MrsPierce34HOF wrote: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.