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"IN RONDO WE TRUST"
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Rondology: Big Mouth
Rondo's been shooting his mouth off again. The haters will be out in force. Well done Rondo!
Rajon Rondo is already an NBA champion and a three-time All-Star, but the point guard believes it is far too early for him to begin thinking about where he ranks in the history of the Boston Celtics.
“It is kinda too early to place my mark on where I am in Celtic history as a point guard,” Rondo said in an interview with ABS-CBN News. “But hopefully, by the time I finish my career, I’d be the best to ever play for the Celtics.”
Taken in context, of course, it's obvious that Rondo is saying that he hopes to be better than Cousy. Such a statement is never taken in context, of course. The very article I found it in goes on to say:
Though Rondo is widely considered as one of the best point guards in the NBA today, he still has a lot of work to do if he wants to be the best player in the Celtics’ history.
The Boston franchise is home to some of the league’s most legendary players, including Larry Bird, Bob Cousy and Bill Russell.
No matter. I'd be disappointed in Rondo if he didn't want to be the best Celtic ever. As far as I'm concerned, it's clear that he has the ability. I'm glad to hear that he has the ambition too. Now he has to actually make it happen.
Starts with DEFENSE. Just ask Bill. Ask Dave. Ask Larry. Shout across the lockerroom and ask KG. It starts with defense.
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Well, that didn't take long. At Celtics Blog, the backlash has already started:
When you're talking about "the greatest point guard in Celtics' history," obviously the conversation begins and ends with Bob Cousy. Forget the fact that he's the all-time team assists leader. He's a six-time NBA champ and in Boston, chips matter more than personal accolades. Whether or not Rondo can win five more rings is debatable but his goal of one or two is definitely within reach.
So, according to Celtics Blog, it seems, when it comes to legend status, Rondo can just forget about it, no matter what he does. Cousy = legend. Rondo = whippersnapper.
Notice too that according to Celtics Blog's little quick-poll graphic, Jo Jo White doesn't even make the list of possible alltime great Celtics point guards!! DOESN'T EVEN MAKE THE LIST!! Tiny Archibald in on the list and White isn't!
Why do these people hate the seventies Celtics? It isn't just Dave Cowens that gets the shaft these days.
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Nesn weighs in too with a shot at Rondo. According to Nesn, Rondo isn't even in the discussion for all-time great Celtics point guard! They manage to include JoJo in the discussion, so kudos to them on that, but this time it's Rondo who is NOT EVEN IN THE DISCUSSION!!
That's a lofty aspiration for the 26-year-old. Rondo is an NBA champion, a three-time All-Star and has evolved into one of the game's premier floor generals, but to say it's obvious that he has a ways to go before staking claim to such a title would be a gross understatement. The Celtics' history at the position, of course, includes the likes Bob Cousy, Jo Jo White, Nate Archibald and Dennis Johnson. With that said, it's undeniable that Rondo is continuing to improve as a point guard. He led the league in steals in 2009-10, and had an NBA-best 11.7 assists per game last season. Perhaps someday, many years down the road, Rondo will enter into the discussion.
Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/08/rajon-rondo-hopes-to-end-career-as-the-greatest-point-guard-in-celtics-history.html
Not even in the discussion. Never mind these idjits. Rondo's name is all over that discussion, and I suspect Cousy would be the first to say that.
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On a more positive note, Rondo's shooting follow through is looking very nice, as is his vertical leap (in this video he nearly jumps out of the frame when he gets serious about it...).
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10 Comments
Franklin says...
Russell will always be the best, but of course Rondo will become the best point guard in team history.
Well, I don't know though if Russell will always be the best. Admittedly, it's a long hill to climb to reach his status, but if anyone can do it, Rondo can. But he'll have to pass some other players first...
Greg says...
Rondo will never become the best Celtic ever. Russell, and Bird will always hold that. Rondo would have to win 3 championships or so. Right now the focus is on one.
How can you even make a statement like that, for goodness sake? I get it you are saying that Russell and Bird accomplished a heckuva lot, while Rondo hasn't even carved out a place in the Celtics all time top ten yet, so what are the chances? He only has one championship, and he was probably the fourth best player on that team.
But if he leads the team to several more championships, and plays over the next five years the way we think he can play, how does he not enter the all time greatest Celtics discussion? Certainly he can't be ruled out when his career is still in its early stages.
Morena says...
I don't know Celtics' history so I can't say anything about rondo's chances about becoming the best point guard ever for our team, but as you said, Paul, one have to love the attitude and the confidence!!
Morena, the other top candidates for that honor would be Bob Cousy, JoJo White, Tiny Archibald and Dennis Johnson. What I love is that Rondo reminds one of each of those players, in a way. He plays with the man-in-charge confidence of Cousy, and the eye-popping flash. He has White's talent for controlling the pace of the game. He has Tiny Archibald's energy and ability to break down defenses by attacking the basket. He has Dennis Johnson's all around game. To me, DJ and Isiah Thomas may have been the all time greats at point guard in terms of being players who had a nose for doing whatever the team needed, players whose impact truly cannot be measured statistically.
What I hope to see more of this season is Rondo's own thoughts about the game unfolding on the court. His ideas. His vision. It's like in all the other seasons of his career, he was working on someone else's canvas. This year, it's his canvas, if Doc is smart, and it sounds like this is how Doc sees it too. This year we will truly begin to see the Game According to Rondo.
Then let's talk about the likelihood of Rondo's alltime high standing in Celtics lore. If I'm right, and Rondo leads us to a championship, while winning DPOY and MVP awards, is anyone going to deny that he starts to look like Russell-Bird level material? I mean, I already see that potential in him, but if it unfolds on the court more and more, must we still cling to the notion that the Mount Rushmore of Basketball may not be graffitied?
Morena, how did you get interested in Rondo?
paul says...
Morena, how did you get interested in Rondo?
Thanks for all the details!! I really need to start studying some history!!
I got interested in Rondo because I started watching NBA basketball not a long time ago, and after my holiday in Boston a couple of years ago (falling in love with the town) I looked for some video about Celtics games. As soon as I saw him playing I was literally amazed, as I said yesterday, it's like being struck by a lightening.
Even if I knew just a few things about basketball, I could tell that he was different; he didn't play the game like the others around him. So I began to look for old and new games studying this magnetic player!! I think you can't watch him and not being amazed by the way he plays.
Morena says...
Thanks for all the details!! I really need to start studying some history!!
I got interested in Rondo because I started watching NBA basketball not a long time ago, and after my holiday in Boston a couple of years ago (falling in love with the town) I looked for some video about Celtics games. As soon as I saw him playing I was literally amazed, as I said yesterday, it's like being struck by a lightening.
Even if I knew just a few things about basketball, I could tell that he was different; he didn't play the game like the others around him. So I began to look for old and new games studying this magnetic player!! I think you can't watch him and not being amazed by the way he plays.
To me it's like watching Bobby Orr, someone I mention a lot in connection with Rondo, or Doug Flutie. There are just some guys who have some lightning in them. They have a creative genius. The sad thing is that the old time fans often just hate that. They hate it. They just want to see guys push each other around. Creativity fills them with envy, because many have given up their own creative potential to fit in somewhere.
paul says...
To me it's like watching Bobby Orr, someone I mention a lot in connection with Rondo, or Doug Flutie. There are just some guys who have some lightning in them. They have a creative genius. The sad thing is that the old time fans often just hate that. They hate it. They just want to see guys push each other around. Creativity fills them with envy, because many have given up their own creative potential to fit in somewhere.
I can understand that this genius can create jealousy, but some things are too wonderful to waste bad feelings on them. Sometimes, when I think about it, I feel blessed that I've had the opportunity to see someone like Rondo express his genius. Artists like him comes once in a while. Every night, before the game, one has to wonder what he'll show us this time!!
Morena says...
I can understand that this genius can create jealousy, but some things are too wonderful to waste bad feelings on them. Sometimes, when I think about it, I feel blessed that I've had the opportunity to see someone like Rondo express his genius. Artists like him comes once in a while. Every night, before the game, one has to wonder what he'll show us this time!!
Isn't that fun?! And it's incredibly inspiring too. I struggle to put into words what it is I see in Rondo. A lot of folks seem to say that it's just 'flash'. I don't think so. I don't think that's true at all. But I think folks who say that just don't understand the way creativity works. I think the very word raises hackles in some people. An article has already come out in Bleacher Report claiming that Rondo is overrated. Obviously, Rondo's comment today opened the floodgates that had been shut up by his play in the playoffs and the oceans of praise from people like Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd. I knew it would. A lot of folks have been chomping at the bit.
Well I can't wait for the new season to start. People are going to see something that is going to amaze them.
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