http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=ford_chad#20060522 Draft: Rondo coming back aroundposted Monday, May 22, 2006 It looks like Rajon Rondo is back. Rondo started the season ranked as the No. 5 prospect in our Top 100 and saw his stock slide throughout the season when he couldn't hit a shot, got benched by his coach and watched Kentucky's season fall apart. By the end of the season he had slipped all the way to No. 20 on our board. Since then he's been working out with Tim Grover in Chicago, trying to regain the confidence he once lost and working on his jump shot Last week, the Rockets and Suns got a look at the new and improved Rondo. The results were impressive. Sources in both Houston and Phoenix told Insider this weekend that Rondo really stood out in workouts. On Friday Rondo worked out in Houston with Randy Foye, Darius Washington and Daniel Gibson. On Saturday he worked out in Phoenix with Guillermo Diaz, Hassan Adams and Daniel Horton. "He was really, really good," a Phoenix source told Insider. "He's so quick, it's ridiculous. He got to the rim at will today. He didn't shoot it particularly well but did everything else that you could ask a point guard to do in a workout. And he did it extremely well." The feedback from Houston wasn't quite as effusive, but the consensus there was that he showed everything that you'd want out of a point guard -- quickness, speed, poise, defensive tenacity and good decision-making. While he struggled shooting during live play, his jump shot looked good in drills and it was clear his stroke was improving. "The blessing and problem with Rondo is his huge hands," a Houston source said. "All of the really great point guards have great hands. It gives him a great, steady handle. He can go two weeks without mishandling the ball. However, it messes up his shot. His hands are so big, they kind of cup the ball, which makes it harder to release. However, I think he can overcome that with more practice." Both teams were blown away his elite athleticism and the way he uses it on the court. "There may be one or two guys in the draft who are more athletic than Rondo," the Suns source said. "But no one in the draft has incorporated their athleticism into their basketball game the way he has." Both sources said they were impressed with Rondo as a person, which is a positive development considering some of the rumors floating around about difficult to coach he was at Kentucky. And both sources said they'd be willing to look beyond his shooting woes. "He can learn how to shoot, at least enough to keep people honest," the Houston source said. "He may never be a great shooter, but he just needs to have the confidence to take shots when he has the space. If he gets that, the rest of the package is there." What does that mean for Rondo's draft stock? The Suns source said they didn't think there was any way he'd be on the board when Phoenix drafts at No. 21. He felt that Rondo could go as high as No. 7 to Boston, saying he was a perfect fit for the team Ainge was trying to build. The Rockets source indicated that Rondo was in the mix at No. 8, though he added it was still very early in the process and Houston would be looking at a number of other prospects, including our top-rated point guard, Marcus Williams of UConn, in the next few weeks. Here's a breakdown of how other players in the workouts performed. Randy Foye: Foye drew very positive reviews out of Houston. What stood out, I'm told, was his physical strength and power. The comparisons to Luther Head are accurate in a lot of ways, I'm told, but Foye is much stronger and has a quicker first step. The source in Houston felt he's probably a lock for the Top 10 based on what he saw, though he might not be as great a fit in Houston because of the plethora of combo guards on the roster. Daniel Gibson: Gibson showed great speed and shooting ability, but the consensus was that he really needs another year in school to work on his point guard skills. One source said, "He really needs to be a point guard in the pros and I think another year at Texas would help him get there. With that said, I think there's no question he'll be in the league for a long time. He's got too much talent." Darius Washington: Washington has good power and quickness, but needs work on his point guard skills. According to a source, "He's got a lot of potential, but his game isn't really suited to running the point right now and that's a concern." Washington was told he'd be better served returning to Memphis for another year. Guillermo Diaz: The Suns source called him the "Puerto Rican Steve Francis," a skilled combo guard who tested even better than Rondo in the athletic drills they ran. Diaz also shot the ball very well in the workouts. He blew the Suns away with his vertical jump, touching the 12-foot mark. The source said he's seen only two Suns -- Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw -- do that. Given that Diaz is only about 6-2 or 6-3, that's pretty amazing. While he measured a little small, the Suns source said they were really impressed with Diaz as a person. I was told, "He's an unbelievable kid -- the type of kid who's going to continue to work on his game. I think he's going to get better by leaps and bounds." Hassan Adams: He also had a good workout. He was very physical and also showed excellent athleticism. While Adams is very raw offensively, the source said he'll find a place in the league -- "He's so athletic and strong, he can shut down just about anyone on the defensive end." Daniel Horton: He also received props from the Suns source, who said Horton played really well against the three more athletic opponents. Horton shot the ball well and played good defense. "He doesn't do anything spectacular," the Suns source said. "But if he can prove he's a point guard, I think he's got a chance."
Good article to read, though the above does seem kind of contradictory (unless Diaz is that one guy more athletic than Rondo...)
Thats funny cause my friend who was doing some work for the Comets last week told me the same thing about Rondo's hands. He said his hands are huge especially for a point guard.
This article makes me happy. So far the early news coming out about the rox draft plan = bpa over need. We'll see whether or not that comes to pass, but the fact that they aren't myopic like a lot of people on this board and haven't penciled us in to grabbing a sg or pf is encouraging.
The Rockets never let on who they are interested in, if they say they are, that more than likely means they are not. DD
PG with huge hands with great handles and decision making but struggles with the shot -- hmm. That's not necessarily a bad thing. John Stockton (who immediately comes to mind when I think of PG with huge hands) wasn't a great shooter in college or early in his career. He shot 72% from the free throw line in college and only 74% his rookie year. I haven't seen Rondo play, but the description given is definitely intriguing. If we are drafting 9 to 11, that may not be a bad pick.
I'm sorry, but I don't get the idea of drafting a PG when we have a huge hole as SG, no backup at SF, and we're weak at PF. If you're drafting Randy Foye or Marcus Williams ahead of Rodney Carney, they need to be rated twice as high as Carney on your board. If you think those guys are just a little bit better than Carney, then draft for need. Really, if neither Roy or Gay fall to 8, and we pass on Carney, who do we play at SG/SF besides McGrady? Head? Bogans? Sura? A second round pick? That cupboard is very, very bare. And I don't see any quality swingman on the FA market who would play for the MLE.
I am shocked that the Rockets are considering using their first selection on a Point Guard. I thought we needed a PowerForward, A Big Shooting Guard and a three point shooting Small Forward before adding another Point Guard, especially if James comes back into the fold.
It's probably because they want Luther Head as the back-up SG. If we draft a SG, he'd have to be behind Luther in the rotation. If we draft a PG, Luther can stay at his role and not have to have PG duties.
But who knows what plans the organization has for Swift, Luther, etc. If we trade for New Jersey's two first rounders, for example. If we trade up, or down. Other than center and small forward, the team sucks. We have backup talent and that's it.
Swift would be great in New Jersey, a player who could get up and down and compliment that team. In Houston, he is not so good, well as long as JVG is here. DD
New Jersey? Maybe you're confusing the old USFL NJ Generals with the Washington Generals ? He'd fit into Red Klotz' system like clockwork. As for JVG's system - yup, effort, intensity, and non-stupidity are beyond his skill-set at the moment. Bad fit. Only plodders like Camby can do well in it.
Let's talk more about the only guy mentioned that Houston might draft, Hassan Adams. It's going to be tough for him to fall past those late first round teams, especially since athletes like him will perform well at the combines and boost their stock. He is a priority! Priorities: Shooting Perimeter defense Size in the backcourt
LOL - you are so reaching dude. It is clear that Stro has some motivational problems, and seems to play MUCH better when he gets to run and touch the ball on offense. In New Jersey with JASON FRICKEN KIDD, he would get that chance, he would be up and down and that is his game. In Houston, he is lost on offense, and even worse on defense, and his effort seems to be directly a result of whether he gets involved in offense. He just doesn't fit. DD
DD, this whole post is a very long way of saying "he's great at dunking an nothing else but I don't care because I want to blame somebody" Too many people tend to give too much credit to players like Kidd, Nash, etc and assume that you could just put anybody who can run and jump and they become an all star. (EDIT: didn't exactly work with your buddy Bostjan Nachbar, did it?) Not true. Like I've said before, would Texans DE Mario Williams be good if he played with Kidd? Sure, all he can due is run and jump and I'm assuming he can't shoot, but he's 6-8 and a good athlete, why not? How bout Vince Young? HE's got some size, hops and athleticism. I don't know why you think Mike D'Antoni or Lawrence Frank would tolerate a guy who makes bone-headed mistake after bone headed mistake and mails it in on the defensive end. I don't think Kidd or nash or Colangelo or Thorn would either. It's quite possible that Kidd or Nash would help his game, indirectly, if he perhaps tapped into some confidence/effort reserve that he has, throughout what, 5-6 years now in the league, let languish in Memphis (primarily, under a variety of different coaches, under a variety of systems, with a variety of players) and lately in Houston (where JVG is now KILLING HIS GAME, lol, as if it was so alive before ) . But to think that they'd keep him from making silly turnovers, from sleeping on defense, and from just not seeming to care very much - well it's simply not credible and there's not much rational basis for it. Even if it were true - only 7% of the NBA plays with Kidd or Nash at any given time. So you really can't judge players because they'd function well with one or two players out of the several hundred that are in the NBA. And finally you're back in the "blame JVG for everything club". This club should have a revolving door with your name on it. Sometimes you're there (2004) sometimes you're out (2005) then you're in again (now). I'm not going to re-invent the wheel cause this has all been re-hashed before and it's not going to get you off the flip-flop train, but if you think JVG and his "system" doesn't allow for up-tempo basketball - you've got selective amnesia. See 2005 houston or 1999 New York. I agree that JVG has made mistakes and isn't perfect, but if you're just going to revert back to knee-jerk numb-nuttery and start sounding like some other posters in this regard - then your comments become a joke. Swift even before this season was a bust, relative to where he was drafted. Thinking that JVG made him one is just plain idiotic.
Stockton shot 47% as a rookie and went up from there spending most of his career over 50%. He took very few threes his first three years but after that (when his minutes jumped up) he took more and generally shot well. To me that seems more about confidence and rythym than anything else because you generally don't see someone come in with no distance shot at all come close to averaging 40% over 19 years. Kidd, for example, couldn't shoot (short or long) when he came in and 11 years later he still can't.
