal info.. not cool.

[Rocky5000]

I agree with you on what positions are important. Most teams seem to be going with the last formula. RealGM has a list of max contract players, I'm not sure if it's current.
http://realgm.com/src_maxplayers.php
But even still there are no point guards on that list, and only 15 players.
2s - Wade, Johnson, Bryant, Redd, Allan Houston
3s - Pierce, Anthony, James, McGrady
4s - Garnett, Bosh, Nowitzski, J O'Neal
5s - Duncan, Shaq

Guys with big contracts that aren't on the REALGM list are Arenas, Lewis, Gasol, Ray Allen, Yao, Amare, Carter, Zach Randolph, and Kirilenko. Of the group, the closest to a PG is Arenas, but I think most consider him a SG. 3 more SGs, 5 PFs (2 3/4s), 1 Center.

[ryaningf]

I agree with you on what positions are important. Most teams seem to be going with the last formula. RealGM has a list of max contract players, I'm not sure if it's current.
http://realgm.com/src_maxplayers.php
But even still there are no point guards on that list, and only 15 players.
2s - Wade, Johnson, Bryant, Redd, Allan Houston
3s - Pierce, Anthony, James, McGrady
4s - Garnett, Bosh, Nowitzski, J O'Neal
5s - Duncan, Shaq

Guys with big contracts that aren't on the REALGM list are Arenas, Lewis, Gasol, Ray Allen, Yao, Amare, Carter, Zach Randolph, and Kirilenko. Of the group, the closest to a PG is Arenas, but I think most consider him a SG. 3 more SGs, 5 PFs (2 3/4s), 1 Center.

I'm pretty sure Paul and D. Williams are making max dollars as well.