Why do people think Rondo and Harden can't play together?

Coz they can't.
Idk bcoz people say they need the ball on their hands most of the time.

Maybe they could if harden would let the point guard do the work. Plus it would be easier for him to get shots instead of working to get open. But idk really.

 

Heh? What's stopping Harden from focusing on his defense now? Being too tired on offense is no excuse, especially of lat when they force feed D12 down low. Sure it' true with Rondo he won't have to handle the ball as much, but the same can be said when Lin's in the game. THe bottom line is Harden doesnt want to play off the ball.

Are Bev and Lin that much better a shooter? Of course!, Especially from three, Rondo can't even shoot the 3. Lin/Bev hit more 3's in a month than Rondo does an entire season.

The only way it works is if Harden changes his game and takes orders from the PG which he won't. If Rondo rubs a guy as selfless as Ray Allen the wrong way, how is Harden gonna react when he starts shouting plays and telling Harden where to go on the floor? Disaster waiting to happen.

 

Because they are on different teams.

 

Because Rondo is on the Celtics and Harden is on the Rockets otherwise I's sure they'd be able to play together.

 

Because Rondo is not coming in HTown.

 

I doubt we get Rondo (and I was optimistic we'd get Dwight....heck, I called it), but he would improve more of the Rockets offensive problems than he would create so long as we surround him, Dwight, and Harden with shooters. Sign Ray Allen?

 

times when rondo is handling the ball it would be fine, because teams must pay attention to his ability to penetrate the defense with the ball. but when harden's orchestrating, i could just see teams doubling him up off of rondo because they know rondo can't stick an open J.

 

Showing your true colours.

Spoiler

Who do you think you are to be calling out clutch in other threads when you offer nothing to the garm in comparison

 

Because Harden wants the ball in his hands at all times. Not a knock on him because that's his game; give him the ball and let him do his thing. And to take away his ability to be playmaker would be horrible. Look at what happened in LA last year with Nash and Kobe. Kobe is a ball dominant guard which made Nash and all of his brilliance for playmaking as a spot up shooter and we all don't want Rondo to spot up.

On paper, pairing a superstar scorer and arguably the best playmaker in the backcourt would be deadly but this isn't 2K. It would work if Rondo could shoot but he can't. And unless James turns into a player that wants to finish plays and not start them.

 

The reason why people assume that Rondo and Harden do NOT fit together is any way for them to fit successfully ASSUMES that Harden changes HIS game and the Rockets re-tool the offense to fit Rondo.

When assessing fit, the MOST accurate way in terms of predictive success is how they *already* play, not how they can Theoretically play.

Could you turn Kobe into a great Point Guard? Maybe. However, that's at best a GUESS and a waste of his already established skill set.
Could you turn Kobe into a great 3 point catch and shoot player? Maybe. However, that's at best a GUESS and a waste of his already established skill set.

For Rondo to fit, you have to make a TON of assumptions...

1) That Harden will alter his game to let Rondo remain ball dominant. That he will be comfortable becoming a jump shooter, or letting Rondo pound the rock and find him with short time on the shot clock.
2) That the Rockets will alter their offense to FIT Rondo's lack of perimeter shooting
3) That Rondo will make more rapid decisions versus pounding the rock down to 6s before passing it to a jump shooter.
4) That Rondo's ability to find shooters in the mid-range (Pierce, Allen, KG) will translate well into an outside perimeter heavy offense
5) That Rondo's well acknowledged interpersonal issues will NOT create substantial friction in the locker room and undermine chemistry
6) That Rondo will play at the same Elite level post knee surgery and an extreme long lay off

In other words, the reason why people are skeptical of Rondo + Harden is because until Now, throughout BOTH of their careers, there is nothing Obvious that you can point to and say, "Oh, they would fit SO well together!".

Does that mean it's impossible? Of course not. However, if you're going to bet on something, it's usually better to bet on something that you can SEE will fit rather than betting on something that only works by grabbing a Hammer and making them fit.

 

"People" believe that Harden needs a spot up shooter. If Lin and Bev aren't good enough, no way Rondo should be consider.

 

B-b-b-b-b-b-but... superstar!

 

lol dam this was my answer

 

According to posters here, Lin doesn't fit together with Harden because he's ... well... Lin. Rondo fits with Harden because he's not Lin.

Even though everything suggests Lin would actually be a much better fit with Harden than Rondo.

Lin is:

1. Willing to play off the ball and let Harden handle most of the time.
2. Much better shooter.
3. Much less of a diva, won't get into fights with Harden.

But omg Rondo is superstar swoons.

 

I'll turn this question around.

Why do people think Rondo and Harden can play together?

Because they are running out of options of PGs that are better or not a big drop-off from Lin at a reasonable salary that is known to be 'potentially' available. And they can see Beverley, while being a good player at a great contract, is not the solution at starting PG.

So they need Rondo. Even if it's unlikely to work.

 

Harden is our PG. Get that straight.

 

1) If you want a driver/kicker-outer, you already have Lin on the team. Lin is one of the best drivers in the league. And he's a far better 3pt shooter than Rondo, which is an important trait to have on this team.

2) Howard refused to play P&R on the Lakers with Nash and Kobe, and there's been very little P&R with either Harden or Lin this season with the Rockets. But Rondo is going to suddenly change this because, um, uh, geez...

I wouldn't mock this idea so much if not for the fact that some of its biggest proponents are the same people who have been so adamant about refusing to give Lin a chance to play the exact same role that Rondo would theoretically play on the Rockets.

These people don't even want to give Lin a chance to work with Harden, yet at the prospect of Rondo, they want Harden to completely alter his game and for the team to completely change its identity. Because superstar.