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[u2larkin04]

Is it me, or since before this year, wasn't Rondo primarily known as a defensive point guard? I always remember him making big plays on defense, but it seems this year he's vanished. Obviously this has been well known this year, but why do you think this is all of a sudden?

[Who]

Like many star players, defensive consistency slowly drops off when asked to carry more offensive burden. Still capable of turning up the heat and being a dominant defensive PG when he feels like it.

[2short]

have to add in, playing a lot of minutes without a backup point guard

name the top three backup point guards rondo has had in his 6(?) years with team
this is off the head now no cheating

delonte west
sam cassell
jason terry
?

[Humble G]

have to add in, playing a lot of minutes without a backup point guard

name the top three backup point guards rondo has had in his 6(?) years with team
this is off the head now no cheating

delonte west
sam cassell
jason terry
?

I'd think about Dooling just cuz i like the dude

And yes rondo's D has dropped like mentioned previously bc of minutes played and being expected to do more on offense. He has become more offense minded when before he was more balanced when the offense was ran thru Pierce, KG and Ray...but now rondo has to take and HIT(which he has been) those jumpers.....total different mindset than previous years..HE has to score

[sofutomygaha]

have to add in, playing a lot of minutes without a backup point guard

name the top three backup point guards rondo has had in his 6(?) years with team
this is off the head now no cheating

delonte west
sam cassell
jason terry
?

Nate played a lot, and Dooling did play a lot last year. Others not so much.

[2short]

so delonte was injured on second tour, first time lots of turnovers and nowhere near as efficient running team
sam cassell had 1 good game as i remember it
dooling did a good job but wasn't really a pg
nate is nate, funny listening to scal describe nate

can't we get an andre miller type backup for him someday

[Eddie20]

Yeah, his defense has been awful. He simply doesn't bring it on the defensive end. He doesn't make the effort to fight through screens and way too often he lets his man go by him so he can try to poke it from behind. Another thing I've noticed more this year is that he doesn't contest the jumper like he should. I often see his hands down on the shooter.

Like many star players, defensive consistency slowly drops off when asked to carry more offensive burden. Still capable of turning up the heat and being a dominant defensive PG when he feels like it.

I have a major issue with this. How can a guy be your franchise player when you can't count on him every single night? At the end of the day a team takes the identity of it's star, which is probably why you see us so inconsistent.

[kozlodoev]

Like many star players, defensive consistency slowly drops off when asked to carry more offensive burden. Still capable of turning up the heat and being a dominant defensive PG when he feels like it.

When exactly did we start asking him to carry "more offensive burden", because I can't detect any major differences in his contribution over the last 3-4 years or so.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Like many star players, defensive consistency slowly drops off when asked to carry more offensive burden. Still capable of turning up the heat and being a dominant defensive PG when he feels like it.

When exactly did we start asking him to carry "more offensive burden", because I can't detect any major differences in his contribution over the last 3-4 years or so.

Agreed. I don't think his defense has anything to do with the offensive burden he's carrying... OK, maybe slightly, but it's a meaningless excuse on my book.

KG and Pierce still carry the bulk of our offensive burden, yet they at least play something that resembles defense, while KG excels at it.

I'd have more sympathy for Rondo if he was actually pushing up the tempo, running the floor constantly, being aggressive offensively, but he can't do even that much. He loves to walk the ball up the floor, pound the basketball milking the shot clock, then pass it to KG/Pierce and let them go to work. Oversimplification, I know, but I really think the offensive burden excuse is way overused.

[KCattheStripe]

I'm honestly not sure any player carries more of an offensive burden in the NBA than Rondo.

[KCattheStripe]

I'm honestly not sure any player carries more of an offensive burden in the NBA than Rondo.

I'm saying this because I'm not sure exactly how much of Kobe's burden Kobe is just creating.

[pearljammer10]

I'm honestly not sure any player carries more of an offensive burden in the NBA than Rondo.

I completely agree with this...




But this...

Like many star players, defensive consistency slowly drops off when asked to carry more offensive burden. Still capable of turning up the heat and being a dominant defensive PG when he feels like it.

When exactly did we start asking him to carry "more offensive burden", because I can't detect any major differences in his contribution over the last 3-4 years or so.

Makes no sense to me. Rondo has the ball in his hand 75% of the time we are on offense, runs every play, commands everything single thing about the offense and does so at big minutes while also taking more shots and averaging more points. He is our offense quarterback, of course he has a great offensive burden on him.

No excuse for his defense, but to say that he isn't carrying this greater offensive burden, especially now without the presence of Ray Allen in the starting line up, makes absolutely zero sense.

[Celtics18]

Like many star players, defensive consistency slowly drops off when asked to carry more offensive burden. Still capable of turning up the heat and being a dominant defensive PG when he feels like it.

When exactly did we start asking him to carry "more offensive burden", because I can't detect any major differences in his contribution over the last 3-4 years or so.

Agreed. I don't think his defense has anything to do with the offensive burden he's carrying... OK, maybe slightly, but it's a meaningless excuse on my book.

KG and Pierce still carry the bulk of our offensive burden, yet they at least play something that resembles defense, while KG excels at it.

I'd have more sympathy for Rondo if he was actually pushing up the tempo, running the floor constantly, being aggressive offensively, but he can't do even that much. He loves to walk the ball up the floor, pound the basketball milking the shot clock, then pass it to KG/Pierce and let them go to work. Oversimplification, I know, but I really think the offensive burden excuse is way overused.

I think you'll have a hard time convincing very many people that Paul Pierce's overall defense has been better than Rondo's this season.

KG's defense is still impressive, but he's been having way more lapses on that end of the floor this year than any fans seem to be willing to admit. 

Once you start looking for players that play great defense on every possession of every game, you'll find that these mythical players don't exist. 

Of course, these mythical players are the ones that many seem to be using to compare to Rondo's defensive play. 

[Who]

I'd like to see Doc reduce Rondo's minutes to 33-34 minutes per game.

I think his defense and defensive consistency will both improve in lesser minutes. Doc is asking too much of Rondo in this 37-38 minute a night role.

[kozlodoev]

Like many star players, defensive consistency slowly drops off when asked to carry more offensive burden. Still capable of turning up the heat and being a dominant defensive PG when he feels like it.

When exactly did we start asking him to carry "more offensive burden", because I can't detect any major differences in his contribution over the last 3-4 years or so.

Agreed. I don't think his defense has anything to do with the offensive burden he's carrying... OK, maybe slightly, but it's a meaningless excuse on my book.

KG and Pierce still carry the bulk of our offensive burden, yet they at least play something that resembles defense, while KG excels at it.

I'd have more sympathy for Rondo if he was actually pushing up the tempo, running the floor constantly, being aggressive offensively, but he can't do even that much. He loves to walk the ball up the floor, pound the basketball milking the shot clock, then pass it to KG/Pierce and let them go to work. Oversimplification, I know, but I really think the offensive burden excuse is way overused.

I think you'll have a hard time convincing very many people that Paul Pierce's overall defense has been better than Rondo's this season.

KG's defense is still impressive, but he's been having way more lapses on that end of the floor this year than any fans seem to be willing to admit. 

Once you start looking for players that play great defense on every possession of every game, you'll find that these mythical players don't exist. 

Of course, these mythical players are the ones that many seem to be using to compare to Rondo's defensive play.

Except Pierce and Garnett are in their late thirties, and Rondo is supposedly entering his prime.

Garnett and Pierce carried virtually all of the offensive burden in 2008, yet still played defense with effort and reasonable success.

Of course, you can argue that it's easier when the offense splits three ways (Garnett/Allen/Pierce), but it's at least an open question for discussion, and I wouldn't be in a hurry to give Rondo a free pass on this.