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Rajon Rondo was at the Celtics practice facility today. This is no surprise, he's been around most of the summer it seems. What is a bit of a surprise is that he took the time to answer questions with reporters for almost 10 minutes. This was probably intended to clear the air on the Kevin Love meet up at Fenway park.
So what did the pair speak about? Rondo said he kept things short in the conversation, 39 seconds to be exact. Was it long enough for the point guard to make a pitch though? "No, the only pitch that was thrown I think was [by] Jon Lester, he threw out a couple pitches," Rondo said. "I didn’t pitch anything. I just told him just enjoy his time here."
Ok, so it wasn't a sales pitch, but clearly he'd like the big guy in Boston, right?
Rajon Rondo of Boston Celtics says he 'didn't pitch anything' to Kevin Love - ESPN Boston
"I think we'd be a lot better if you add a guy like Kevin," Rondo said. "He's a range-shooting 4, he's going to help on the glass -- obviously we haven't been the best on the glass the past couple years. But he'll do a better job in that aspect. "But this is all speculation. Nothing is happening, nothing is set in stone. So we could talk about Kevin all day, or we could mention Carmelo [Anthony's] name. Nothing's happened. We have a couple [weeks] left before the draft, things might shake up around that time, you never know. It's a long summer until the beginning of training camp."
Got it. No tampering going on here. Just stating the obvious. We need more talent, but Rondo isn't going to play assistant GM (at least not through the media).
Rondo: 'I don't want to leave. I'm a Celtic' | Comcast SportsNet - CSNNE.com
"At the end of the day, I want to win," Rondo said. "I want to win now. And I'm sure Danny (Ainge, Boston's president of basketball operations) will have the guys in here where we'll be able to compete for a title. I don't just want to make the playoffs, get to the first or second round. When I compete or when I make it to the playoffs, I expect to win every time."
So is that meant to put pressure on Danny Ainge to produce some fireworks? Maybe, but Rondo sounds like he's got confidence in the C's brass.
Rondo leftovers: 'I want to win now' - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston
"I trust a lot in Danny," said Rondo. "He’s turned this thing around before. I have faith in him. I believe in Danny. I think we do need another big-time player. But that’s all his job. He’s working on that now and I completely have faith in him."
Like all of us, Rondo is hoping for something like a repeat of 2007.
And if nothing else, he's just hoping for some continuity in his life. He sounds like he likes it here and has no desire to move on.
Celtics Insider | Boston Herald
"I don’t like change, really. I’m pretty comfortable, I like it here, I have a beautiful home, I have the best neighbors in the world," he said. "I don’t want to leave, but (free agency) is part of the process and at the end of the season I’ll talk about it. Right now I’m a Celtic, I’ve trained here, the staff is doing good as far as my rehab. This is home for me as of now."
All very good things. All most likely true. These things are also a bit of a well time message out to Kevin Love and any other potential free agents or trade targets.
There are a lot of unstable situations around the league. Rondo (if he wanted) could make things pretty unstable in Boston as well. Instead, he's on board with the process. He doesn't want to leave and he wants to win. Which could be music to Kevin Love's ears.
Maybe Rondo didn't make a pitch in the 39 seconds he talked to Love at Fenway. But he certainly did (in a roundabout way) in the 9 and a half minutes that he talked to Boston reporters today. Nice job Rajon.