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.
And while that last Boston championship team contained some of the best veterans in the game – among them Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett – Rondo has emerged as the franchise’s on-court leader, a natural role for a player who readily admits his initial dreams of sporting glory centred around playing quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.
“I didn’t watch a lot of NBA games growing up,” he says. “I watched the Green Bay Packers. I always had dreams of being an NFL player. I was a high school quarterback and I really think that has helped me become a leader on the basketball court. They are pretty much the same position.
“The quarterback is the guy who calls all the plays and gets all the attention and the same with the point guard in basketball. You have to hit the open man.”
It amazes me that Rajon Rondo didn’t watch a lot of NBA games growing up. Watching games, reading box scores and debating hoops made up 75% of my childhood. Hell, it still accounts for most of my free time.
If you watch HBO’s Hard Knocks, you saw Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill fail mightily when quizzed on which teams make up the NFL’s divisions. Just because these guys can play a certain sport at an elite level, it doesn’t equate to them being a superfan.
Rajon also commented on the areas the Celtics needed to improve on:
“We’ve not been up to par in terms of winning the championship but we’ve been in every round in every fight,” says Rondo. “There are a few things we have to do – obviously stopping LeBron. But that’s easier said than done. We’ve got to do a better job of team rebounding, keeping guys out of the paint. That’s not just when playing Miami but overall. We got to get better rebounding and defensively.”
Rebounding? Did he say… rebounding? (Use Jim Mora voice).
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston: Over/under: Kris Joseph
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