Author Topic: Rondo's Defense..  (Read 5092 times)

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Re: Rondo's Defense..
« Reply #30 on: January 24, 2013, 12:31:01 PM »

Offline pearljammer10

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Rondo is not having a good year all-around. At least for his standards. I don't know what is wrong with him, but there is something definitely wrong with him.

His defensive rating is 103. Which is still GOOD, and above average, but well below is 99 mark last year. He also doesn't get as many steals as he did 2 years ago.

His shooting percentages are up from last year, but still down compared to 2009 and 2010.

His usage rate this year is a career high. His assist percentage and assists per 48 are down from last season.

His turnovers are a career high. His free throws attempts are a career low.

I don't know what is going on with Rondo, and he is still playing like a GOOD basketball player. Yet, somehow, he has regressed from his productivity in the past couple of years, when he SHOULD be getting better.

Rondo (statwise) is performing better this year than he has in each of the past two years. His TO's are up .2 from last year, his steals are down .5 from two years ago and his assists are down .6 from last year.

Every other category has improved as compared to the last two seasons.

Re: Rondo's Defense..
« Reply #31 on: January 24, 2013, 12:37:27 PM »

Offline ScottHow

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I honestly think Bradley was the worst thing that happened to Rondo(perception wise). Now everyone sees how Bradley plays defense and compares it to Rondo when in reality AB would make almost anyone look bad.

I don't remember what user said it, but they had it right when they something like, "Rondo should tweet I'd never have a 7, 1, and 1 game." I'm sure if all Rondo had to do on offense was shoot corner 3's and run the baseline he would be a much better defender.

Re: Rondo's Defense..
« Reply #32 on: January 24, 2013, 12:43:22 PM »

Offline Chris

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Rondo started the season off brilliantly. Then dropped off around the time he got hurt. Hasn't regained his early season form yet. He needs to get back to that.

Yup, and this is one of the constant frustrations with Rondo's game.

Let me lay it out like this:

1. The skill that sets Rondo apart from other PGs is his combination of athleticism, hustle, and tenacity, particularly on defense and the boards.  When Rondo is bringing this, he is as good as any PG in the league.  Even though he isn't as good offensively as guys like Paul, Westbrook, and Irving, his ability to turn it up defensively and in the other phases of the game closes the gap on them.
2. When he loses his athleticism, hustle, or tenacity, he just has much less of an impact on the game, even if he is putting up nice stats.  Even though he is an elite passer, his lack of elite shooting ability balances that out a bit, so he can't really match up with the other elite offensive PGs like Paul, Westbrook, Irving, etc.  Those guys just are better offensive players overall, because of their more complete games.
3. He is a small guy playing in a league of giants.  That generally makes injuries tough to avoid if he is playing aggressively, and throwing himself around.  So, he has to choose between being as effective as he can be, or self preservation.

The upside to this is that he has learned enough self preservation to be able to turn it on for the playoffs.  And that is when they really do need it most, and why he remains so hard to give up.  But the downside is, its really frustrating to watch when its not the playoffs.

Re: Rondo's Defense..
« Reply #33 on: January 24, 2013, 12:54:54 PM »

Online Atzar

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I honestly think Bradley was the worst thing that happened to Rondo(perception wise). Now everyone sees how Bradley plays defense and compares it to Rondo when in reality AB would make almost anyone look bad.

I don't remember what user said it, but they had it right when they something like, "Rondo should tweet I'd never have a 7, 1, and 1 game." I'm sure if all Rondo had to do on offense was shoot corner 3's and run the baseline he would be a much better defender.

I don't accept this.  There's no excuse for only playing at one end of the court. 

'08 Pierce played championship-caliber defense despite carrying the biggest offensive burden for the team.  '08 Garnett won a well-deserved DPOY along with pulling down his nightly 19/9.  Allen stepped up his commitment to defense while being asked to run miles off of screens every night... on bad ankles.  All of these players were older then than Rondo is now.  What's his excuse again? 

Full commitment at both ends of the court is a requirement for a successful team.  If he can't play good defense because he's spending his energy on offense, then either he needs to get his butt in shape so he can or he needs to play for somebody else. 

Re: Rondo's Defense..
« Reply #34 on: January 24, 2013, 01:01:48 PM »

Offline Celtics18

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Rondo started the season off brilliantly. Then dropped off around the time he got hurt. Hasn't regained his early season form yet. He needs to get back to that.

Yup, and this is one of the constant frustrations with Rondo's game.

Let me lay it out like this:

1. The skill that sets Rondo apart from other PGs is his combination of athleticism, hustle, and tenacity, particularly on defense and the boards.  When Rondo is bringing this, he is as good as any PG in the league.  Even though he isn't as good offensively as guys like Paul, Westbrook, and Irving, his ability to turn it up defensively and in the other phases of the game closes the gap on them.
2. When he loses his athleticism, hustle, or tenacity, he just has much less of an impact on the game, even if he is putting up nice stats.  Even though he is an elite passer, his lack of elite shooting ability balances that out a bit, so he can't really match up with the other elite offensive PGs like Paul, Westbrook, Irving, etc.  Those guys just are better offensive players overall, because of their more complete games.
3. He is a small guy playing in a league of giants.  That generally makes injuries tough to avoid if he is playing aggressively, and throwing himself around.  So, he has to choose between being as effective as he can be, or self preservation.

The upside to this is that he has learned enough self preservation to be able to turn it on for the playoffs.  And that is when they really do need it most, and why he remains so hard to give up.  But the downside is, its really frustrating to watch when its not the playoffs.

I agree that Paul may be a more complete offensive player than any of those guys, but I wouldn't call Westbrook and Irving more complete offensive players than Rondo.  I don't agree that being a good scorer and a bad passer makes you more of a complete offensive player than being a good passer and not much of a scorer.
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PG: G. Hill/D. Schroder
SG: C. Lee/B. Hield/T. Luwawu
SF:  Giannis/J. Lamb/M. Kuzminskas
PF:  E. Ilyasova/J. Jerebko/R. Christmas
C:    N. Vucevic/K. Olynyk/E. Davis/C. Jefferson