Rondo benched down the stretch in Dallas

[MBunge]

 

And the fact that you name dropped Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook in a discussion about rondo highlights why this debate persists. Rondo had never been on that level.  The fact that some folks here overrated him and insisted on comparing him to vastly superior guards is why you have "haters" pointing out how untrue it is.   Ive never hated rondo as a player. I just saw him for the lovable flawed player he was and others didn't. By the end of the season, this debate will officially be dead one way or the other.

From some time in 2009 until his knee injury in 2013, Rajon Rondo was consistently one of the top point guards in the league.  He was absolutely up there in the discussion with the likes of Westbrook and Paul.

Does the fact that players like Deron Williams and Derrick Rose are struggling to return to previous form mean that they were never great players?

Of course it doesn't.

Rondo has struggled since his knee injury.  The possibility is high that he will never come close to being the player he was before his injury.  That's a sad part of the sports world. 

I still root for him to have some more glory moments before he hangs up his high tops.  Time will tell.

I do, however, take exception to the revisionist history on his impact for the Boston Celtics and his status as a player in the league prior to his injury.

Rondo's inability to shoot has always put him on a tier below Paul in my opinion but Rondo was consistently the best passing and rebounding PG in the league.

The problem now is that post-injury Rondo wants to be paid as if he can still perform at his pre-injury level.   

Of course he wants to get paid.  The thing is, though, I've never heard Rondo make any public statements declaring his own monetary worth. 

We'll see what he gets paid this off-season.

I agree....I can't say that I've heard Rondo make any demands about a max contract. 

Regarding what he gets paid this off-season, I expect it to be considerably less than what Rondo thought he could get a year ago.

He may have screwed himself .   Had he played like he gave a flip .....led the team....played defense .......given what DA paid AB.......he might have got more from DA ....than what he is looking at ...if the Mavs go down fast in Playoffs

Rondo needed to follow the example of Carmello.  Mello balled out last season and got that mega-max deal out of New York.  Now he can worry about getting himself to a better team.

No one was ever going to give Rondo more than Boston would.

Mike

[mef730]

I don't want to say he had a bad night last night, but zero points, 0-7 FGM-A, 0-2 3PM-A, six assists offset by five turnovers, and he managed to do all this in 34 minutes.  That bad a game takes effort.

Mike

[TwinTower14]

tough month for Rajon - averaging 6 assist and 3 TO's a game??  While shooting 11% from the line....

You can make a case that Smart has had a better month than him....8/4/2 shooting 42/44/63...

[MBunge]

I don't want to say he had a bad night last night, but zero points, 0-7 FGM-A, 0-2 3PM-A, six assists offset by five turnovers, and he managed to do all this in 34 minutes.  That bad a game takes effort.

Mike

In fairness, he apparently played pretty good defense on Harden and Dallas still might have won the game if their bench didn't stink out loud.

Mike

[obnoxiousmime]

I keep hearing about Rondo's defensive contribution somehow balancing out his poor offense. If the Mavericks were satisfied with that, they could have just found a good defender as they are easier to acquire. Or, they could have done nothing and just kept their pick and Wright which would have helped their bench depth. 

I also keep hearing that Rondo will turn it up in the playoffs, but what if they don't make it or their seed is so low that they get killed by a top seed? Don't people see what a backhanded compliment that is? A good player still in his prime age is supposed to be able to get it up for most of the regular season, not just the playoffs.

[SHAQATTACK]

Not ready to blame Rondo ......

He is on the wrong team yet again.  I see him on Memphis as being killer point .

A younger Dirk ....maybe Rondo has a better target......Chandler is not much of an offensive weapon

Dirk is a crippled up dude that has no running game and no inside game to speak of at this point. He plays awful defense ,  is worthless as a shot blocker .  Moves like a 65 year man.

Just stands out at the three stripe and launches due to his length .   Shots over the small players .....basically high school type dominance ......tallest dude

Not sure this is the team for Rondo.......Ellis fits them better ....they need scorers at the one and two with such weak offense in the paint.

Rondo needs to be on Detroit with a good #2 man by his side .

Rondo,would be great on Clippers , but alas they have his arch rival CP3 to feed the bigs low.

[heldthemhanging]

Not ready to blame Rondo ......

He is on the wrong team yet again.

That kind of says something about Rondo's true talent level, though, doesn't it? A truly great player will be able to fit in just about any system. But Rondo has so many weaknesses (not discounting his many strengths) that he can really only fit in with teams that cater to his strengths. 

The people over on MavsMoneyball are absolutely ripping him apart right now. To hear them tell it, no one even guards Rondo on the floor because his shot is so off right now. Hopefully Rondo will regain some of the stuff that made him so great but I think the injuries have really taken a toll on him. He's just not the same explosive guy that he used to be.

[csfansince60s]

Not ready to blame Rondo ......

He is on the wrong team yet again.  I see him on Memphis as being killer point .

A younger Dirk ....maybe Rondo has a better target......Chandler is not much of an offensive weapon

Dirk is a crippled up dude that has no running game and no inside game to speak of at this point. He plays awful defense ,  is worthless as a shot blocker .  Moves like a 65 year man.

Just stands out at the three stripe and launches due to his length .   Shots over the small players .....basically high school type dominance ......tallest dude

Not sure this is the team for Rondo.......Ellis fits them better ....they need scorers at the one and two with such weak offense in the paint.

Rondo needs to be on Detroit with a good #2 man by his side .

Rondo,would be great on Clippers , but alas they have his arch rival CP3 to feed the bigs low.

I agree. Rondo does need the right fit (so I also agree with heldthemhanging about Rondo as a player). (And here's your first TP, held!)

I think that Ellis (hence, Dallas) is an especially bad fit. Ellis is a scoring machine who is more effective with the ball in his hands. Rondo is only effective with the ball in his hands.

This was probably one of the reasons why Houston's offer was either so poor or non-existent for Rondo. Harden, too is a ball dominant 2 guard.

[D.o.s.]

Not ready to blame Rondo ......

He is on the wrong team yet again.

That kind of says something about Rondo's true talent level, though, doesn't it? A truly great player will be able to fit in just about any system. But Rondo has so many weaknesses (not discounting his many strengths) that he can really only fit in with teams that cater to his strengths. 

The people over on MavsMoneyball are absolutely ripping him apart right now. To hear them tell it, no one even guards Rondo on the floor because his shot is so off right now. Hopefully Rondo will regain some of the stuff that made him so great but I think the injuries have really taken a toll on him. He's just not the same explosive guy that he used to be.

I'm getting mega flashbacks from this post.

[D.o.s.]

let's see, another rondo thread.

similar arguments to the other 23,847 rondo threads, same cast of characters playing the same roles, abundant data, "definitive "info, stats galore, a plethora personal slights, numerous accusations, and no one has changed their mind.

so, it's business as usual here at cb.

am i on target?

Also this is the best post in the thread.

[Rondo9]

I keep hearing about Rondo's defensive contribution somehow balancing out his poor offense. If the Mavericks were satisfied with that, they could have just found a good defender as they are easier to acquire. Or, they could have done nothing and just kept their pick and Wright which would have helped their bench depth. 

I also keep hearing that Rondo will turn it up in the playoffs, but what if they don't make it or their seed is so low that they get killed by a top seed? Don't people see what a backhanded compliment that is? A good player still in his prime age is supposed to be able to get it up for most of the regular season, not just the playoffs.

Who was avalible?

[Eddie20]

I keep hearing about Rondo's defensive contribution somehow balancing out his poor offense. If the Mavericks were satisfied with that, they could have just found a good defender as they are easier to acquire. Or, they could have done nothing and just kept their pick and Wright which would have helped their bench depth. 

I also keep hearing that Rondo will turn it up in the playoffs, but what if they don't make it or their seed is so low that they get killed by a top seed? Don't people see what a backhanded compliment that is? A good player still in his prime age is supposed to be able to get it up for most of the regular season, not just the playoffs.

Who was avalible?

CJ Watson is a good defensive PG and can hit the open shot. He probably would've been had for a 2nd rd pick and the Mavs wouldn't have lost their depth. Thankfully for us, they paid based on reputation, not actual recent performance.

[obnoxiousmime]

I keep hearing about Rondo's defensive contribution somehow balancing out his poor offense. If the Mavericks were satisfied with that, they could have just found a good defender as they are easier to acquire. Or, they could have done nothing and just kept their pick and Wright which would have helped their bench depth. 

I also keep hearing that Rondo will turn it up in the playoffs, but what if they don't make it or their seed is so low that they get killed by a top seed? Don't people see what a backhanded compliment that is? A good player still in his prime age is supposed to be able to get it up for most of the regular season, not just the playoffs.

Who was avalible?

How about Iman Shumpert?

[TA9]

I've read that alot of the Dallas fans are angry with the trade given that Rondo isn't producing on the offensive end and that the trade depleted their bench.
Based on the game from last night against Houston I actually think that Rondo is playing OK right now. He did struggle mightly on the offensive end going 0-7 all night, but he did a great job on the defensive end covering Harden and limiting him to only 17 point. He still isn't connecting too well with his teammates, but I think that Rondo will come around sometime before the playoffs..

[GreenFaith1819]

I firmly believe that "IF" DAL falters in the playoffs OR don't make the playoffs, Rajon Rondo will be only a SMALL part of the blame.

BUT - he will take the brunt of the blame, from some DAL fans and from some Celtics fans, too.

Some won't look at the fact that their awful defensive ranking (like in the upper 20's ranking, as per the Starters on NBATV) went up to like top 5 once Rondo got onboard.

Some will give Irk Nowitzki (As in NO "D") a free pass. He's DAL, and can do no wrong, unfortunately. Some will ignore that even when Irk was in his prime, he was perhaps an AVERAGE defender, at best.

Some will give the coach a free pass. It is the coach's responsibility to make sure the pieces fit.

Some will give Chandler Parsons a free pass. He is no defensive stalwart, either. BUT - he can score, which enamors him to some.

So, you have Irk and Parsons as your Book-End Forwards, and Tyson Chandler in the middle. He and Rondo are "IT" for defense for DAL. Tyson still has a lot to offer, but certainly his window is closing. He is NOT the Tyson from 10-11.

So, if the unfortunate happens, Rondo will be the whipping boy. LarBrd33 and a few others will be hovering overhead, like vultures waiting for the injured/hurt to succumb. He will catch flak from CBlog AND DAL, of course.

And Irk will get a free pass.



For me, I wish Rondo the very best, and will definitely appreciate the good times in Green (and hopefully in BLUE, too)

And THIS STARTING FIVE never lost a series.