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.
“I think a lot,” he said earlier this week when asked how much the team has to get acclimated to him. “Jordan (Crawford) and I play two different styles. With time it will help, but we don’t have any time, so we have to continue to get better each game.”
There probably couldn’t be a bigger contrast, from Crawford’s shoot-first playmaking style to Rondo’s purer instincts.
And before Rondo can truly address the multiple issues haunting this 15-33 team, he still has to get himself right.
“The biggest thing for him right now is getting over his injury,” said Wallace. “Once he gets back to 100 percent himself, that will make the game a lot easier for everyone.
“I don’t know that situation. I’ve never had an injury like that, so you don’t know what a guy’s state of mind is in coming back from it,” he said. “One thing with him is the competitiveness, knowing how he wants to compete and play. As a player you can understand that — wanting to go out and give your all, but not being at the level you’re used to playing at.”
Herald: Rondo, Celtics need more time
Rajon Rondo isn’t playing well. He’s shooting 28%, he’s turning the ball over, and he looks slow and lost sometimes.
This should not be unexpected.
After a year off to recover from ACL surgery, Rajon Rondo returned to, basically, an entirely new team. I’d say there’s no need to re-hash this stuff because it’s been said a million times, yet there is a segment of the population out there that treats Rondo (and most players for that matter) like he’s a collection of pixels on NBA 2K rather than a real human being.
You can turn on your XBox after a year and your players will be right there, ready to go. Take Rondo out of the mix with a catastrophic knee injury and then throw him back in mid-season on a very bad team, and it’s a bit different.
Here’s where my frustration lies:
The station that covers the Celtics, CSSNE, has the following on their site: A question asking for your Facebook & Twitter responses to the question “What’s the reason for Rondo’s subpar play?” and Gary Tanguay embarrassing himself by suggesting Rondo isn’t trying because he’s purposely tanking games (I’m not giving you that link. You can follow the last one and find it if you care, but I’m NOT giving them any referral traffic to that stupid video).
Meanwhile, our friends over at Celtics Blog, have looked closely at his performance, analyzed the numbers, and came up with…
With Rondo on the court, Boston’s assist rate jumps nearly 12 percentage points, from 53.9% when he is on the bench to 65.7% when he plays. On a per-36 minute basis, Rondo is averaging 8.4 assists, best on the team.
Additionally, data from SportVu, NBA.com’s new player tracking system, shows that Rondo is clearly the best passer on the Celtics, even though he has played just six games this season. According to NBA.com/stats, Rondo already leads the team in passes per game despite averaging just 24.6 minutes a night since his return.
The eight-year veteran is also tops on the Celtics in potential assists (passes by a player to a teammate in which the teammate attempts a shot, and if made, would result in an assist) with 12.7 per game. In years past, armed with more talented shot-makers around him, many of these passes would result in an assist on the stat sheet, something that only further demonstrates Rondo’s continued passing prowess.
So the “home” of the Celtics has spent the morning suggesting Rondo is intentionally losing games while a blog with no vested financial stake in the team suggests that buried under that “subpar” play is the actual Rondo, and that it will take time for him to return to his former self.
This world of screaming the loudest, most ridiculous stuff to get attention is simply infuriating. Tanguay’s not a bad guy, he’s just doing what he thinks he’s supposed to do: be controversial and throw out half-cocked “theories” that make zero sense.
Rondo didn’t “hand” Kevin Garnett the ball, Garnett made a good play because he (a) know’s Rondo’s going to pass in that situation and (b) the Celtics aren’t cohesive enough yet to execute at that frenetic “down 3 with :25 left” speed.
It’s going to take time and patience.
I have it for Rondo. I don’t for the media bullshit.
Related links: Globe: Having Rajon Rondo was never going to be enough
The rest of the links:
CSNNE: C’s expect Bradley back on Sunday | Celtics loss finishes worst month in team history ESPN Boston: Mailbag: tough spot for Celtics fans
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