Rajon Rondo: High Maintenance NBA Superstar

he’s not being paid like one. unless we’re getting Deron Williams or Dwight Howard (with the promise of an extension), we’re not getting a top option on a great team or maybe not even the second option

That’s what most of this is. Is Rondo High Maintenance? Probably. Is KG high maintenance? Guaranteed! Is PP? NO Doubt!! is Kobe Bryant? Rhetorical! Is DH or CP3 or Deron Williams? Most asurredly. Was Dennis Rodman? how about Michael or Scott Pippen? I can go on and on.

Every Superstar and Star is a maintenance issue. So let’s take that out of play. Does the guy produce? That is the bottom line. And the answer is YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In the 2008 both Danny and Doc stated that the best player on the floor for 2 games was Rondo and there were at least 5 future Hall of Famers in that series in their prime or close to it. Rondo is a great PG. Is he better than CP3? Probably not, but heads up he’ll bust his butt to proved that he is. And heads up he might be. Yes he’s not a great shooter. And his free throw shooting is not great either. But his impact on a game can be Birdlike!! That is the bottom line.

So, if we ever decide to trade him, our return need to be very, very good. Not one that is limited because the other GM says to Danny that Rondo is too high maintenance. If Danny hears that he should hang up the phone immediately. End of that deal!!!!

First of all, I agree Rondo seems down to earth.

On the court I don’t mind that he’s competitive at all. Name one great player that isn’t competitive… A few times he didn’t channel the energy in the right way but please… Big deal. Some of these rumors are absolutely ridiculous.

based on tenuous interpretations of a few comments by those who do and of course, the ever present completely anonymous comments by folks who probably don’t even really exist is starting to get kinda boring.

Even in this article, where you mostly dismiss the relevance of ‘personality quirks’ among all the various pro players, you inadvertently use statements like “I’m sure Rondo’s personality issues …” in a manner that assumes that his ‘personality issues’ are an accepted fact, proven and illustrated with crystal clarity. But they are not. They are simply assumed by a series of chain-dependent ‘reports’ that have never presented anything concrete.

Note that I can’t really blame Brendan for that – people just repeat stuff stated by other people until it becomes ‘truth’ whether it is or not.

For all I know, Rondo DOES have ‘personality issues’. But I have yet to see any real evidence of it.

It is ridiculous that people will latch onto tenuous statements like Doc’s passing remark (said with a smile), " a good and a bad thing" about how smart Rondo is and read all kinds of … stuff … into it that Doc did not say. How anonymous, unsupported claims of dissonance and strife are given so much credence. Yet all the large body of explicit, positive, supporting comments by teammates, coaches & gm are routinely and cynically dismissed.

Gawd I would hate to be a celebrity of any kind. To have to put up with being rendered as stereotyped caricature by would-be pop-psychologists who blurt out diagnosis of patients they have never met.

For this year, the big 3, especially Ray Ray and KG thrive on offense from Rondos style and passing. With most other point guards, including Bradley, Ray and KG would somewhat suffer on offense.

For the future, think Steve Nash, with even more quickness and audacity, feeding some more younger, athletic leapers on the break, like on the D’Antoni Suns only with defense.. He should also, finally appreciate the value of having a dependable outside shot, which he is finally trying to develop and have confidence in.

Imagine he puts his claimed brilliance into developing a three-pointer in the off season. Why not? Many of the top older point guards really developed the 3 later in their careers. I think he might find someone nearby (career 3-point leader) to teach him a few things about 3 pointers if he found the motivation. Then he would really become a complete player and a true superstar.

That is an important statement. Why would you trade away brains when IT is so short in the NBA? Larry Bird also had incredible basketball brains even though his articulation was pure French Lick. Magic Johnson, same thing
When I read here people wanting us to do whatever it takes to get Michael Beasley and OJ Mayo I think brains are in short supply on blogs too.
We do not want a team of Chad Ochocincos who don’t have the brains to play with our QB’s game and Rondo is our QB. Jeff Greene looks smart. He just had terrible initial pressure on arrival. He’ll be a fine Rondo piece. Brandon Bass and Mikael Pietrus should be kept on

I am all for building around Rondo because it will be an uptempo, smart team. Too bad we can’t roll Father Time back because KG would be perfect. The Celtics defense requires brains when it works best.

In a league full of egomaniacs and the media who so gladly ride the jockstraps of those egomaniacs, Rondo doesn’t even crack the top ten. If Lebron had had Rondo’s Sunday game, the media would have declared him a God.

Assists rarely make the highlight reel. Pressuring the ball either. But Celtics fans need to make sure we’re basing our desire to have Rondo traded not by what the slam dunk happy media thinks would be best for this team.

And it wasn’t even Rondo’s media friendly big time stats that made it Rondo’s best game. It was the fact that he made every single one of his teammates better than they would have been without him. At 6’1, he mopped up the boards for his frequently deficient bigs. He created passing lanes where there were none. He dominated the game but somehow his main scorer Pierce still put up big numbers. It wasn’t the usual superstar NBA game where the biggest superstar on the floor steals shots from his teammates. Rondo had a true superstar game, that is if you believe superstars should make their teammates better rather than just have their teammates exist to prop up their own stats.

Like Rondo, we need to make sure we’re using our basketball IQ, rather than judging him on some media coverage about his attitude and temperament.

Trading him would be like trying to run your car without gas. You might have a damn good car but you aren’t going anywhere without the fuel.

Leader? No. Not yet anyway. But on this team he doesn’t need to be. But for this fan, Rondo has proven he deserves to wear the uniform. What else does he have to do to end the talk once and for all?

so I’d call him a star but definitely not a superstar.

and more concerned that after a half dozen NBA seasons, he still doesn’t know if the ball is going to go through the hook when he hurls it up there.

Layup, jumper or free throw…is a crap shoot with Rondo. Rondo needs to hire the guy who trained Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose to shoot. I’ve got his number if you want it, Rajon.

than the games before the all star break where he put up big numbers but didn’t involve his team mates. On Sunday he played a superlative all around game and the C’s needed every one of his assists, rebounds and points to win. The BIG issue ( and maybe the only real legitimate issue) with Rondo is his consistency. When you see a game like SUnday you ask yourself " where’s that been?". No one can play like that everynight but there has to be something that’s between that game and the zero points no shots game. All of that is on Rondo and no one else. Either he steps up and becomes the leader that he wants to be or he continues to do it on his terms and throws his team mates under the bus when things don’t go well

Did a Celtics player ever create so much controversy? Anyway, great piece Brendan, the DeShawn Stevenson’s reference really made me laugh.

In Doc’s remarks about Rondo he said more than what is printed in this article. He said he’s had arguments with other players as well. He also said something to the affect that once the argument is over, it’s over. In other words Doc doesn’t make a big deal of this, but it seems like this is pick on Rondo month by people who don’t really know.

When Doc was hired as coach, before he even coached a game he said he was going to have arguments with players. He also said the important thing is once the argument is over that they shake hands and that’s it. Does anyone remember the verbal heated arguments he had with Pierce on the bench during a game. This happened in Doc’s first year. Pierce also said that that argument was nothing compared to other private ones. Look at their relationship now.

Players argue with coaches. Doc did it as a player. Doc doesn’t discourage it, he almost embraces it. And no one is traded or put in a dog house because they have an argument about something.

The Celtics are a close team. Often they jokingly say bad things about teammates. In older days Kevin McHale was callled the “black hole” by his teammates, meaning once he gets the ball he never passes it out. This, out of context sounds bad. Actually, once Kev got the ball his teammates wanted him to shoot it.

Rondo has never publicly come out and asked to be traded, traded to a specific team, and he’s never said anything negative about anyone in the Celtic organization or anyone else for that matter. Rondo seems to be one who is singled out because he is human. He also has a very dry sense of humor and when he answers a question you never know if he’s serious or not. This writer needs to get more and accurate info before making statements. He should also include the entire interview and not cherry pick a few words. He should also appreciate Doc’s frankness.

I don’t know about the other players he wrote about and don’t care. I do care what he says about Rondo because he’s a Celtic and I’m a Celtic fan. There has only been one Celtic player I have not liked in a personal way and that was Mark Blount.

is there a higher percentage of egomaniacs in the nba than in the general population? probably. but this concept that all nba players are headcases to one degree or another is, i think, a negative stereotype along the lines of “it’s a league full of thugs”. there are plenty of nba players who, at least to a fan watching, seem to be well-adjusted. look at a guy like steve nash or our very own ray allen, for examples from the ranks of “stars”. i’m sure we could come up with a lot more examples from the role players. i think it’s unhelpful to stereotype like this. if we’re talking about rondo, let’s talk about him, and not try to dismiss his behavior with these broad strokes that cast all players as problem-children.

as for rondo, he clearly has a mercurial personality, as some have called it. but let’s be honest, he doesn’t have a criminal record or a negative reputation off the court. his teammates may have trouble with him sometimes, but they clearly respect him. do we observe lack of effort sometimes? sure. but let’s keep it in perspective. as has been pointed out, he’s very smart, and very gifted, and that’s a rare combination. i hope the celtics hold on to him, because i think he makes other players better by helping them get into the right positions to succeed, and i think there are a lot of players who would be happy to team up with him.

mmmmm made a very good comparison of rondo to dennis johnson. dj was one of the greatest gamers i ever saw way before he was even on the c’s. in phoenix, i think he was called a “cancer” and he would have absolutely bad shooting and/or lazy games. but when the chips were on the line—wow. well, in that respect rondo is like dj—keep him and make the adjustments and don’t take any crap from him- and don’t hold any grudges. accept him for who he is and you will be rewarded.

They are wrong, but to each his own. I have read enough quotes and seen enough of Rondo to know he is still an immature “kid” who needs to grow up. As for his abilities on the court, he is one of the best at his position. If his mental maturity ever matches his physical abilities he could become one of the best ever at his position.

Where are all the trades? Not necessarily Celtics trades, but any trades at all. I haven’t heard of anyone being moved, not even a role player. Thoughts?

So did Larry, MJ, Kobe and a great many other great players. People who don’t like losing, and who refuse to accept anything other than greatness can often times comes across this way.

The only difference here is; the payers I referenced were all-time greats. They are given a different amount of latitude in this regard. It doesn’t make the personaltiy trait itself “bad”. It’s just perception.

Furthermore, has there ever been one direct quote by any of Rondo’s teammates stating they don’t like him? If not, than it’s just specualtion and gossip. I have no interest in nor respect for gossip.

Sometimes it’s all a matter of perspective and that gets lost often when analyzing stories such as this.

mmmmm is correct that one one really knows how much of a problem Rondo is to his teammates, coaches or anyone else if he is even a problem at all.

It is possible that all the reports on Rondo are fabricated and something giant grew out of nothing. More often than not though as the old saying goes ‘when there is smoke there is fire’.

And it would be tough to go through life never believing something to be true without personally witnessing it. Using Rondo as an example, even quotes from Doc, KG or other teammates which there have been several can’t be taken as fact. Who is to say that Doc, KG, Danny or other teammates aren’t lying? Who is to say that their direct quotes could be misinterpreted?

David Aldridge, Wilbon, Jackie MacMullan or whatever other “insiders” or “experts” can definitely be wrong. By the same token they often come up with insights or stories that otherwise wouldn’t be known. Looking at it from another angle is other than those with direct knowledge by being in the room or on the court when something happens, these “insiders” have more information than 99% of people. They do have friends and sources throughout the league that none of us have.

And again it’s often about perception. It’s funny how some fans don’t want to believe how anything negative regarding Rondo or other players is true. Quite often those same individuals jump on a negative story about Kobe for example and use that to foster their dislike. When KG sucker punched Channing Frye or Ray hit Varejao there were many who excused those behaviors simply because they are fans of those players and the Celtics. However is that was Kobe, Lebron or someone else the reactions of ‘he is a dirty player’ ‘a horrible person’ ‘a punk who cheated on his wife’ and things of that nature are the typical response.

It is human nature to form opinions whether they are right or wrong. There are so few things that we witness personally so many of those opinions or self determined ‘facts’ have to be gleaned from other sources. Whether it’s hearing an account from a 2nd hand source, a person with intimate knowledge of the actions, someone with a much better chance of having the correct facts or whatever other options available – thoughts, ideas and conclusions are formed by all of us each day.

It would be impossible to get through life without believing things besides those that we personally witness…

…arguing that we can’t draw conclusions like that without knowing the guy. Two points:

- The first is a BTW, kinda. Btw… we are constantly coming to conclusions about public personalities without knowing them personally. The argument that we should not doesn’t hold much water because it assumes a level of “judgment” which nobody here is claiming (and in that sense is a strawman argument). Let’s not assume we are debating idiots here. Nobody is claiming to know Rondo well enough to prescribe psychoactive meds for him. But let’s not argue that NO conclusions about his personality should be drawn by anyone who hasn’t met the guy, because in fact, the PROCESS of doing exactly that is written into our Constitution, ferkrissakes (like when we vote). It’s part of our society, and an activity in which EVERYONE in this country participates, all the time. There are very few exceptions to this process around the world… North Korea, maybe a couple other places here and there.

- But the key point is this: I dislike what I have seen from Rondo NOT because of any conclusions about his personality, but ONLY because of his inconsistent play. The most-recent Cavs game was my tipping point, and I could find no reasonable explanation for that terrible, somnolent effort OTHER than his emotional state (no injury, for example). The chicken (his performance) is laying the egg (conclusions about his state of mind) here.

I (along with all other fans) am paying his salary (sorta), and it’s a lot of money, so I expect him to at least TRY to play well every time. When he doesn’t, I don’t like it. I think that’s almost my job decription as a fan.

Put another way, if Rondo just played with at least a normal effort level every time (like KG, Ray, Pierce, etc.), then I wouldn’t give a fraction of a damn about his personality. It would be none of my business. Heck, I’d even say that if he has any “issues,” I hope he doesn’t solve them!

Bottom line, then… attempts at categorizing Rondo’s personality should be seen merely as efforts at explaining his inconsistent play. Folks arguing that Rondo has NO personality issues should be required to come up with some OTHER explanation(s) for his wildly divergent effort level. I mean really — compare his performance in the most-recent Cavs game to the most-recent Knicks game, and you’d be hard-pressed to accept that those two players are the same person.

“It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business.”

(Btw… arguments that Rondo is a great player are completely beside the point here. Of course he’s great, when he plays up to his potential. That’s not a point of contention at all.)