Rondo....please explain

[RebusRankin]

If Rondo drives consistantly, he can really hurt the Lakers as they don't have a shot blocker like Josh Smith.

[Barnabas]

plasmaPG asked:


I know that Rondo is faster than Fisher but so was AI and Tony Parker.  Can someone explain why Rondo will the difference maker?  Everyone seems to say, "You haven't seen Rondo yet"..etc
Well, the Lakers have seen the 3 of the 5 best PGs in the league this playoffs.  Can someone point out why Rondo will give us fits and why he is better that AI, TP and Deron.....

Basically, I think, Rondo was a pleasant surprise.  He is overachieving given his position in the draft.  He has shown flashes that he will be a competent PG in this league.  And he can play solid defense.  He has quickness and good ball handling among his qualities.  However, I do understand where you're coming from.  I want the Celtics to win, but I must admit that I see nothing spectacular about Rondo, when you look at him as a complete player.  He has very good qualities, like his quickness and defense, plus competent ball handling.  But he is not the ideal, traditional PG.  His below average proficiency shooting from a distance is a handicap, not being a strong finisher, and his penchant for mistakes (which hopefully we will see less of as he matures) are keeping him from being a model PG.  

Now, why do some people around here believe he's the "difference-maker"?  That, I believe is just fandom.  Personally, all I look for out of Rondo in this series is good defense of the perimeter and to bring the ball into play.  I don't believe Rondo will "dominate" Fisher at all.  That's unlikely, for the reasons that you stated.  But you are on a Celtics fan site, so you can understand why some of the fans are biased and may not be seeing the whole picture about a particular Celtic player that they like.  I suspect a lot of these big Rondo fans were the same guys that were dazzled with Marcus Banks a few years ago.  A young guy, with lots of speed and quickness, and that's all it takes to win the hearts of some fans.  They quickly forget the shortcomings.  Banks, ofcourse, turned out to be a dud.  Rondo looks like he'll turn into a decent PG, with some upsides and some downsides to bring to the table.  But yeah, I do not see Rondo having his way with Fisher.  Yes, he may beat Fisher off the dribble on occasions, but what will Rondo do once he gets inside, surrounded by a seven-footer and two 6'10s?  On top of that, he's not a great finishes.  No doubt Fisher will also light him up with a three-pointer here and there.  Rondo will have a few highlight plays, but Fisher's overall steadiness will probaby go unnoticed, but will make a difference in the game.

[Reyquila]

Barnabas, congratulations on a well thought and truthfull appreciation of who Rondo is and what he will bring to the table in this series.I wish a lot more Celtic fans accepted to good and the bad of our Celtics. Your comments are welcome, thank you.

[RockinRyA]

josh smith swatted lots of his shots esp fastbreaks.. so did lebron.. tayshaun bothered him on the break too.. who would do that for the lakers?

[pslakerfan]

If Rondo drives consistantly, he can really hurt the Lakers as they don't have a shot blocker like Josh Smith.

Actually we do, but he isn't playing until next year.   

[BballTim]

Well for one thing he is a much superior defender to all 3 of those PG's. People seem to forget that there is more to the game then just offense. He was probably the best defensive PG in the playoffs this year. He doesn't have to put up the numbers that those other 3pg's put up against you, because like you mentioned he is the 4th option on offense, but his defensive ability is what I think many Laker fans are overlooking.

Sure, he's a great defender but he will be defending Fisher or Farmar who doesn't score much anyways.  It's not like he will be on Kobe or something.

I believe his dribble penetration will be the key, if he can dribble penetrate and pass out to allen or pierce, it will be deadly.  But the lakers can counteract that by making him a jump shooter as he has shown he can not consistently make the 15-20 footer.

  He's sometimes reluctant to shoot, but he shoots fairly well. According to nba.com hotspots, he's like 23-48 on his midrange jumpers.

The actual answer for the playoff is

FG: .414% 3FG: .294 FT% .756.

  The actual answer is what I said it was. plasmaPG said that Rondo can't make the 15-20 foot jumper. For the playoffs, he's 23-48 on his midrange jumpers. He's had worse luck driving in against the other team's bigs. He's sometimes reluctant to take the outside shot, but he's hit them at a good clip in the playoffs.

  But to compare Rondo to Fisher, you have to consider that Rondo gets more assists, rebounds and steals and has a better assist/turnover ratio. He also plays better defense than Fisher.

Actually I choose not to the other stat because I am not compare Rondo to Fisher as a PG, but I compare him to Rondo as the 4th options. I also answer your stat regarding his shooting.

Even if your stat is correct, he made 23-48 on his midrange jumpers. It is not the same as Pierce's midrange jumper with someone in his face.

Majority of them are wide open look, but he still cannot make 50% of his midrange jumpers.

Like I said, if I were the Lakers, I would let Rondo beat me than Pierce. If Pierce get the same look as Rondo, he will not make 23-48. He will kill the other team if Pierce has the same look as Rondo.

  Much of what you're saying is correct, but it doesn't have anything to do with what we were discussing. If Rondo is left alone he's very good at getting to the rim, and I don't think that the Lakers have the same interior defense as Detroit or Cleveland or the shotblockers like Atlanta. And Cleveland and Detroit also wanted to let Rondo beat them instead of Pierce or KG. It's easier said than done.

[seccom]

  Much of what you're saying is correct, but it doesn't have anything to do with what we were discussing. If Rondo is left alone he's very good at getting to the rim, and I don't think that the Lakers have the same interior defense as Detroit or Cleveland or the shotblockers like Atlanta. And Cleveland and Detroit also wanted to let Rondo beat them instead of Pierce or KG. It's easier said than done.

I do have problem with the bolded statement especially regarding shotblocking. Please check out Lakers' shotblocking stat for the playoff, especially Turiaf and Gasol and compared those stat with the other teams and Celtics' Perkins and other Celtics big men.

If I say more, it will hijack this thread.

[RebusRankin]

If Rondo drives consistantly, he can really hurt the Lakers as they don't have a shot blocker like Josh Smith.

Actually we do, but he isn't playing until next year.   

The Lakers are going to sing Free Agent to be Josh Smith?

[pslakerfan]

If Rondo drives consistantly, he can really hurt the Lakers as they don't have a shot blocker like Josh Smith.

Actually we do, but he isn't playing until next year.   

The Lakers are going to sing Free Agent to be Josh Smith?

Ha, ha, ha    Maybe we will

[RockinRyA]

actually i dont.. if youre talking bout bynum then theres no way that bynum would block rondo's one man fastbreak the way smith and bron did

[seccom]

actually i dont.. if youre talking bout bynum then theres no way that bynum would block rondo's one man fastbreak the way smith and bron did

Bynum may not, but Farmar and Kobe may.

[Barnabas]

I hope Rondo can penetrate to the rim, and then do a credible job of either dishing out or finishing strongly.  That's what we Boston fans are hoping for.  I cringe at the thought of Rondo beating Fisher off the dribble (again, that's not guaranteed that he can do that regularly, Fisher is not as slow as some think), penetrating to the paint, and then finding himself surrounded by Gasol, Odom, and Radmanovic, all three with their arms up.  Rondo will have a tough time passing out of that, let alone getting a shot up.  That's why I believe Rondo beating Fisher off the dribble should not be something we should count on to pay major dividends.

[goz421]

By looking at numbers no one can get an accurate read on just how Rondo impacts a game.  this is why so often he is picked as a weak link by other teams.IMO, Fisher Rondo matchup is huge for the C's.  I say we win this one everytime.  Fischer will not get those open looks, as they will be challanged.


Rondo is all about tempo.  When the ball is n his hands and the game is a certain speed he is a killer.  Not by scoring but by his multifacited game.

LA will make the mistake of trying to run with the C's and pay.

As for Atlanta Bibby late season arrival made that a different team.  Also young athletic teams gave the C's good games all season.  Look at how tough Charlotte played them and look at there record.

The Cavs size and bulk gave the C's trouble.  The pistons were banged up.  they had to shoot phenomenal to have a chance against the C's.

I see the Lakers presenting no such problem.  In fact I would even say Bynum vs. KG is a better matchup for LA then Gasol is.  Gasol is a jumpshooter and opportunistic scorer.  KG negates those type of players.

The reason LA beat the spurs so easily was the injury to Ginobli.  That team without a healty Manu is not the same.  Look at the one game he played well.  Very similar to Rip being warn down in the second half of game 6.

The C's beat the Nuggets early in the year when both teams played like it mattered by about 50.

Utah suprised me but I think that was in large part to the way Boozer played.

[crownsy]

actually i dont.. if youre talking bout bynum then theres no way that bynum would block rondo's one man fastbreak the way smith and bron did

Bynum may not, but Farmar and Kobe may.

farmer wont, and i hope kob is in a postion to, that means he's not on pierce, who i belive is the key to this series. I'd rather pierce go against rad than kobe, kobe can actualy slow him down.

[pslakerfan]

actually i dont.. if youre talking bout bynum then theres no way that bynum would block rondo's one man fastbreak the way smith and bron did

Who said anything about a fast break?  The response was about blocking a shot in penetration which I assure Bynum can do quite well.  Of course he won't be chasing Rondo down the floor on the fast break, that would be Kobe.