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.
"Let me saying something," said Garnett. "I'm not speaking for [Rondo],
but on this team we have a lot of strong personalities. At the end of
day, we're all seeking, especially when you lose, man, I remember we
lost to Portland, we lost three straight, I could just sense that
everybody, within themselves, was trying to do more than they should,
or reverting back to being leaders on this team versus the way we have
been doing it. When I read the comments, I talked to him personally
because, we have a lot of personal conversations. That's what it was.
We're not a team here to point fingers, we keep everybody accountable,
everybody knows what this is in the locker room. If we have anything
that needs to be said, it will be said in closed confinement of the
locker room and among each other as men. I want everyone to respect
that, alright? Next question."
Rondo simply smiled and added, "Word."
ESPN Boston: Postgame Notes: Chemistry Questions
Rajon Rondo got a little lesson yesterday in how to diffuse a situation… courtesy of Mr. Kevin Garnett. Rondo was asked the question, but KG stepped in and calmly, yet sternly delivered that answer to the crowd of reporters.
Boom. Done. No follow up in my allotted time? See ya boys.
And listening to it live, I could swear he said something like "c'mon Jonny" to Rondo. And you could see the little smirk on Rondo's face… almost as if he watched his big brother come in and set some bullies straight.
Not that Rondo needed to be protected there. But he needed to be taught. You said what you said… it caused a firestorm… and now here's how you quell it.
Personally… I took yesterday's comments as a sign of leadership. It was a "wake your asses up" moment. And because the Celtics won last night I'm going to pull the specious logic lazy writers often rely on and say…. "hey, it must have worked… look at the results!" I hope it worked and what we saw early on was the result of the comments. That would be a nice period to the end of that sentence. "Rajon Rondo is a leader who publicly chided his team and managed to coax a good performance out of them."
The only thing we do know is Rondo followed up his public comments with a public display of awesome with a side order of "this is how you do it." And that's enough for me to call this the next incremental step in his development as a team leader. You go out on the day your words are published and you back them up.
Good for Rajon.
Coming up, Page 2, where Ainge sat Ray down for a little talk
“Danny just told me, ‘Look, I know you guys have been dealing with
this over the past couple of weeks,’ ” Allen said following last
nig ht’s 107-102 win against the Miami Heat at the Garden. “He was like,
‘I haven’t made any calls in trying to get you traded. It’s always
speculation coming from other franchises and other newspaper outlets
around the country.’
“So anything could happen. For me, I just keep playing basketball.
It’s not my job to sit here and worry and let it stress me or bog me
down. You know, it was great to sit there and talk to Danny because he
and I have a great relationship.”
Herald: After Ainge talk, Ray Allen's in a good place
Ray has kept a good attitude about this all… but between this and the scare he had with his son's diabetes, I have a hard time thinking this doesn't affect him. It must.
Assuming Ray doesn't get traded, it will be interesting to see how his numbers improve post-trade deadline.
The rest of the links:
Herald: Celtics go fourth, prosper | Doc Rivers fanned the ire with team criticism | Sigh of relief for Pierce | KG: Team not pointing fingers | Globe: KG: It's under control | Getting Warmer | It's a season of change | History teaches us some old lessons | ESPN Boston: House answers the call | Rondo's play speaks volumes | TA steals the spotlight | CSNNE: Ray Allen not likely to be traded | MWDN: C's take care of business | WEEI: Ray to Rondo: "This could be your last shot" | Ray Allen: "Anything can happen" | Daniels wants to resign with C's | Doc: At least Rondo's been listening
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