Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics

I hate to take away from Nick's pending wedding, but I'm pretty sure he want me to post this. So congrats Nick and enjoy:

This morning I caught Rajon Rondo on the Dennis and Callahan show responding to swirling trade rumors. Supposedly Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins are also on the block. Now as Wyc Grousbeck recently said on the Dale and Holley show phones calls and discussions happen all of the time in the NBA. Of course that’s what any savvy owner would say. Still, initially I was a little taken back by the rumors, as I’ve grown attached to this team over the last two years. Yet I like the fact that Danny Ainge is always thinking about how to prevent the C’s recent revival from being a flash in the pan. In order to be good over the next 5 years the Celtics are going to have to make some hard decisions. They have to decide who gets paid. And at the heart of it’s the delicate line professional sports teams walk right now. When it comes down to it fans in the 21st century are rooting for the jersey. But it still helps to follow guys over the course of several seasons. Ultimately this is a Rajon Rondo post, but I’d like to make three points regarding all of these rumors before delving into the numerous points of information that have surfaced about the former Kentucky point guard.

1. Kevin Garnett’s health or lack thereof hangs over all of this. I’m even more convinced than I was in January that if healthy the C’s could have made a hell of a run at the championship in 2009. I’d like to see this team get one more shot at it next year. Of course if KG is not effective, it’s not going to happen.

2. I’ve loved everything Ray Allen has brought to the C's. He’s been unselfish, professional and at times an assassin. I understand that he may have to be traded or not resigned after next season. But I don’t want the C’s to align themselves for one of the marquee 2010 guys and miss out on acquiring someone. I honestly don’t see LeBron or Wade ending up in Boston. And I’m not sold on Bosh. Wait and see I guess.

3. I’m a huge fan of Perkins. I know people outside of Boston can’t stand him, but it’s been awesome to watch his growth as a player. Just know that moving him will make things more difficult for KG.

On to Rondo…

Point One: Rondo is somewhere between stubborn/difficult and uncoachable.

- This notion has been floating around over the last few days and I just don’t buy it. Granted if memory serves that was the word out of Kentucky and Rondo slipped in the draft as a result. I’m positive that a lot more goes on behind closed doors than we’ll ever know. And I don’t doubt that Rondo and Doc Rivers disagree frequently. But how can you explain Rondo’s improvement over the past few seasons? He fits within Boston’s systems and can’t be doing this all on his own.

Point Two: Rondo was late for a playoff game, showing up an hour before tip off.

- Rondo danced around this a little bit in the Dennis and Callahan show. He never addressed the specific incident, but did admit he hates wasting time in the locker room. He just likes to show up, get dressed and play. In fact at times he’ll get to the game and sit in his car for a half hour before heading in. I’m torn on this one. To be honest it’s a little weird. Granted he’s entitled to his own routine. It just screams a little bit as a guy who is relying heavily on his health and youth. It does shed some light on the final topic.

Point Three: Rondo is not well liked by some of his teammates.

- My initial reaction is, what is this freaking kindergarten? You know who everyone likes? The 15th man on the roster. If they didn’t he be gone. This is the freaking NBA. Being liked isn’t the be all end all. He does not appear to be a cancer and if Rondo is such a jerk why is he in Perk’s wedding later this summer? Still I could see how he might not be buddies with everyone. The guy roller skates a massive amount in the off season and by all account is a little quirky. Still, is the NBA really a league where everyone is buddy buddy.

Point Four: Rondo’s defense suffered when KG went out and Derrick Rose lit him up in round one of the playoffs.

- This one might make me the angriest. You mean Rondo was a better defender when KG was on the floor? I always thought Brian Scalabrine, Glen Davis and Leon Powe brought the exact same defense. Here’s a thought. Paul Pierce was a better defender with KG. And so were Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins. And I bet KG would argue that it’s easier to defend with Rondo and Perk on the floor than say Ervin Johnson and Troy Hudson. And for the record Rose had a huge game one, got burned plenty by Rondo and did not win the series. Finally, Steve Nash has been talked about as a possible replacement. Now there’s a guy who struggles on D. And Nash is also almost exactly 12 years older than Rondo.
Point Five: Rondo is carried by the Big Three.

- As good as Rondo is he’s not at the point where he’s raising teammates’ games like Jason Kidd during his best years with the Nets. Still Rondo brings much needed energy, athleticism and playmaking to the C’s. He’s a rising star at the point guard position and there are not a lot of guys in the league who could do what Rondo does with the C’s, big three or not.

Point Six: He can’t shoot:

- I won’t point to his superb field goal percentage, which is greatly helped by layups and floaters. I don’t even think it’s necessary to delve into his improvement since coming out of Kentucky and all the work he is currently putting in. I’ll just say this. I hate when we focus on what a guy can’t do instead of looking at what they do. How many guys can throw up triple doubles in the playoffs? Not many.

Point Seven: Rondo thinks he’s a max contract guy.

- In the Dennis and Callahan interview Rondo said while he may not be there yet, he’d like to be. It was unclear if he thought he’d be there once his current contract runs out or after his next one. I absolutely love his game but I’m not sold on the max contract. Just because a team has the ability to give a max contract does not mean it should. One needs to only look at division rival Philadelphia, and numerous other teams as well, to see what happens when guys get drastically overpaid.
Point Eight: Overall Rondo is difficult.

- I’ve probably touched on this already. It’s just important to stress that shipping a guy out of town for that reason makes way less sense if Amar’e Stoudemire is on the other end of the deal. I’d like to compare it to the Red Sox letting Mo Vaughn walk and trading for Carl Everett, but Rondo doesn’t deserve to be spoken about in that company. How about the fact that Rondo will be 23 in February? How long did it take Paul Pierce to get it? Guys frequently come into the league, put up stats, get paid, and then figure out what it takes to win as they mature. Rondo has to go through that process as well. I'd hate to see a guy leave town because he's quirky and still maturing.

Clearly I’ve written 1000+ words when I could have gone with three: Don’t Trade Rondo. On the bright side it’s June, the C’s were knocked out in the second round and the NBA season is over. Yet the Celtics got some substantial airtime of late on WEEI. What a difference a few years make. Nothing wrong with that.

Tom Thibodeau: Successor to Doc Rivers?

Clearly other teams in the league aren't appreciating the Tom Thibodeau's talents. Doc Rivers is a devoted family man who says that every year he needs to reevaluate whether or not he wants to continue coaching (it reminds me very much of Tony Dungy). Now that a deal is in the works for Thibodeau to be back, I want to state on record that I think the best plan is for Wyc to reach DEEP into his pockets, and shell out big money for Thibs so that he can be groomed to be Doc's successor.

I really think Doc was the best coach in the NBA this season, no question about it. As far as I'm concerned, his ticket is punched to work here forever. However, if the Cs are able to bring home banner 18 sometime in the next two years, and if PP and KG retire at the end of that run, I wouldn't be surprised to see Doc ride out of town with them. The best thing to help Rondo and Perk lead this team into the future would be to have familiarity with the head coach. If all this happens, and Doc still wants to stay on board, then Thibs will walk and (I would hope) become a head coach elsewhere. This is the risky financial part for Wyc. But, I feel pretty strongly that this would work out well.

Doc: Pierce, Perk, KG All Most Likely Need Surgery

Doc Rivers, on with Dennis and Callahan this morning as he is every week during the season, shed some light on KG's knee, other injuries that impacted the team, and how the team will progress moving forward.

From Green Street

On whether KG's knee is more serious than was reported:

"I don’t think there will be much more (than reported). I think it will be the strained tendon and the bone spur. What they started thinking at the end was that maybe the bone spur had something to do, maybe it started rubbing against the tendon and that’s what kept it inflamed. But they don’t know that. That’s just an assumption."


On other injuries that affected the team and will need to be addressed:

"Ray Allen had a hamstring problem throughout the Orlando series that was not getting better. Paul had some bone spurs that may need to be removed as well. (Kendrick Perkins) may have to have a procedure on his shoulder… In Ray’s case, I thought his hamstring was bothering him a lot. That could have had an effect on him (during the Magic series)."


On the future of he and Thibs with the C's:

on himself: "I have every intention of coming back".

on Thibs: "I hope he’s not back…(The 76ers job) will be a tough one to get. Tom’s not a good guy – he’s a great guy. And he’s a terrific coach. So I’m really pulling for him."



So, let's give a quick rundown of what we've learned:

1) It sounds like all the Celtics really knew was that KG's knee was effed up. There was no specific injury that people were keeping under cover. At no point was he "done for good" and they weren't telling us. If what Doc is saying is true, it sounds like it was really bothering him, and they kept trying it out, and the tendon was too inflamed for him to go. It also sounds like removing that bone spur will be the key to a clean bill of health for the big ticket.

2) Ray's hamstring was bothering him, which surely impacted his shooting (and allowed JJ Redick to stay with him). Paul Pierce had bone spurs in his knee, and may require surgery. We at roomofzen could tell Paul was not healthy, and were wondering about his knees very early in the postseason. I'm not the least bit surprised to learn that. Anybody could tell he was not healthy. Finally, Perk's shoulder, which the trainers were always working on before and during games, clearly didn't affect his overall game. However, I do wonder if there were times (for example, missing three straight layup tries in one posession in game 7) where the combination of the pain and the fatigue was too much for the big man. Luckily, these all sound like issues that can be cleared up in the offseason, and can have all these guys back and as good as new by the pre-season.

3) Doc is a committed family man and his family lives in Orlando, so I always worry about whether or not he will come back. It's great to hear that he'll be back. I truly believe he proved himself to be the best coach in the NBA this season. As far as losing Tom Thibodeau goes, it will be tough. I am going through a similar crisis with my New York Giants losing Steve Spagnuolo. But, this is the circle of life in professional sports. Doc has to be behind him, and so do we. If Doc were trying to convince him to stay, Thibs would start to resent him anyways. Good luck to him. And, besides, as we saw in 2007, it's more about the players than anything. As long as KG is back, I have faith that this team will play some serious D.

Notes on the Boston Celtics

I intended to write this post before the news of Kevin Garnett's continued injury woes surfaced. However, I got distracted and now its inevitable that Doc Rivers' recent take on the situation, "It's just not progressing the way we anticipated it would progress" will linger over the entire post. But here goes.

- Mike Gorman and the ABC crew have done a great job pointing it out, but it deserves my attention. Eddie House has been outrageously hot from deep. Dating back to January 12th, over a 36-game stretch, he's gone 79-152 from beyond the arc. That's 52%. In one 4-game strech he went 7-11 (Miami), 0-1 (Orlando), 7-11 (Dallas) and 8-9 (Sacramento). Factor in the entire Eddie House experience and it has been tremendous to watch. Though I'm rightfully concerned by the Stephon Marbury/House pairing on the defensive end, it's nice to see the former ASU star get minutes at the 2, run off screens, and get it done.

- As well as House has shot he's got nothing on Paul Pierce, who has had some fantastic stretches. I know the game went to overtime and Dwyane Wade didn't suit up, but it doesn't take away from the fact that Pierce was lights out against Miami. He pulled a similar effort in defeat the previous night in Chicago. He's evolved into a tremendous weapon from around the free throw line. Yet Pierce still takes it to the rack and gets to the line. And when KG made his short lived return the Truth immediately worked to get Garnett back in the flow of the offense. Pierce's growth as a player has been rocky and ultimately rewarding.

- A while back Mike Gorman's disdain for Carmelo Anthony's game came through in Boston's trip to Denver. Gorman went as far to say that he wouldn't trade a bag of balls for Anthony. Ignoring the obvious salary cap issues with the proposed deal I was somewhat bothered by the commentary. First of all the Celtics broadcast crew is widely considered to be the most biased in the entire Association. Tommy Heinsohn and Donny Marshall see to that. So I've always relied on Gorman to stay above the fray, provide some objectivity and keep the broadcast from falling into an unmitigated Celtics love fest. That's particularly the case when Marshall is on the air as Heinsohn has earned the right to do whatever he wants given his decade long assocication with the organization. Furthermore, I don't entirely agree with Gorman's assessment. Yes, he knows the players better than I do and has the best seat in the house. However, Carmelo can flat out score. And though he's made it into the headlines for his fair share of idiocy, it's way too early to cut ties with the former Syracuse star. Just look at Pierce's growth and maturation process.

- I might be in the minority on this one, but I was a little disappointed to see Mikki Moore and Stephon Marbury running around in the numbers formerly worn by Big Al and Antoine. Granted the C's have a lot of unavailable numbers. And Jefferson and Walker didn't exactly have the most distinguished careers. I just felt that same way I did when I first saw Rocco Baldelli's rocking Nomar's #5. I'd feel better if those numbers were taken by better players or guys with a future in Boston. In the end it's really a minor thing. More importantly Moore's love of personal fouls and Marbury's inconsistent play have concerned me. Still it's hard to join a team late in the season and there are signs of both guys coming along. And no matter what happens Marbury took a charge against Tim Duncan of all people. True story.

- I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Stan Van Gundy. I tend to agree that he's one of the better coaches in the NBA. I follow the line of thinking that the Shaq feud was pretty one sided and unnecessary on the Diesel's end. Van Gundy's defense of Patrick Ewing/shots at the Knicks caught me off guard. However, it's always admirable to see a head coach try to get his assistants to the next level. In fact it's something that probably doesn't happen enough. So ultimately my hesitation on Van Gundy comes down to 2 things.

1. We'll never know exactly what went down, but he was bounced in Miami by Pat Riley who then took the Heat all the way. Does that happen with Van Gundy? Once again we'll never know. And while Van Gundy has clearly bounced back well, it does linger at least somewhat. Maybe that's just me.

2. Van Gundy was recently critical of Boston and its injuries excuse: "I want to know how some teams get on the list, where they get excuses and other teams are not on that list. All I've been hearing about is all the injury problems the Celtics have had this year." Is he right? Maybe. Still there's no denying that losing KG, Leon Powe and as weird as it may sound Brian Scalabrine has had a noticeable impact. The C's are incredibly thin at the 4 and by extension the 5 as some of the aforementioned guys get minutes at center as well. Factor in Rajon Rondo's ankle issues and that's a legitimate excuse. At the same time every team has injuries. Off the top of my head LA (Andrew Bynum), San Antonio (Manu Ginobili), Orlando (Jameer Nelson), Cleveland (Ben Wallace), Milwaukee (Michael Redd), Philadelphia (Elton Brand), and Washington (Gilbert Arenas) come to mind. The list goes on.

Ultimately I always prefer the Bill Belichick style refusal to even acknowledge injuries. And of course Van Gundy is doing his job attacking the bullies in the East. It just makes me want to see the C's drive the dagger through the Magic even more. That's it for now.

Bring on the King

Everyone expected the Celtics to totally dominate the Hawks in the first round. And, they did when you really look at how the series played out. The average per-game point differential in this series was 12 in favor of the Celtics (game 1- 23, game 2-19, game 3- minus 9, game 4- minus 5, game 5- 25, game 6- -minus 3, game 7- 34). This was the second highest of any of the first round series (12.5- Lakers, 12- Celtics, 9.4- Hornets), which is particularly impressive when you remember that they lost three of those games. The Lakers had the highest average point discrepancy with 12.5, only slightly higher than the Celtics. However, they won every game in their series. If you only look at the four games that Boston won, the average margin of victory was 25.25 points. Total dominance. The truth is that the Hawks never stood a chance in this series. This begs the question of why we all had to suffer through several sleepless nights as we watched this series play out over 7 games. Furthermore, we have to wonder what the Celtics need to do differently as they advance to face more stiff competition. They took a big step towards answering those questions yesterday afternoon.

First, Doc did a much better job of managing the lineup yesterday. He's been completely erratic with his rotations throughout this series. John Hollinger really hammered it home for me yesterday when he pointed out that the Celtics had already used 12 players by the one-minute mark of the second quarter of game 6. There's two big problems there. One, you can't really establish a rhythm when guys are constantly coming in and out. Two, how can you possibly match up with anyone if you're keeping your best players off the floor? Maybe Doc entered the playoffs with the mentality of "if I keep these rotations constant, then my key guys will be more rested deep into the playoffs because they've played less minutes." In theory, that's fine. But, the best way to rest them is to not play every series to 7 games. Yesterday, Doc had the right mindset. It was a must-win, so he played the starters and the essential bench guys (Posey, Powe, Cassell). Not until the game was in hand did we suddenly see the bench emptied. Every game in the playoffs is a must-win. Hopefully, yesterday will be an indication of the gameplan for the rest of the post-season.

Second, A lot of the guys said it yesterday, this team had not played a meaningful game since they played the Hornets about halfway through March. They needed to be slapped around a little bit by this Hawks team before they could regain that intensity. Yesterday's performance was markedly more intense, particularly on the defensive end, than even the other three home games from this series. The Celtics will need to play with that same cut-throat mentality from yesterday if they want to de-throne King James.


Finally, LeBron James is better than Joe Johnson. Perhaps the biggest concern that Celtics fans had during the first round was "if we can't guard Joe Johnson, how are we going to deal with LeBron or Kobe?" That's a good question. I expect that we'll see Pierce on James when these teams tip off, and I also expect that we'll see Posey and (I hope) Tony Allen on him as the game progresses. One nice thing about being so deep is that we can roll out a lot of guys to take fouls and put James on the line, where he struggles. It's going to take a full team effort to stop LeBron, and I have no doubt that the Celtics are up to it. But, it's going to take that intensity that we saw from them in games 5 and 7. There were several times in that Hawks series, particularly in games 3 and 6, where it seemed like the Cs were coming in with the attitude of "alright, we've got these guys on the ropes. They should go down easy." As we head into this second round, that mentality can never enter their minds for a second. They need to always be on the attack, regardless of the situation. LeBron showed us all how dangerous he can be in last year's playoffs. Yesterday's game was a perfect example of how the Celtics need to play if they want to advance to the Conference Finals. It was reported that during a time out in the third quarter, despite a lead that was right around 30 points, Doc Rivers yelled at his team "DON'T LET UP!" They can't let up for a second in this next round. If they do, this 66-win team could end up being nothing more than the next page in King James' scrapbook.