ESPN Rondo article

Post #1 » by **UGA Hayes** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 4:36 pm

A lot of interesting stuff that has always been hinted about his personality. Sounds like a classic genius phenotype.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/ ... ndo-090423

Fencer reregistered · Post #2 » by **Fencer reregistered** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 4:58 pm

Good article by Jackie MacMullan.

Like almost all former Globe sportswriters, she can flat-out write.

DieselCeltic · Post #3 » by **DieselCeltic** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 4:58 pm

he has all the tools and bbiq to succeed in the NBA and become the best point guard in the NBA. Very gifted and talented player and I hope he continues to improve and prove people wrong, esp ESPN c*nts .

LenBiasBaller · Post #4 » by **LenBiasBaller** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:05 pm

damn thats a sick article.

Cyclical · Post #5 » by **Cyclical** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:33 pm

Great read. Thanks for the link.

BRUNiNHO91 · Post #6 » by **BRUNiNHO91** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:46 pm

Oh yead...great article...hopefully we wrap Rondo up in green for a looooooongggg time...=]

LenBiasBaller · Post #7 » by **LenBiasBaller** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:54 pm

He does have a lot of strange habits like keeping lip balm in his sock during games and wearing his headband upside down...he's the future of the celtics.

greenbeans · Post #8 » by **greenbeans** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:25 pm

Great read, thanks. I love how he never lets his feet touch the ground, what a crazy ****ing guy, lol.

Celtic Esquire · Post #9 » by **Celtic Esquire** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:45 pm

I miss Jackie MacMullen pieces.

She is one hell of a writer and that is one amazing article.

sprash9802 · Post #10 » by **sprash9802** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:49 pm

Can anyone also give a summary on the Insider article?

MVE85 · Post #11 » by **MVE85** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:43 pm

That was a great article, cant wait to see what he brings tonight in front of those Chicago fans.

GreenDreamer · Post #12 » by **GreenDreamer** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:31 pm

Great read. Rondo certainly has grown a lot over the last couple of years. His lack of focus has irked me, and I'm a huge fan of his. He plays great against the top guys and then has a tendency to let infeirior players get away with murder simply because he underestimated them. These playoffs will hopefully get him on track.

Personally I think that he has been much better on the road as of late. Some of his very best second half performances were in road games. He is starting to come around there, and I'm hoping for another good game from him tonight.

What has stood out to me from the very beginning is his mind for the game. I gravitated to the kid during his preseason with us, because he was the first Celtic I had seen who actually reminded me of Larry. Different skill sets and body types, to be sure, but in between the ears is what I'm talking about. Rondo just seemed to have that mentality of "I'm going to use anything I can to beat you" which Larry had. It wasn't just about hustle and smart plays, it was that both were constantly engaged in what was going on out on the court and were just as likely to kill you with a hustle play on defense as a beautiful pass in offense. Subtle cheat moves, timely picks, not revelling in one great play so that they missed an opportunity which came right after, etc. Seriously, Rondo makes crazy "hustle plays" look routine in a way that only Larry has done since I started watching in the 80's. Rondo, like Larry, plays chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

Bill Simmons pointed out one of my favorite Rondo moves. He doesn't just merely look to pass the ball to the three point shooter, he also looks to screen the defender off of the shooter. He is amazingly proficient at this. On his assist to Ray off of the offensive rebound in the final minute last game against teh Bulls, he did just that to Tyrus Thomas, assuring that Ray would get it off. Personally I don't think any guard sets better picks and screens than Rondo. Little things which don't show up in the boxscore, but which mean a ton towards winning actual games.

To make an analogy, imagine two guys sitting in front of a table. One guy is throwing nickels and dimes up onto the table very 5 or ten seconds. meanwhile, the other guy is throwing pennies up on the table every second, with nickles and dimes mixed in. Even if the first guy has more silver hitting that table, you can bet your butt that most times it is the guy mixing in all of those pennies who has the most money sitting in front of him in his pile. Rondo is the guy throwing the pennies. Larry was like that too. They kill you just as much with the small stuff as the big stuff. That is the way that Russ, and Hondo were too. As much as I love Paul, he has never been that guy. He is a great scorer, and certainly has a nice all around game, but Rondo is MUCH more like Larry in this regard.

The best part is that he can and will get even better, It is going to fun watching that happen.

Post #13 » by **UGA Hayes** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:53 pm

^ Yeah that is what has always drawn me to him too. I wanted to draft him pretty much the moment I saw him play in Kentucky. His bball IQ stands out in a way very few players do on both sides of the ball; only Stockton and Kidd come to mind. I think Jackie did a goood job of pointing out that its almost too easy for him, something I think the avg "rondo is a byproduct of the big 3" fan doesn't really appreciate.

Fencer reregistered · Post #14 » by **Fencer reregistered** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:21 am

DieselCeltic wrote: , esp ESPN c*nts .

Considering the highly favorable article was written by a woman from ESPN, that was a VERY bad time for you to use that slur ...

Fencer reregistered · Post #15 » by **Fencer reregistered** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:31 am

GreenDreamer wrote:

What has stood out to me from the very beginning is his mind for the game. I gravitated to the kid during his preseason with us, because he was the first Celtic I had seen who actually reminded me of Larry. Different skill sets and body types, to be sure, but in between the ears is what I'm talking about. Rondo just seemed to have that mentality of "I'm going to use anything I can to beat you" which Larry had. It wasn't just about hustle and smart plays, it was that both were constantly engaged in what was going on out on the court and were just as likely to kill you with a hustle play on defense as a beautiful pass in offense. Subtle cheat moves, timely picks, not revelling in one great play so that they missed an opportunity which came right after, etc. Seriously, Rondo makes crazy "hustle plays" look routine in a way that only Larry has done since I started watching in the 80's. Rondo, like Larry, plays chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

Not a ridiculous comparison at all. Rondo plays the game with every inch of his body, not infrequently moving in a whole variety of different directions at once. That's very Bird-like.

MyInsatiableOne · Post #16 » by **MyInsatiableOne** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:45 am

Great article...always loved Jackie's articles, she's great. One of the few (with Bob Ryan) columnists at/formerly of the Globe who I could not only stomach but enjoy.

And Rondo is a special player and an interesting kid!

SuigintouEV · Post #17 » by **SuigintouEV** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:34 pm

He doesn't just merely look to pass the ball to the three point shooter, he also looks to screen the defender off of the shooter. He is amazingly proficient at this. On his assist to Ray off of the offensive rebound in the final minute last game against teh Bulls, he did just that to Tyrus Thomas, assuring that Ray would get it off. Personally I don't think any guard sets better picks and screens than Rondo. Little things which don't show up in the boxscore, but which mean a ton towards winning actual games.

I think he got that from watching tape of steve nash. A couple years ago when Nash was winning MVPs and bringing attention upon the point guard position he did that very often. I honestly think nash winning those two MVPs resulted in a lot of today's point guards really wanting to take thier game to another level. Kind of how Jordan is credited with guys like pippen, kobe, lebron, wade etc.

Havlicek17 · Post #18 » by **Havlicek17** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:44 pm

Good read.

Rondo has a ton of natural ability (big hands, long arms, hops, speed, etc.), but lots of NBA players have similar special physical gifts. What makes Rondo special in my mind is his competitive spirit and his killer instinct.

In the article, it says he stayed up most of the night thinking about how he could do better. His facial expressions when Doc is chewing him out for something are priceless. Playing the way he did against Chicago, then being carried off the court cause his ankle is swollen to the point he can hardly walk. These are just a few small glimpses into the Man. He does remind me of Bird in that way, no doubt about it.

Rondo is our next all-star. He will sign with Boston for the long term, and he will be the bridge between the big three and the next generation Celtics. Like Hondo was between the Russell and Cowens era's.