The 5 Stages the Rondo Fandom

Denial - I entered denial when the C's walked away from the 2006 NBA Draft with Sebastian Telfair (via a trade) and Rajon Rondo. In the process Boston decided against making a move for the NBA ready Brandon Roy. The denial only deepened as reports surfaced that many teams in the SEC, which was not exactly a bastion of offensive firepower, were in no way, shape or form afraid of Rondo's shot.

Anger - Denial quickly became anger. "Wait didn't Telfair lose his job to Jarrett Jack?" And more importantly, "Why would a painfully young team hand over the keys to someone as inexperienced as Rondo or Telfair?"

Bargaining - Always the optimist I happily jumped into the bargaining stage. It was actually quite easy:

1. At that point Al Jefferson hadn't blown up and Gerald Green still hasn't. But I believed in those guys and appreciated Tony Allen, Ryan Gomes and Delonte West. Long story short I trusted Danny Ainge's eye for talent in the draft.
   
2. Rondo has huge hands! That's like having long arms. Though both are somewhat overlooked at times, they are major advantages on the basketball court.
   
3. Word got out that Rondo had 20 rebounds in one college game. That's hard to do.
   
4. Rondo's energy, athleticism and hustle turned heads. That includes Tommy Heinsohn, or as I like to call him, the Minister of Information.
   
5. Oh yeah during the preseason this happened.
   

Depression - I slowly slipped into depression as NBA point guards (Jameer Nelson and Chauncey Billups come to mind) took turns scoring big on Telfair while Rondo racked up DNPs. Eventually the season got worse and worse, Telfair was benched and Rondo proved to be erratic.

Acceptance - Rajon Rondo is the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics. And yes he cannot shoot. I admit it. Rondo cannot shoot. Thank you John Hollinger, Kelly Dwyer, Marc Stein, Ric Bucher, Bill Simmons and everybody else who has made that point. I got it. At the same time how many people actually watched Rondo play during his rookie season? Last time I checked the C's did not play on national television once. And the by the time Rondo got consistent burn people had written off Boston, for good reason. Did I imagine Rondo's penchant for steals and ability to stuff a stat sheet? Granted he is not Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Tony Parker or even Sam Cassell. But he's also not Tyron Lue, Smush Parker or what has become of Jason Williams. Maybe Rondo is not as good as Celtics fans think but he is also not as bad as some people believe.

Bonus Point - Rondo has his own freaking car. Although I like to think KIA did not consult him on the whole rainbow motif.