minus the fact he shoots around 50% from the ft line. fantasy stud for steals/assists by the way. so ya i would say he is elite but only in certain categories not for his overall game
i dont understand how people can say cp3 or dwill are mbetter than rondo.. i mean seriously this guy destroyed every team the celtics faced in the playoffs this year..and where does all this rondo is the worst shooter stuff come from? last i checked cp3 isnt much of a three point shooter or midrange shooter either..the only one with a wet shot out of those three is dwill..but he is not a devensive pest like rondo and neither is cp3. wat has cp3 really done? destroy a old and slow jason kidd?? thats nabout it.. meanwhile rondo destroyed a not so old mo williams went head to head with d rose and got the better of him..i give dwill his props but i just prefer rondo.. but cp3 is way overrated..imo :grin:
based on watching the finals, rondo turns the ball over a lot and at crucial times. That is a pretty glaring flaw for your floor general
seriously i wanted the celtics to beat the lakers so bad and I had heard all this hype about him and his triple double performance and then i watched and he killed them with turnovers
Someone forgot to inform the Lakers that Rondo was an elite player. If they had known that they may have actually made an effort to guard him. Shouldn't one of the qualifications for being an elite player be that the other team tries to stop you?
Nice sample size. But he also only averaged 2.7 TO per game in the finals (and that was with an abysmal 7 TO game 5). I wouldn't exactly characterize that as turning the ball over "a lot".
No matter how you cut, Rondo is either a top 3 or 4 PG in this league. He almost averaged a triple-double in last year's playoffs and was arguably the best player in this year's postseason. So, at most, there may be 3 point guards on the face of the planet that are better than Rondo and he brings it when it counts the most. I think he is elite at his position and definitely an all-star caliber player. I've noticed that you have said this before, but your interpretation is facile in my view. You act as if Rondo just stood there passively (like a certain player on the Houston Rockets that is ignored on offense) while the Lakers supposedly made no effort to guard him. His triple-double (his 5th of the playoffs) in Game 2, which included 10 points in the 4th qtr, allowed Ray Allen's performance not to go to waste as the Celtics won. He played a key role in the Celtics other victories, especially Game 5. He almost had a triple-double in Game 7 (two rebounds shy) as well. None of this even touches on his defense. Who do you think would've been the Finals MVP had the Celtics won? If teams, including the Lakers, make no effort to guard Rondo as you suggest, at least he makes them pay. That's the beauty of Rondo's game. He rarely forces anything. He does everything that he does within the confines of the offense. If teams lay off of him, it allows him to pick them apart with his passing, facilitating, and his improved mid-range jump shot (See Cleveland series). The Cavs actually had no idea what to do to stop Rondo and were talking about putting LBJ on him. If they play up on him, he can take them off the dribble and kill them with PnR (see Orlando series). But you can continue to believe that Rondo is ignored by the opposition and teams don't try to stop him...lol.
Did you watch the playoffs? Did you see how badly the Cavaliers, Heat, and even Magic tried to adjust to Rondo? Cavaliers rotated five players on him; West, Williams, LeBron, Parker, and Moon. Magic tried to even put Peitrus on him and off of Pierce, heck they tried Barnes. Miami at times put Wade on him. Throughout the Lakers series, Kobe was guarding Rondo. This guy demands attention. He's what makes the Celtics work and run properly, Doc Rivers says it, KG has said it, Pierce has admitted it. And you're here telling me otherwise?
rondo is NOT a superstar. he is an all-star caliber player though. rondo's lack of a jumpshot can make it easy to guard him esp. if you have capable big men to defend the interior and force him to take Js. he won't be as effective. but he does everything else so darn well though -> all-star PG. derrick rose is the guy everyone should watch out for. he could change the PG pecking order if he does what i think he is capable of.
I would also add that Williams is set to make about $15 million next season while Rondo will only be making $9 million.
The Lakers did not make any effort to guard him. In fact Bryant tried to guard everyone else except Rondo. Had Bryant had to work at all on defense, Boston would have had a better chance in the series. You have an odd definition of 'making them pay'. I wouldn't call 45 percent shooting and 5/19 from the line making anyone pay for flat out not guarding you. Had he in fact made them pay, Boston would have won easily. Elite players command more than single coverage; Rondo didn't even require single coverage.
I would also like to add that Rondo signed that extension way back in October of last year, before he exploded onto the scene. Had he signed that extenson after this season, he would be making much more.
to I think very highly of Rondo, but I do want to vouch on this comment as well. Kobe wanted to roam on 'D', which is why he was on Rondo. In fact, I would say that one of the main criticisms of Rondo RIGHT NOW is how he becomes passive, especially during the fourth quarter because he does not want go to the free throw line. If he can tighten up his midrange jumper and slightly improve his finishing ability when he's at the hoop, it'll do wonders to his game. WHAT? On Chris Paul, last year he shot 49% from the field, 41% from the 3 point line, and 85% from the free throw line. For any guard not named Steve Nash, that is insane. Look at Deron's shooting stats in comparison.
If Boston won the NBA Finals, Rondo would be the Finals MVP. For me, Rondo is the best player in Boston, but maybe not a superstar.
Go ahead and ignore everything else so it fits in the narrow margins of your perspective. I guess you missed the 1st three series before the Finals when teams tried everything they could to stop Rondo and ended up not being successful. Rondo is elite at his position. I guess you also missed the fact that he nearly averaged a triple-double in last year's playoffs, but I suppose in your alternate reality you're right: Teams don't plan for him. They just ignore him and he doesn't make them pay.
