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Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Saturday night was the first time Rondo discussed the deal that sent his best friend to Oklahoma, and there wasn’t much of an indication that he was ready to move forward.
“We got the win, and that’s all that matters, try to get these two games,’’ he told the Globe [the Celtics play Utah tonight]. “We’ll find a way to get the win, without much practice time.’’
When asked about the trade, Rondo said, “Nothing else really much to say about that situation.’’
When asked if he had talked to Perkins, Rondo said, “Yeah, I talked to him. He’s maintaining.’’
Rondo is the commander of the Celtics’ offense. It’s up to him to figure where Green and Krstic like to receive the ball, and as Krstic learned Saturday night, it’s best for them to always have their hands ready for Rondo passes. Twice he hit Krstic with pinpoint deliveries and twice Krstic flubbed them.
For the Celtics to win the NBA title, Rondo has to be completely focused, and this trade affects that ability. Although they often argued playfully in front of the media, they were extremely close.
I've read criticism of players for being emotional about this trade, but that's extremely unfair. Like Chuck wrote a couple of days ago, these guys are not robots. No matter how much money they make or how lucky they are to get paid to play a sport for a living… these are human beings who have developed very tight bonds with one another.
Rajon and Perk are as tight as anyone on that team. And as Gary Washburn notes in that piece, Rondo is a stubborn motherf….. as stubborn as it gets. If he lets this bug him, then it will be an issue.
That said, he does know that players come and players go. And he knows that he's got to move on. But Rondo, more than any other player, might be the one to let that linger. Especially if picks aren't set right… if someone's not in the right spot and clogs up the play… or if a new guy isn't ready for a pass because he had no clue Rondo was gonna try to even throw that kind of pass. Anything that makes Rondo, or anyone else for that matter, think "Perk woulda had that" is not a good thing.
It's a bit like a breakup. The fewer reminders you have of the ex around, the easier it is to move on. The more that ex comes up, the more distracted you're gonna be.
One really good thing? Rondo's also pretty tight with Ray Allen… which bring us to…
On Page 2: Ray snaps us right back into perspective
“You have to sympathize with a guy who gets traded,” he said. “But the one thing people never look at is that, as much as there’s somebody going, there’s somebody coming. It’s a two-way street. And I’ve always said it’s not like you’re going to jail. You know, like, ‘Oh, woe is me. It’s the worst thing possible.’ You still play basketball. So you’ve got to take what you know going into a new situation and try to become a better player.
“Now you have to welcome the new guys that are here and get them on the same page so we can try to work this thing without missing a beat.”
Herald: The deal with the Celtics: They've moved on
Thankfully Ray's got Rondo's ear. Rondo looks up to Ray so much that he's mimicked a lot of his pregame preparation. So Rondo will have to take another lesson from Ray and accept the business side of things.
Yeah, I know, it kinda feels like we're harping on the Perkins trade. But there are still going to be aftershocks. I think now, though, these guys will start to put it past them, and we can too.
The rest of the links:
Globe: Newcomers adjust on the fly | News OK: Nate Robinson excited to eat at Sonic | ESPN Boston: Piercing performance at the line | Chemistry lessons for newcomers | WEEI: Examining the buyout options | CSNNE: The nature of the beast | (Felger) Its not easy being Green | Murphy receives buyout, appears headed to the Celts | Trade bolsters chances of C's getting out of East | MWDN: Celtics going to chemistry class
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