Rondo Not Intimidated by Heat
by Greg Payne on Jul 25, 2010 10:33 AM EDT
in Boston Celtics News & Links
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A week ago, speaking at Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning's charity basketball game, Rajon Rondo had this to say regarding the Eastern Conference this upcoming season:
"As far as the East," Rondo said, "we're the champs."
Speaking recently with Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports at a Team USA practice, Rondo expanded on that line.
"They should be good, but they ain't done nothing yet," Rondo said after a recent practice during Team USA's minicamp. "They ain't done nothing."
"What is there to be nervous for?" he said. "I'm worried about L.A. That's the team we need to beat. Miami looks really good on paper, and I'm sure they're going to be really good. But they still have to come together as a team. I'm not saying they won't, but who knows if those guys can jell?
"Our biggest opponent each night is ourselves - that's how I look at it. Not to be cocky or anything, but that's how we honestly feel. We are the defending [Eastern] champs. Once the first game of the regular season starts, that's irrelevant. But we are going to go into training camp looking to get back to the Finals and win it."
You have to appreciate Rondo's confidence. Personally, I don't think Rondo would make comments like these just for the sake of making them. I think Rondo and his teammates firmly do believe they're still capable of winning a championship, no matter how "old" they might be.
Team USA Talk
Rondo has yet to make the final 12-man Team USA roster, but he's already alluded to one of the major differences between the international game and the NBA that suits his natural tendencies.
Rondo taking gamble with Team USA - ESPN
"I think there's more gambling in the international game. You gamble and rotate, try to force the tempo with the opponents, speed it up and try to make them turn the ball over," Rondo said Wednesday. "Everyone can play defense, but I try to bring a different type of level of intensity when I pick up the ball at the guard spot. They want me to.
"I don't do it in the NBA because there's 82 games and I'm playing 39-42 minutes, but I won't play so many minutes here, so when I'm tired I can come out."
"You can't hand check in the NBA. Never. You can't touch at all," Rondo said. "But I like the international game, I think it fits my style better -- a lot faster pace, the rules are different, you can be more physical up top with the guards. Plus, they haven't seen my game, so I'll use my quickness to my advantage.'
Sheridan pointed out in his article something that was reiterated on the live broadcast of the team's White vs. Blue scrimmage last night: This specific team might very well be more likely to include players who are capable of playing more than one position, which could put Rondo at a disadvantage. Rondo has a fair amount of competition at the point guard spot, as veteran Chauncey Billups, and youngsters Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans are all vying for a place on the roster.
I think Rondo might be Team USA's best bet defensively at the point guard spot, and he just might have a leg up on his competition if head coach Mike Krzyzewski is as committed to a defensive-minded, uptempo team as reports indicate.
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I'm a little torn
Part of me would love to see Rondo make the US squad because I think he really deserves it and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
On the other hand, I think it would be better for the C’s if he just spent the summer working on his FT’s and jump shooting. I doubt he will have time to do so while playing for the US team.
by KG's Knee on Jul 25, 2010 10:44 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I had to take out the other guy's comments
I agree…I think it’s cool when one of your team’s players makes the roster, but on the other hand, I share your concerns over the lack of time he’ll have to practice his free throw and jump shooting.
I disagree
I think that if Rondo were to make the US squad, he would work more on his FT and jump shooting than if he were not to make the team.
NBA players have real lives just like you and me, and I’m not saying that Rondo isn’t determined to improve, but I doubt that he would work more on his shooting on during his own time rather than being forced to attend daily practices with the team. I think that either way, making the US team is a plus for Rondo. Maybe spending some more time around Chauncy (veteran PG) will help Rondo’s game.
agree with you both that it's better for Rondo not to play now
though it’s true that he can practice his FTs and jumpshots more when he is playing for a certain team, the thing that worries me is if he gets injured. of course the probability of him being injured more is when he plays for a team than just by practicing alone.
Irony can be pretty Ironic
I love Rondo’s confidence but aren’t these the same things everyone was saying about the Celtics in 2008?? It would take them time to gel and you can’t just throw a team together, etc, etc, etc.
p.s. I rather Rondo didn’t make the team. he needs to rest and get ready for the C’s season. Plus just ask David Lee’s fingure about the other risks of playing.
In 2008
Nobody on the Celtics team ever pronounced themselves a king. None of those players ever said they’re the team (in any team). None of them were even close to being the people who play by themselves. You had guys who needed guides (bench) and guys who were ready to take the heat of the first team players along with the other 4 guys.
In Miami you got 3-4 players who each think they’re the best NBA has ever seen. See how great LeBron/Bosh will be when Wade refuses to hand the ball to them but tries finishing himself and gets his ass kicked by the C’s.
Irresponsible I stand...
+1
Big difference when it comes to C’s in 08 and the Heat in ‘10… Everyone ws humble about it. Just made a simple conference on tv showing the big three together for the first time. And that’s it. No big “The decision” espn special. And no comments from the team saying that, (practice will be hard, but on the court with opponents will be easy). Or arrogant comments from Wade about how great the team is.
Comments like that rub off on the other players in the league & cause them, like Rondo to say, “they haven’t done anything yet”… Because its true..
The only people that were already crowning the C’s champs before the season started were the reporters and the journalists. I remember correctly that the Big Three would ignore & get frustrated at people already crowning them… I don’t see anyone on Miami Thrice ignoring those claims, but adding to it by saying they’ll win 7 rings…
I can because I will.. Makes sense?
My favorite quote from LeQuit
(because it unintentionally predicted ZERO championships):
“Not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7”
by nba is the worst on Jul 25, 2010 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions
LeCon has a way with words!
A global marketing icon speaks the truth for once.
"People don't understand, if you can't live the rest of your life off one year in the NBA, you can't live off 21." -- Keon Clark
I wonder who would lift the trophy
Can you see LeBron standing next to someone else lifting it? (I can’t imagine Wade picking it up again anyway, but still…)
Irresponsible I stand...
took the words right out of my mouth
what is becoming obvious, is Miami is not settling with their roster and more alarming, the market is playing ball. they have a team and it is really really good.
by lakersbluedevil on Jul 25, 2010 11:10 AM EDT reply actions
The Lakers are still the team to beat.
The Celtics came close – but the Lakers are still the champs.
by eastie Rich on Jul 25, 2010 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions
it will be good team and Miami "DOGS IN" Heat may win it all......but........
our big three handled themselves with so much more class. They held simple press conferences as opposed to World Wrestling Federation type events and hour long self-stroking announcements of leaving their team.
Lebron was and is an embarrassment to the entire NBA and every great player that has come before him.
Ray Allen and KG handled themselves like NBA professionals and not like a bigger than life super-heros flexing their hyper-inflated ego on a stage they built to stroke themselves….
Ray Allen is everything LeBron should be but will never be.
Dwayne Wade showed his true colors when he ditched his former wife and his adopted family who raised him. Once he became a star he forgot his roots…….and Bosh and Chris Paul seem to be happy being LeBron’s puppets on a string…..nothing like being your own man (hehehe)……
And Lakerbluedevil……your old coach Pat Riley is a brilliant basketball mind, a hard-nosed coach, etc. etc…. but he will always be tainted with the scum of the Fakers……you just can’t wash that stuff off…no matter where go….
Yeah …they might win it all…….but is will come without class and the dignity of the NBA’s rich history…..it will be a farce.
Lakers beat legitimately this past season …I hate them (Fakers) but they beat us…..they are the champs…..but LeBron will never be a champ …only a chump
Is it Soup Yet?
miami aint winnin' it all man -
- not in year one, there’s too much to lose league wide
- stern + co need to save face after the debacle that was ‘the decision’
- i do not think david is pleased with the negative press
- miami has become the evil empire of basketball
- and i think that the refs will call them tough to make up some lost ground
- they’ll win 58-63 games, but when the playoffs come
- injuries and calls will turn the tide in favor of the rest of the league
- mark my words
.
Don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk
EXCELLENT point !
Since Wade got his title as part of Stern and the refs’ anti- Marc Cuban agenda (as well as 4th in fta’s last yr), and LeQuit has consistently been given lots of fts (3rd in fta’s last yr), it will be interesting indeed if that changes for the worse now that they are on the Heat…
by nba is the worst on Jul 25, 2010 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions
i was just saying
they will be good. to deny them that is naive. and there is a lot of effort here to differentiate between what Boston did with the Big Three and what Miami did. Yes, Miami and particularly Lebron created a lot of unnecessary hubub (which i deplore) but if you push all that aside, there is NOT much difference. BOTH were teams made overnight. period. and the whole Boston “humble” thing? really? Gosh, call me crazy, but I distinctly remember PP calling himself the best player in the world. not an analyst, not a coach, not a team mate but HIMSELF. The same guy who went on to say “we aren’t coming back to LA” blah blah blah. I dislike LeBron. But between KG, PP and Rasheed…last year’s celts were also a bunch of motor mouths.
by lakersbluedevil on Jul 25, 2010 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions
The difference
is that PP called himself “the best player in the world” AFTER we won the championship in 08. Did he say any of those things in public or broadcast his feelings like that months before the season?? NO.
Though I don’t agree with PP, he had a right, or was on that championship high and felt compelled to say it. Miami hasn’t won anything yet to proclaim to the world that they are the best.
I can because I will.. Makes sense?
agree with you lakersbluedevil
i’m a celtics fan but i agree with all you said.
Disagreed
Celtics 08 was formed overnight but Heat10 was definitely not. For Miami, those three have been thinking/talking about playing together once they became free agents. In Celtics’ case, KG didn’t even want to come to Boston before we got Ray, and Boston was unlikely to be in the list of teams Ray wanted to be in.
if you can’t beat them, you join them. I guess Wade, Bosh and James just realized they can’t beat each other so they joined forces.
by getthat18now on Jul 26, 2010 3:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Fine, our boy Rondo does not lack confidence...
Now, go learn to shoot FT`s and develop a mid-range jumper…so we can rid our lack of confidence everytime you are forced to shoot beyond 10 feet from the hole!
They play basketball all summer anyway.
Working on your game with the best players in the world can only help. I’m sure he’ll have plenty of time to work on improving all his skills.
As for his free-throw shooting, it’s really pretty difficult to improve your FT% at this level. It’s not really a matter of extra hours in the gym (and from what we’ve heard, Rondo spends plenty of those).
On the other hand, my prediction is that he complains about his playing time within the first few games if he makes the squad, and I actually think there’s a good chance he doesn’t make the team.
Well, after 26% in the Finals...
He’d better!
Seriously, it’s about getting the mechanics correct and sufficient practice so the mind doesn’t get involved with pressure.
by nba is the worst on Jul 25, 2010 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions
If Rondo was playing H-O-R-S-E
with someone whose schtick was to shoot underhanded, from the FT line, every time, I promise you that Rondo would, without any practice, shoot 80% or better. Regardless of extrinsic circumstances.
It is all in his head.
"People don't understand, if you can't live the rest of your life off one year in the NBA, you can't live off 21." -- Keon Clark
also
(Rajon) Rondo. I was really looking forward to play with him. Of course, with me being a wing, having a dynamic point guard like him gets me excited. I’m looking forward to that.
"He’s a champion and really an ultimate competitor. I love him. He’s just a guy who wants to win and he’ll do anything you want him to do to win."
Maybe he does make the team. If he does, here’s my prediction for the squad:
Guards: Billups, Rose, Westbrook, Curry, Rondo Wings: Durant, Iguodala, Gay. Bigs: Wallace, Love, Odom, Chandler, McGee
Best PG in the league when...
Once his jumper is developed he will be the best. Fearless and great confidence. Going to be an all-time great Celtic someday. Do not ever trade him!!! Go Cs…
Well, he'll be right
once the refs redefine the definition of foul. Rondo was scared to play last 2 games against Orlando and last game against Cleveland because of the uncalled fouls.
Irresponsible I stand...
Good, because he shouldn't be.
Chris Andersen could be in a porno with his 'stache. Too bad he still wouldn't know how to box out.
Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.
Quitter's Proud United Member #11
You go, Rondo
Really, it’s much ado about nothing. He’s saying, conference-wise, to be The Man you have to beat The man. I do think the Heat will be formidable next season and I might even pick them over us — mainly because of Perk’s knee. We’ll see.
I think the Lakers adding Matt Barnes and Theo Ratliff makes them REALLY formidable next season.
Rondo is the man
he’s not gonna be intimidated by anyone in this league
by Boston_Brahmin-44 on Jul 25, 2010 8:00 PM EDT reply actions
Glad he's ours
There is nothing disrespectful about his statements. Just old fashioned “No backing down, put up or shut up” sport. More power to him.
Get better, young man. We know you will. You made lots of progress on your J last year but you have a ways to go on FT shooting. You are a proud kid and we are proud fans and we all know that Hack-a-Rondo was embarassing.
I don't get the hub bub about his comments...
except it’s July and those us of who love hoops don’t take summers off from talking about it. Rondo hit the nail on the head—what should he do, cry and demand to be traded to a team with more stars? Another big difference between the Celtics of 08 and the Heat of 10 are the player dynamics. Pierce is a slashing SF who can also shoot and pass. Ray Allen has always been more comfortable playing off others and using screens to hit outside jumpers. KG has the inside out game and is a defensive cog. When the big three came together their next two best players fit in perfectly as well (Rondo as a driving pg and Perkins as a tough inside defender), and they found the right bench players to add.
The Heat are not the same at all. Wade and Bron play different positions but are basically the same player. They both need the ball all the time and neither have had to play on the weak side and hit open spot up jumpers. Bosh is the opposite of KG, more concerned about scoring than guarding the bucket. Ilgauskas is tall but old and slow and adds nothing defensively that Perkins does. The Chalmers/Arroyo combo didnt work on a mediocre team I don’t see how it works on a championship team. And their “next best” player, Miller, plays the exact same position as their two best players.
Rondo is saying what the so-called “experts” should be as well, they may have a scary trio, but rings aren’t won on paper.
Laker Fan
I agree. Now let me go throw up somewhere.
p.s. don’t tell anyone on silverscreenandroll please lol
by Blackmamba81024 on Jul 26, 2010 2:09 AM EDT up reply actions
GOOD TO HEAR!
We need to hear that kinda confidence, especially from one of our floor leaders. ANd for the record, he speaks the truth.
I actually like Rondo.
I am a Heat fan and will ignore a couple of the posters who were trying to talk about that which they do not know as it relates to D-Wade…this article is about Rondo. I must say, this kid is gutsy and I found myself rooting for him in the playoffs after the Heat were knocked out. I think he is one of the top 3 or 4 PGs in the game and I love watching him play. Not to mention carry his team, in many games.
He should make the roster because he is very good, if not great, at what he does. And he would represent the USA well. As far as his comments, they were fair. I don’t think anything he said was a dig. And I don’t think our big 3 believe they have won anything yet. And if you don’t think these 3 aren’t itching to get on the court to start proving all of you (who say it won’t work) wrong, then you are sorely mistaken.
Easier said than done
Depth and rebounding WILL be problems – who was it that said, “no rebounds, no rings”?
by nba is the worst on Jul 26, 2010 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions
No rebounds, no rings........
I just said it, why?
+1
Apparently Riley agrees with you
by nba is the worst on Jul 27, 2010 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Rondo's smack is even making this Laker fan smile
I love it. The Lakers and Celtics have been the best of the league for the last three years because they are the best at playing tough, physical D & making adjustments as a playoff series progresses. Bosh has no concept of either one. And Lebron hasn’t been exposed to much of the 2nd.
Also Rondo should make Team USA for the simple fact that he is the best point in the open court on the roster. If history proves anything, USA will be doing a lot of fast breaking.
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