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.
But for the second straight year, and probably more this time, Rondo likes the message. Stevens’ mantra is positive and detail-heavy, and Rondo considers it infectious.
“He’s very positive — the most positive coach I’ve been around in my career, and it’s hard not to play for a guy like that,” Rondo said this week. “That’s every day — not just in the locker room. He’s that way off the court, with his family. He’s a role model. He has all of the characteristics of a great leader. He’s great at what he does. He’s all about the team.”
Any player worth his contract naturally believes that with the right amount of work and chemistry, any team he’s on is playoff-worthy. When Rondo looks at all of the C’s’ incongruous parts, and factors in the Stevens effect, he believes the postseason is a realistic goal for this team.
“I believe in Danny (Ainge) and I said it a month ago. I’ve been through it. One year we were the worst team in the league and the next we were the best,” he said of the wild swing between his rookie season and the 2008 Celtics championship team. “Anything can happen. Injuries are a big factor in your success. The trade deadline is a big factor. That’s what makes the NBA exciting.
Rajon Rondo is jiving with Brad Stevens. Suck on that, Jeff Goodman.
Now for Rondo’s assertion this year’s Celtics squad can make the playoffs, I’ll politely disagree. I understand why a competitive, elite athlete like Rondo believes this team can make the playoffs, but I still maintain that it’s highly unlikely.
Here’s another noteworthy blurb from Mark Murphy’s article about Rondo’s take on Stevens’ new analytics:
The only thing I don’t like about those is that they don’t measure your heart,” he said, using a former teammate as an example. “They told me that Big Baby (Glen Davis) shot only 33 percent from the elbow, but I want Big Baby on my team in the playoffs and in crunch time, when I’m in the fight. You can’t tell me Big Baby is all about the shot he’s taking. He’ll take the charge. It’s also about the intangibles.
“Everything depends on how you look at it, who a person is on the court with all of those things. But you can’t measure heart.”
Do you know which Boston athlete gets next to no credit for his heart? Rondo. You’d think he’d get a pass for life for playing against the Heat with a dislocated elbow, but the haters refuse to give an inch.
On Page 2, Sully is white hot from 3-point range this preseason.
Hours and hours spent honing his perimeter game have paid off in the preseason as Sullinger ranks among the league’s best, connecting on 52.4 percent (11-for-21) of his 3s.
Sullinger’s 3-point shooting percentage ranks fourth among players with at least 20 3s taken.
And while the Celtics are expected to pick up the fourth-year option on Sullinger’s contract, he’s doing his part to make it even more of a no-brainer.
Sullinger says his motivation to step his game up is simply about wanting to be a major contributor to the team winning more games.
“It’s always been about winning; doing whatever I can to make that happen,” Sullinger said.
Wow… those numbers are flat-out ridiculous.
I remain steadfast against Sullinger as a 3-point shooter. I’ve said it a million times on this blog, Sullinger only needs to mimic Kevin Garnett’s range to be a more effective player. KG is/was a lethal 17-19 foot shooter who never stretched his range.
But if Sully keep shooting at a 50% clip, I’ll gladly eat crow.
And finally… Sully gets the stink-eye from a Harvard chick.
Sullinger judged a dunk contest last night at Harvard’s midnight madness. We’re curious what he said to get that ice cold glance.
“Did you grow up on a chicken farm? ‘Cause you sure know how to raise a c…”
Captions welcome…
The rest of the links:
CSNNE – Celtics roster a work in progress | ESPN Boston – Roster reset: countdown to regular season | Sheridan Hoops – 5 things to watch: Boston Celtics
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