Say, What About Rondo?

[ABM]

Think he'd look good in a Blazer uni? I'd say YES!

Apparently, he's enduring some type of fallout in beantown.

From: HoopsVibe

I sit here and wonder if the Boston Celtics’ P.R. guy took the day off yesterday when Danny Ainge made his appearance on the “Dennis & Callahan” show. Typically, and forgive me if I’m wrong here, if media outlets have been reporting a rift between a star player and the front office, you’d want to defuse the situation. Trade rumors have been flying around regarding Rajon Rondo, and meanwhile, Ainge goes onto the Boston radio show and flat out blasts his starting point guard.

Ainge, in a nutshell, said Rondo needs to grow up and was the reason the Orlando Magic put away the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. On top of that, he made it known that a rift exists between Rondo and head coach Doc Rivers. He made the insinuation, and now it’s too easy for people like us to run with it. Now, Danny Ainge may be right about certain things, but it still doesn’t mean you should air your team’s dirty laundry for anybody to hear. I guarantee if Rondo goes on talk radio and blasts his general manager then the whole sports world would be all over him.

The whole point is you should keep these things behind closed doors. And never insinuate a player’s weaknesses cost your club a playoff series. Is there truth to it? Sure, but the Celtics don’t even get that far if Rondo isn’t averaging a triple-double. That’s fact.

Rajon Rondo’s agent, Bill Duffy, has similar thoughts on the Boston Celtics general manager:

“I am just surprised Danny is speaking, even if he considers it constructively, in a public setting about Rondo” Duffy would go on by saying, “I don’t think that it’s appropriate to say that about one of your top players. Even if it’s spoken constructively, I don’t think it should be done in public. I don’t think Ainge would like it if Celtics managing partner Wyc Grousbeck was talking about him in public”

I hope Mr. Ainge is done with any thoughts of trading Rondo, because all leverage is officially out the window.

 

[cdub503]

wow what a dumbass now gms will be goin after rondo for peanuts probably haha blake/outlaw claver for rondo and a bad contract?!

 

[Nikolokolus]

I like Rondo's game (love it in fact), I think he's got top five point guard potential (top 3 even) and it looks like there's real opportunity to prise him loose for pennies on the dollar if you really pushed to get him ... but something I can't quite put my finger on, some gut level feeling tells me bringing him in could be a real disaster on a young team without a lot of strong veterans (like Allen, Garnett and Pierce in Boston). I'm not saying KP shouldn't get him, but you'd better be damn sure your roster has a strong enough identity of its own and strong enough locker room leaders to bring in a player that could end up being a net negative, despite all of his talent.

This feels like a pass for me.

 

[Minstrel]

I'd love to acquire Rondo unless Pritchard and his staff felt that he simply couldn't co-exist with other people. I think Roy has established himself as enough of a leader and these players have been together enough that an outsider wouldn't be devisive. And Rondo's talent is big-time.

Ultimately, though, I'd trust Pritchard's judgment on it, since I know nothing about Rondo the person.

 

[illmatic99]

Doc Rivers is no Sarge.

Nate may not be heralded on the technical sides of the game, but he sure as hell can whip guys into line.

 

[Idog1976]

You have to consider it with Rondo but who could Portland offer them? I suppose Bayless, Outlaw and Martell? Something like that? I still feel like I prefer Sessions just because something about Rondo concerns me right now.

 

[BIG Q]

I think the problem is that the big three geezers all feel threatened by a young stud playing so well. They would probably rather he schlepped their bags, brought them donuts and let them dunk him in the ice tub. The fact that Ainge and Doc are throwing him under the bus just goes to show how affraid of losing their jobs they are if KG goes to the owner. They have to massage his balls as he was the one who won the title for them, saving their jobs.

I would love it if Rondo told them to fuck off, trade me. Tell them he will never re-sign there. He has at least 24 other teams knowing he is an upgrade over their current starting PG.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

This whole situation seems strange; sure , Ainge is maybe not the brightest GM around (although how many GM's have won a championship?) but why would he do such a stupid thing? What else is going on here? If there weren't also trade rumors, you might think it was a way to motivate, but there are those trade rumors, so what else could it be? Is he trying to entice trading partners by pointing out superficial problems that others think can be overcome? Is there really some other more substantial problem? Pure speculation of course, but something just doesn't feel right.

 

[Tyler_Hansbrough]

Real tough call. If we could trade Blake and Outlaw for him, I would rather do that then for Kirk.

 

[hasoos]

Rondo is also a top 5 asshole who team mates hate playing with.

 

[tlongII]

I don't want Rondo. Dude can't shoot.

 

[Sinobas]

Do his teammates really hate him? Why'd Ainge say he cost him the series? He was INSANE in the playoffs, almost averaging a triple double. I think Boston lost because Orlando was a flat out better team. Boston barely beat the Chicago Bulls for crying out loud.

Outlaw, Bayless, Blake, some draft picks, and our trade exception, for Rondo, Scalabrine, Tony Allen.

We'd still have some money left over to get a vet like McDyess.

Do you guys think Bayless could develop into a stronger Rajon Rondo type? They both struggle with their jump shot, but Bayless had a good one in college, whereas Rondo only shot 30% from 3pt range in college. He also was not very productive his rookie year(and shot just 41% from the field), but really came on in his 2nd.

 

[hasoos]

Do his teammates really hate him? Why'd Ainge say he cost him the series? He was INSANE in the playoffs, almost averaging a triple double. I think Boston lost because Orlando was a flat out better team. Boston barely beat the Chicago Bulls for crying out loud.

Outlaw, Bayless, Blake, some draft picks, and our trade exception, for Rondo, Scalabrine, Tony Allen.

We'd still have some money left over to get a vet like McDyess.

Well you know what it's pretty easy to put up some numbers if you have talent and your selfish. What I am amazed about is that you can't read through the lines about Ainge's comments. Does Danny Ainge seem like the type of guy to you that would go out of his way to bad mouth a player? Did he ever do anything like that here in Portland? The answer is no.

I'll give it to you that Rondo played very insane in the series. But he was also very selfish. Many times down the stretch he chose to make the Rondo play instead of the right play.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

It really is unclear what Ainge thinks he's doing. Does he think he's Phil Jackson, master of the public slam to prod a player to work harder?

If he does decide to offload Rondo, I would hope we'd be first in line. Or maybe we could engineer a three way: Rondo to Minny, Rubio to us, some of our non-big-three to Boston. They're one of the few teams that might actually see Steve Blake as an asset rather than a simple throw-in. And hasn't Ainge often been rumored to like Outlaw?

 

[Uther TheGardener]

lol this just shows that the KG and Allen trades were done by Stern not ainge...

 

[LittleAlex]

Even if Boston absolutely hates Rondo, they aren't going to give him away.

No combination of Blake, Outlaw, Martell, + draft picks is going to bring back a guy who really is better then all of that put together. The very least I could see Boston taking would be Rudy + Batum + Bayless. Even then they would probably say no.

They are going to want a young borderline super star for Rondo. Portland doesn't have one it can afford to trade.

 

[44Thrilla]

"I think we value Rondo more than anybody else in the league values him and we know everything about him — all the good and the bad that comes with a 23-year-old kid who’s been put in a pressure kicker," said Ainge. " I don’t know if we said he had a bad attitude. I think he needs to mature, like we talked about. But I like Rondo’s attitude. I like Rondo’s competitive spirit. I think the kid, he’s late for a playoff game — we’re not going to condemn him for the rest of his life. We took care of it and it’s over…I’m amazed at how people want to take the little things and blow them out of proportion."

Ainge also said once again that he does not plan — or want — to trade the 23-year-old.

"We never had any intention of trading Rondo — or Paul Pierce, or Kevin Garnett, or any of our core players, Ray Allen — unless something absolutely blows you away. It is my responsibility to listen and take calls and have discussions to see what those conversations may be," added Ainge. "He’s going to get better. He’s going to get older, and get more experience. And he’s going to be a terrific point guard for the Celtics in the NBA for a long time."

http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/...6/26/danny-ainge-rajon-rondo-on-the-big-show/

"We’re not trading Rondo," Ainge said. "We love Rondo. We always have. He’s not perfect. He’s a young player that has to get better. We just don’t like it when you’re late."

http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/...tics/2009/06/26/danny-were-not-trading-rondo/

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

GM talk.

Kevin Pritchard said over and over that we weren't trading Zach Randolph. "He's a huge part of our future," he told ESPN.

A week later Zach was a New York Knick.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Do his teammates really hate him?

The ONLY evidence for this is direct from Doc Rivers, and it doesn't say his current ones do. Rivers said that in Rondo's rookie year (when the Celtics were shit) he took Rondo aside because he was being very intolerant of his teammates screw ups and told him "you do know that your teammates hate playing with you"? And as Rivers told it, Rondo was shocked and really changed his ways. Some web site recently pulled up that reference and splashed a "RONDO'S TEAMMATES HATE HIM!" headline, with only that old story as evidence. Worked on hasoos, apparently.

Why'd Ainge say he cost him the series?

I would like to know what Ainge ACTUALLY said. It's implied that he implied it. And that's a double implication, so it may cancel itself out.

He was INSANE in the playoffs, almost averaging a triple double. I think Boston lost because Orlando was a flat out better team. Boston barely beat the Chicago Bulls for crying out loud.

Well, that second part is pretty damning. But then again, it wasn't like Ray Allen (for example) wasn't getting shots... But any time a team has to give serious minutes to Brian Scalabrine is in trouble.

Do you guys think Bayless could develop into a stronger Rajon Rondo type?

Erm... No.

Rajon Rondo is a physical freak: his arms are ridiculously long and he has HUGE hands (which is probably part of his shooting struggles).

A player who has the physical tools to be the next Rondo is Brandon Jennings, but he's even slighter.

 

[44Thrilla]

GM talk.

Kevin Pritchard said over and over that we weren't trading Zach Randolph. "He's a huge part of our future," he told ESPN.

A week later Zach was a New York Knick.

Yes, if HOOPSVIBE says he's going to be trading, we MUST believe them. I agree 100%.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

This is the type of player that destroys chemistry something KP has worked hard to build. The kidd can flat out play but I'd pass.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Even if Boston absolutely hates Rondo, they aren't going to give him away.

Then they might want to stop trashing him in public.

They are going to want a young borderline super star for Rondo. Portland doesn't have one it can afford to trade.

Sing with me: You Can't Always Get What You Want.

Ainge has been shopping Rondo around and asking ridiculous things and has been turned down. (The Rondo + Allen for the Entire Detroit Pistons Franchise was the best.) Maybe that's why he's backtracked on the insults. Might be too late, though. His agent is pretty pissed already, and might tell Rondo that his rep will be trashed if he stays. And it's not like, if Rondo holds out, the Celtics can wait him out. Their window is NOW.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

This is the type of player that destroys chemistry something KP has worked hard to build. The kidd can flat out play but I'd pass.

And you know this because...?

 

[44Thrilla]

Then they might want to stop trashing him in public.

Do you consider this "trashing"?

With Rajon Rondo's name continually popping up in trade rumors, Celtics president Danny Ainge spoke once again this morning about his point guard, stressing his value to the team while also saying "he's got to grow up" in some areas and making other critical comments.

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Speaking this morning on WEEI's "Dennis and Callahan" program, Ainge said Rondo needed to take more of a leadership role and revealed the 23-year-old was fined for showing up late to a playoff game.

"We expect him to play by the rules and be a leader as a point guard. We need him to be more of a leader," Ainge said. "There were just a couple situations where he was late this year, I don't know if he was sitting in his car, but showed up late and the rest of the team was there. We have team rules and you have to be on time. He was fined for being late, he said he was stuck in traffic, and it's just unacceptable."

Ainge was also critical of Rondo's play during the Celtics' second-round loss to the Magic.
"As we saw in the Orlando series, they left him wide open," Ainge said. "His presence hurt us in winning right now because his man went and doubled onto Ray [Allen] and Paul [Pierce] and made it difficult for us."

Ainge said Rondo still hasn't fully matured.

"He's got to grow up in some cases, and I think he is, too," Ainge said. "Slowly but surely Rondo is maturing. He's getting a little bit more control over his emotions and he's responding in a more positive way as he gets older and more mature in the league. We certainly would not trade him because of those things. ... We really need him as our point guard to be a leader than someone who thinks more of himself at times."

Ainge's comments were not entirely negative. When asked if Rondo was one of the top handful of point guards in the league, Ainge said he was "in the conversation" and "in the top 10 for sure". He also stressed again that the Celtics were not looking to run Rondo out of town.

"Rondo certainly is not a disruptive force on our team," Ainge said. "He’s a dynamic player and we love the kid. We’re not looking to trade Rondo because he was late for a playoff game or because he’s got some growing up to do. Some of our 30-year-old players have growing up to do as well. ... I think a lot of people are making something out of nothing that’s really there."

Rondo is still on a rookie contract, but his deal can be extended before the end of October. If the Celtics haven't reached an agreement with Rondo by then he will become a restricted free agent after next season, but Boston will have the chance to match any offer he may get. Rondo could be difficult for the Celtics to re-sign for salary cap reasons. Rondo has said he hopes to be a maximum-contract player.

"I think it's a good goal for Rondo to have just from a monetary standpoint, but to be that kind of player that warrants a max contract -- I certainly don't see Rondo as a max-contract player today," Ainge said. "Next summer is a summer where we'll probably have to make some financial decisions on Rondo if we don't come to a conclusion this summer."

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2009/06/ainge_critical.html

 

[1 Eye Jack]

And you know this because...?

I can only go off what has been mentioned in the papers and the fact they are even considering trading a player that almost averaged a triple double in the playoffs. That should be a "red flag".....I hate passing on a player with his talent but IMO I'd pass.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Do you consider this "trashing"?

No, I call that "shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted".

I also call it "not something a GM should say in public about his own players, however true it might be".

We had a GM who used to say stuff like that to the press. His name was John Nash.

 

[44Thrilla]

I can only go off what has been mentioned in the papers and the fact they are even considering trading a player that almost averaged a triple double in the playoffs. That should be a "red flag".....I hate passing on a player with his talent but IMO I'd pass.

haha nothing has been written in the papers about that, as Rasta just summarized perfectly. And most of the trade rumors have been from weak sources.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I can only go off what has been mentioned in the papers

Which was?

and the fact they are even considering trading a player that almost averaged a triple double in the playoffs. That should be a "red flag".....I hate passing on a player with his talent but IMO I'd pass.

On THAT BASIS ALONE? Talk about a quitter! It better say that he killed someone in those papers you read.

 

[44Thrilla]

No, I call that "shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted".

I also call it "not something a GM should say in public about his own players, however true it might be"

I don't know, Ainge is pretty open about all of his players. I listen to him give an hour long radio interview every week and that goes right along with the kind of stuff he will say about any player. He even made it sound like KG could play if he really wanted to, in the playoffs.

Another thing that you have to consider is that Rondo wants a max extension, so Ainge could be trying to bring his value down across the league. I'm not sure it's that complex, more likely he's just a little too chatty with the media.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

haha nothing has been written in the papers about that, as Rasta just summarized perfectly. And most of the trade rumors have been from weak sources.

I guess I believe where there's smoke theres fire. To many reports and Ainges comments make me believe he's considering trading him. "If" it's true then I would be very concerned about trading for him, especially with the amount of talent they are going to want in return.