Rajon Rondo Likely Out On Friday - Avery Bradley May Start
by Jeff Clark on Jan 19, 2012 10:00 PM EST
in Boston Celtics News & Links
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Sounds like Rondo is day to day with that wrist injury. He probably won't be playing on Friday.
Rondo (wrist) doubtful vs. Phoenix
"It's still sore; I took like 10 Advil, so I’m OK," said Rondo. "I don’t know [about Friday's game]. Hopefully I get a good night’s rest. I’ll be in treatment pretty much all day today. Other than that. We’ll see tomorrow."
Rondo elected to push his MRI to later in the day so that he could attend the Boston's hourlong practice session at the Celtics Training Center and mentor young guards Avery Bradley and E'Twaun Moore. It's likely that Bradley, who ran with the first team Thursday, could draw the spot start, especially with reserve guard Keyon Dooling still out of action with a knee injury.
Recently Doc made note of the fact that Dooling is really more of a shooting guard anyway. Headed into the season we heard that Avery Bradley was really a better fit at the 2 as well. As far as I know E'Twaun Moore has always played the off guard position. I don't know how we always end up in this position, but once again it seems like we don't really have a solid backup point guard on the roster. With the way Rondo tosses his body around, you'd think we'd have thought that one through. Oh well.
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5-9 here we come
So Danny tells everyone last night that Rondo us fine. Now he is having an MRI and likely out tomorrow night. Wonder how many weeks this day-to-day injury will last. When is Dooling coming back? He also is day-to-day. I am actually throwing up in my mouth thinking about Bradley starting and running the offense.
No thank you, please.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Did you think he was going to be able to play?
I’ve been getting my mind around Bradley or Moore starting for this game ever since Rondo landed in that fall. Even if Rondo didn’t do any serious damage (i.e., he’s ‘fine’), you can’t take a fall like that and just jump right back into an NBA game.
And I think Bradley’s going to be fine. He won’t be Rondo, but he’ll be OK.
The thing he’ll have going for him in this match up is that while Nash is a fantastic offensive PG, he’s not a great defender. So it will be like opposites matched up. Bradley’s defense may help slow Nash down and hopefully he’ll have some room to get his own offensive game going.
Chances are good that on offense we’ll have Pierce running the plays anyway.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Glad you are confident that Bradley will be okay. I certainly am not
As for Rondo playing, I am sick of the Celtics and their constant BS’ing to the public about injuries.
As far as running the offense, I sure hope it is Pierce or someone else, because if it is Bradley this will be really ugly.
"sick of the Celtics and their constant BS’ing to the public about injuries."
I don’t really understand what your expectations are.
They have always said pretty much what I’ve expected them to say about injuries. I don’t expect them to be 100% correct (health knowledge is rarely ever certain) and I don’t expect them to be 100% forthcoming (health knowledge is technically private).
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
I just realized something kind of funny
Remember when Bradley was drafted and we all thought that he could be the new Tony Allen… except that we only meant he would be a defensive stopper and not a crazy bananarama who could twist his knee trying to block a tip-off or putback-dunk a half court shot after the buzzer.
Watching Bradley on Wednesday, I realized that he already is the new Clownshoes. It’s a done deal. He’s defensively brilliant, freakishly quick, and every bit as boneheaded with the ball. Capable of scoring 20 a night and air-balling an uncontested layup.
Long live clown shoes!!!
by sofutomygaha on Jan 20, 2012 5:27 PM EST up reply actions
I think it's fair to say
This organization has lost its credibility when it comes to injuries.
by Celticsdude on Jan 19, 2012 10:28 PM EST up reply actions
10 Advils? Looks like 1-2. Weeks.
Was it the same elbow as inthe playoffs? There’s nothing worse than reinjuring an old injury. That thing really hurts. I think Rondo might be out 1-2 weeks.
Waive sasha
And go sign a free agent pg to the minimum
by JuJuan some moore on Jan 19, 2012 10:28 PM EST reply actions
play Sasha a lot? do you like loosing games.
by forever_green on Jan 20, 2012 12:08 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Give The Kid A Chance
I like Bradley. In fact I believe he is the best Defensive Guard we’ve had since Don Chaney(sorry Tony Allen).
I think Bradley can be a solid pro(and so does Danny).
His defense is legit
Bradley running the offense as starting point guard OTOH sounds terrifying. He is definitely an undersized 2 guard not a point guard (I don’t even think he qualifies as a combo guard because he is not comfortable distributing or handling the ball for longer than a couple dribbles).
He actually has looked a lot better on offense in his recent stretches,
including his long stretch in the second half in this last game.
Phoenix is not a great defensive team – in particular as great as Nash is on offense, he’s not a great defender. So if we have to throw Bradley out there, this is kinda a preferred match up. Bradley’s defense may even be able to help slow Nash’s game down a bit.
Also, Bradley will have the benefit of working with the starters around him and he’ll have had a couple days of practice running with that unit.
I’m sure he’ll make a few bone-head moves, but overall it probably won’t be too bad.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
It be worse
Because Rondo is the only ‘able’ play maker at the moment. This game could get real ugly with no one to call the plays and distribute the ball as efficiently as RR
Both Daniels and Pierce have a lot of experience running point on this offense.
So if AB can’t do it, Doc can have them do that on offense.
It’s not ideal, but we should be ‘okay’. There are options.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
That depends
Are we getting the Pierce/Daniels of the first half of last year? Let’s hope so.
But Nash’s crafty play will put Bradley into quick foul trouble. They’ll need to bring in MP/MD to guard Nash next. Maybe we’ll see a little bit of Moore.
Bradley starting against Steve Nash?
What a brainpower mismatch that is (never mind the obvious talent mismatch). I swear that Bradley is a functional moron. I don’t see much of an NBA future for this bum. If he wasn’t a first round pick with guaranteed money, he wouldn’t have even made the roster.
I think this will be a great game for us
We can evaluate Moore and bradley in a featured role against a HoF pg and we will be able to see who can really ball
by JuJuan some moore on Jan 19, 2012 10:40 PM EST up reply actions
This is outlandish, to say the least.
Bradley’s on-ball defense is actually really good – obviously that will come in handy guarding Nash. Offensively obviously it is a mismatch, but the game won’t be won or lost at the PG position. Overall we are a far better side than Phoenix.
He’s got a lot to learn and if he starts it will be a great experience for him.
"Can't eat sushi in Utah, brother. Landlocked."
by IsItTheShoes on Jan 19, 2012 10:44 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
but the game won’t be won or lost at the PG position.
I beg to differ, we live and die by Nash. if he’s less then Awesome we’re kinda hosed.
I guess I should have clarified haha, for us the game won’t be lost at PG. Nash beating Bradley won’t automatically mean a Suns win.
"Can't eat sushi in Utah, brother. Landlocked."
by IsItTheShoes on Jan 20, 2012 2:21 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
agreed
our team has shown some bright spots but outside of Nash everyone forgot how to shoot. so I see your point for you guy’s to beat us the keys are outside of the PG (without rondo in the game). clearly as with any team, no rondo is a big boost for us, but in particular we won’t have to hide Nash on D with rondo out. Hill is (finally) starting to show his age, if he can contain Pierce I anticipate his offense to suffer. I think if we get killed it will up to KG. currently our best PF is a rook so we can’t be sure what we’ll get from him.
I like the matchup actually
Bradley is a great defender and will be on Nash. Nash, on the other hand, is not a great defender. Bradley won’t be pressured as much with the ball in his hands.
you feel fine talking about someone like that?
Whether or not you like his play, hes just a kid trying to get better at basketball. I dont understand cruel people.
by ianboyextreme on Jan 20, 2012 1:03 AM EST up reply actions
Sadly, the interwebz is full of 'brave folks' who will say anything.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
If Rondo does not play vs. PHX...
I hope everybody else steps up big time! We can’t afford to lose against under .500 teams!
And this is where......
Not resigning Delonte will bite us on the behind.
I'm guessing they really wanted to re-sign DW...
…but the business part of it didn’t really allow the C’s to have him back…
a.k.a. The C’s have not much money to give.
Injury Prone + Baggage
Are we talking about the same Delonte West that missed 58 games last year?
He is injury prone and has way too much baggage.
It won't
Delonte was unpredictable, injury-prone and a bit crazy.
by green solution on Jan 19, 2012 11:35 PM EST up reply actions
Avery Bradley starting? :/
Waive pavlovic and sign.. Allen Iverson? :O
by Pietrus & Cream on Jan 19, 2012 10:55 PM EST via mobile reply actions
There's a legitimate reason for that.
A) he’s crazy. B) he’s a volume shooter. C) he’s crazy.
"Can't eat sushi in Utah, brother. Landlocked."
by IsItTheShoes on Jan 20, 2012 12:56 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
How long ago was that?
I liked Arenas pre-gun incident, but since then he’s become a shell of himself production-wise.
"Can't eat sushi in Utah, brother. Landlocked."
by IsItTheShoes on Jan 20, 2012 2:23 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
4+ years ago???
Arenas hasn’t been good in a long time. Granted, he’s been injured most of that time…but it has been a while. Last time I recall Agent Zero being an impact player was our title run.
by guy incognito on Jan 20, 2012 2:32 AM EST up reply actions
before injury
he was dynamic and exciting. too bad for him he relied completely on his athleticism, when he lost that…well.
So since he was "amnestied"...
…it means he’s still getting paid millions even if he’s not playing. Wow.
DA is so dumb
SIGN IVERSON ALREADY!!! He keeps all these rookie PGs for no reason…
by SparzWizard on Jan 19, 2012 11:19 PM EST up reply actions
What rookie pg?
We have a bunch of combo guards but only rondo actually plays pg
by JuJuan some moore on Jan 19, 2012 11:24 PM EST up reply actions
I would rather play Bradley 40 minutes a game than get Iverson
Why get a washed up volume shooter who has had a bad attitude his whole career?
I probably agree with this
But if it ever came down to Bradley playing 40 minutes a game, my guess is we would be talking about a 15-20 win team for the Celtics.
I think Iverson coming of the bench is a good idea, would add much needed scoring. Bradley is useless, every time he plays he hurts his value, it’s in the negative now.
Have you paid copyright to 112 – Pietrus & cream?
by forever_green on Jan 19, 2012 11:59 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Bradley on defense
Didn’t people often think Bradley can play great D? Now here is his chance to prove it.
Both Nash and Hill are well over 30 closing in 40, but they show more energy and life than our Big 3. So, maybe age and physical condition ain’t the major issues with the C’s.
Big Dudes
I think it’s much harder getting on in years on the really tall guys – who (at least are support to) run the full length of the court.
by green solution on Jan 19, 2012 11:37 PM EST up reply actions
Think outside the box
If Rondo can’t go, use Pierce as a point forward. He certainly knows the offensive scheme, he ended last nights game with more assists than Rondo, he not shooting well right now anyway, and it is not totally unheard of, especially in Boston. Banner 17 went up running the offense through Bird as much as Dennis Johnson. It might sound outrageous at first, but I think it is a better option than Bradley, Moore, or even Dooling if he were healthy.
Players get old, traded, injured, experienced. Teams evolve, and part of being a fan is rooting for you team when they are at their worst, and growing with the team.
I’m always excited to see rookies, bench players, and underdogs come out and show us what they can really do.
Rondo is my favorite player, and it hurts to lose him. Are we playoff bound if we lose him? Of course not.
This day to day BS has me all on edge.
But now is the time to root for who we can put out on the floor, and there’s plenty of people we have all wanted to see play more minutes.
Dooling
so much for "we finally have a true backup point guard "
and now “Doc made note of the fact that Dooling is really more of a shooting guard anyway”
Those are the things I cant stand about Doc
I really thinks like this: “Fans are dumb, and so are the media…I’ll just say any stupid ole contradicting nonsense and let them roll with it.”
the usual
even when healthy he does not get legit rest, how many years without a true back up..how many more.
he cannot perform at a high level for 82, 66 games the way he does not get legit backup, rose has one, westbrook too… all of them really.
so when rondo looks like he is taking games off, it is annoying yes, but understandable in his scenario.
Doc being a former point guard....
Maybe he is more critical of pgs? It might be easier for him to say that they’re really more of a 2 because of his personal idea of what makes a pg. Personally when I think of a SG I think of someone who is able to shoot- or at least be a constant threat to score. Since Avery Bradley has not demonstrated the ability to score, and he’s small, he’s not very much use at the two position. As far as Dooling goes, maybe the fact that he was the only guy who could come in at the 2 and score points made him look more like a sg to Doc? Hopefully Pietrus now being with the team will solve this problem…
Doc was initially a 'combo' 2 who became primarily a 1.
So he should be pretty aware of what’s involved for both roles.
Most teams don’t have the ‘pure’ distinction between the SG & PG that we have on the Celtics because in Ray and Rondo we have two players who exemplify the two roles to the extreme.
A lot of teams run with hybrids at one or both positions.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
I look forward to seeing AB guard Nash.....and some more Moore.....it might be OK
but if RR goes down for a long time…..it will not be pretty
Is it Soup Yet?
I agree with you on all points here.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
I can't bear to watch...
I got fits seeing him “run the show” vs. TOR. He is a defensive stud though : )
well pierce ......
will have to play point forward like back in the day so moore or bradly be insert for D nothing else
Bradley is good at D But horrible on offense
I would rather pietrus play pg….hell, or even bass…just not ray, cuz ray cant dribble….or pass
by Kgwillkillyou on Jan 20, 2012 1:49 AM EST via mobile reply actions
If Rondo does not play...
it will be nice to see Bradley get severe minutes and a good test run.
His defense is great but his ball handling and passing skills could use some work so getting minutes can only help improve those aspects of his game.
I agree... I am excited to watch Bradley in extended minutes...
People are still looking at this team like it has a chance and heck and they’re judging performance of the young players, especially Bradley, on the basis of whether or not they can contribute to wins RIGHT NOW. The reality is that this team is done as a contender and young players need to be evaluated on what they can BECOME in the FUTURE.
Bradley has elite athleticism in that PG/Combo Guard mold. He has ELITE defensive ability. Offensively he’s very raw, but he’s got a nice looking stroke on his jumper and can get to the rim due to his excellent speed and quickness.
Bradley has the potential to be a special player.
Basketball is like war in that offensive weapons are developed first, and it always takes a while for the defense to catch up. - Red Auerbach
On the brigjht side.....
Bradley wouldn’t have to worry about the opposing PG’s defense.
Los Nash doesn’t play any.
Good news. Washburn reports Rondo MRI negative and he is a gametime decision
Also, Wilcox was the only guy to not participate in the shootaround this morning. Hopefully Rondo is healthy enough to give it a go tonight.
Pierce playing point forward
Which is fine. Maybe he needs something like that, to get his juices flowing early on. He was very good at it last year when Rondo missed games.
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