Trade Targets to Help out Rajon Rondo

 Boston  No Responses »
Dec 052012
 

The Boston Celtics are in a tough spot. While they have a young star to build around in Rajon Rondo, few figure them for title contention. Also, much of the team is old, and they’re all but capped-out. The ancient Kevin Garnett remains a quality player, as does the grizzled Paul Pierce. Jason Terry has been good so far this season.

Those elements comprise Boston’s quality, and there are concerns divorced from the nice offensive play of the aforementioned four guys. Boston needs to make some kind of move to get from where they are right now back to their former contender status. They need it because their rebounding has been bad, their defense has been declining and their offense isn’t elite. But how do they make such a move in this difficult spot?

Be sure to sound off and let us know what you think in the comments below. If you like what you see, click here for more from Bleacher Report Productions. 

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

How the Boston Celtics Are Playing Up-Tempo Basketball

 Boston  No Responses »
Dec 032012
 

For all intents and purposes, the Boston Celtics are not an old basketball team.

Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry are all veterans with indispensable roles and over a century of years on this planet between them, but every other contributor is spry, athletic and can hold his own against the most vigorous lineups in the league.

Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green, Courtney Lee, Jared Sullinger, Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass all sit between the ages of 20 and 27, and Leandro Barbosa and Chris Wilcox are both 30. The youth here helps in many ways, especially when it comes to dictating their overall speed of play. 

Boston’s offense these last few seasons has been…stiff. It’s an ongoing struggle trademarked with no ball movement and forced, low percentage, contested jump shots with the shot clock racing to zero.

This season they’ve been much better, averaging three more points per 100 possessions through the season’s opening month than last year’s 66 regular season games.

The sudden mushroom of youth has allowed Celtics head coach Doc Rivers to wisely instruct his players to push the ball off defensive rebounds, turnovers and even, in opportune cases, made shots. Here are two quick (no pun intended) examples of the Celtics running their lanes and advancing the ball up the court with a lengthy pass, the easiest way to speed up a possession and get as many shots at the basket in a single game as possible. 

Pace is an advanced statistic that measures how many possessions a team averages per 48 minutes. It’s useful in evaluating how a team is moving up and down the court, and what type of tempo they prefer to harness.

According to NBA.com/Stats, the youngest team in basketball (Houston) is also the fastest, leading the league with an average of 97.95 possessions per 48 minutes. The Celtics rank 14th with a pace of 94.77, nearly two possessions per 48 minutes more than they averaged last season when they were one of the eight slowest teams in basketball.

Their increase in possessions has been justified with a surge in easy baskets: Boston is averaging 13.6 fast break points per game, an above average tally so far this season. (Last season they ranked 19th in the league with 12.0 per game.) Also, Synergy Sports has the Celtics ranked as the 15the best transition team in basketball, scoring 1.13 points per possession.

Straddling the line of average in any offensive category is a major step in the right direction for a team that’s been a nightmare on that side of the ball in recent years. It should come as no surprise that Boston’s two best players are right at the forefront. 

When Rondo and Garnett share the court together, the Celtics average 16.9 fast break points per 48 minutes, which would tie the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks for first in the league. Lineups that pair these two are averaging 96.38 possessions per 48 minutes. 

The Celtics have struggled mightily on both ends of the court when Garnett comes out of the game. One might think a remedy for the situation would be to slow things down—limiting offensive possessions for the opponent—but when done that idea looked too much like a band-aid trying to stall a hemorrhaging wound.

In an effort to smooth things out, Rivers has instead decided to do the exact opposite, instructing his team to run like a man with sensitive feet through hot coals. In the team’s last eight games, the Rondo/Terry/Pierce/Bass/ Chris Wilcox five-man unit has averaged 101.63 possessions per 48 minutes—super fast.

The offense hasn’t been perfect, and sometimes a coach has no answers for the most obvious questions, but Rivers has decided to make the best of it by unleashing somewhat of a controlled chaos to confuse the opponent when Garnett comes off the floor.

It’s better than nothing, and on the surface it’s helped.

The relationship between defensive stops and fast break points is very real, and very important. But forcing an offense into a missed shot isn’t the same as creating a turnover, and as early as last season the Celtics preferred to foster a methodical (often miserable) half-court offense instead of pushing the ball and forcing the issue. 

On top of having new personnel capable of accelerating a twist in philosophy, the Celtics have done a much better job of ending opponent’s possessions and beginning their own. Last season they grabbed 72.4 percent of all defensive rebounds available, which ranked 19th in the league. This year they’ve bumped that up to 74.3 percent, good for sixth best. 

All the shots created in the clips used for this article were the result of excellent defensive play resulting in a rebound and instantaneous outlet. 

Smothering offenses won’t eradicate itself as a crucial aspect of Boston’s basketball personality as long as Kevin Garnett is serving as an anchor, but improving the offense remains necessary if this franchise is serious about winning a title.

Right now grabbing rebounds and pushing the basketball is the best recipe for success for the most athletic group Boston’s had since re-creating themselves as realistic championship contenders five seasons ago.  

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

Rondo Meltdown Reaffirms Why Celtics Should Trade Its Wild-Card Quarterback

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 292012
 

From an outsider’s perspective, it’s incredibly easy to understand why the city of Boston has embraced Rajon Rondo.

Simply re-watch the series he had against the Miami Heat in last year’s playoffs to gauge an idea. 

He doesn’t back down to anyone, he rises to the occasion and he commands the point guard position with the same indispensable value as a quarterback. 

All the qualities befitting a born leader. 

But as the sports world was reminded yesterday, Rondo remains one of the league’s biggest headcases. 

Let me be clear: it’s one thing to lose your cool; the red flag is when you don’t recognize it. 

“I don’t think I did anything dirty…I don’t think it was more than a pushing war” (via ESPNBoston) Rondo offered earlier today, lacking the kind of perspective that a good night’s sleep should have afforded him. 

Now, if history teaches us anything, teams can get away with the accompanying grievances of a headcase when he’s a role player. Dennis Rodman and Metta World Peace taught us that much.

But, when it’s the guy responsible for spearheading the ship? Yeah, that might be a problem. 

Remember Allen Iverson and Charles Barkley?

Two of the best players to ever grace the league, hands down.

Two guys who just never could really be held accountable for their actions.

Yeah, you don’t see any rings on their fingers, do you?

Now, I’m not talking about “Senior” Charles Barkley or Allen “the preposition” Iverson. 

I’m talking about Sir Charles Barkley and Allen The Answer Iverson! 

And yet, their legacies will always be shortchanged as people wonder just how much further they could have gone if not for their attitudes. 

Care to debate me about whether Rajon Rondo has a chip on his shoulder?

Don’t bother.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers put that question to rest long ago, opting for the lesser evil of acknowledging why his floor leader looks chaffed all the time instead of letting it become an elephant in an Ubuntu-centered locker room. 

But the more telling aspect of the franchise’s position on its point guard came when GM Danny Ainge acknowledged  that they were, in fact, looking to trade Rondo for Chris Paul earlier last year. 

Ah, a rare moment of honesty. 

One that made an appearance again last night when Rivers called out Rondo for “overreacting.”

Here’s the Celtics’ problem though.

Between the lack of remorse Rondo continues to show, and the aging legs of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, this franchise doesn’t look like it’s headed anywhere positive. 

They were eliminated by the Miami Heat in the last two years of the playoffs. 

They lost Ray Allen in free agency, and partly because he didn’t get along with Rondo. (shocker!)

And now they are simply fighting, literally, to stay above .500. 

Meanwhile, in just one season, the player the Celtics wanted to trade Rondo for has lifted the Los Angeles Clippers from a perennial laughingstock to one of the league’s new powerhouse contenders. 

The Clippers are currently in first place in the Pacific Division; the Celtics are fourth in the Atlantic division. 

Taking into account Rondo’s recently announced two-game suspension, that standing doesn’t look to rise. 

I’ll tell you what should though. 

The trade rumors. 

Because it’s time the Celtics get rid of their prima donna point guard while Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce still have their legs underneath them. 

Now, there’s an answer that has a nice ring to it.  

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

Kevin Garnett’s Leadership Rubbing Off on Rajon Rondo in All the Wrong Ways

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 292012
 

The Boston Celtics are probably going to be without point guard Rajon Rondo for at least a couple of games. Following a hard foul by Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries on teammate Kevin Garnett in Wednesday night’s contest, Rondo got into a shoving match with the Nets’ power forward. The fracas spilled into the stands, and both players were ejected along with Nets forward Gerald Wallace.

Rondo’s attitude has always been something of an issue in Boston, and he should hold himself fully responsible for his actions in the game against the Nets. Hard fouls happen all the time in the NBA, and this was just another one. Rondo’s temper simply got the best of him, and now he has to pay the price.

However, there is one more guilty party aside from the three who were ejected from the game. His name is Kevin Garnett, and he has long played with something of a chip on his shoulder. He prides himself on trash talk and never has a problem using his mouth to intimidate opposing players.

The sad part is that Garnett is also one of the Celtics’ team leaders, but his attitude is anything but what that of a leader should be. Instead of rallying the troops and motivating them, he chides them if they don’t play with the same rough and tumble mentality that he does. Earlier this season, he called out bench forward Jeff Green and said he needed to play like more of a “jerk”.

This philosophy has rubbed off on Rondo, and not in a good way. There is nothing wrong with being a passionate player and being enthusiastic about defeating an opponent, but there is such a thing as going too far.

Rondo did just that last night. His teammate got fouled hard, and he took offense over something that happens all the time. Garnett didn’t even have a chance to react to being fouled before Rondo started in on Humphries.

The worst of it all is that Rondo is one of the best point guards in the NBA. He is leading the league in passing with 12.9 assists per game, and all of that talent is going to go down the drain if he continues showcasing his boorish attitude. No team will want to deal with his personality.

Last year, Rondo even admitted that he had a bit of an attitude in an interview with Jessica Camerato of Comcast Sportsnet New England:

“Actually, my sister, she calls me ‘Oscar’ like the grouch because I work her a little bit,” Rondo continued. “They get on me, call me a ‘divo.’ Doc (Rivers), KG, they got on me, say I’m high maintenance. I just try to fly under the radar. I just tell them they’re the same, obviously I’ve learned from guys that’s in front of me (laughs). My coach is a leader, Kevin’s my vet, so if I get it, it’s from them (smiles).”

Really? Is he being serious? He knows he has an attitude, but won’t admit it’s his own fault, let alone a problem?

The fact that Rondo says he gets his “divo” attitude from Garnett says it all. The veteran power forward is a bad influence, and even other players call him out on his behavior, specifically an anonymous man whom ESPN called “Player X“.

Rondo is already on the path to becoming just what Player X called Garnett, and it needs to stop if the Celtics are to seriously contend in the future. Instead of being a badass, Rondo needs to continue improving his game, from his shooting to his defense.

Garnett’s “leadership” is rubbing off on him, and not in the way that Boston needs it to. It’s time for Rondo to grow up and become the true leader of the Boston Celtics.

Otherwise, the team must revisit what it did last year and listen to offers for him, and thus lose one of the best point men in the league for all the wrong reasons.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

Why It’s Critical for Boston Celtics to Get Kevin Garnett More Involved

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 292012
 

It sounds a bit funny when said out loud, but Boston has one of the league’s best centers. Kevin Garnett, though largely, publicly defined as a “power forward,” has the height and rebounding ability befitting a “5.” In the NBA, your position is determined by whom you guard. KG, in his dotage, has been asked to mark up on slower, lumbering brutes. 

Doc Rivers wants to go with the KG option more, indicating the following to the Boston Herald:

“I don’t think our eyes are trained yet to look down there. I think you have to train the players’ eyes to look in the post off of pick-and-rolls and off other actions. I think we’re starting to do that. I still think we don’t do it enough. We’re a ways away.”

Now, a lot of coaches declare an intent to go down low or what have you. It’s great to get the ball near the basket for easier shots than a long-two. The issue is that is easier said than done—especially with the advent of zone defense. With illegal defense scrapped from the league, opposing teams can front big men, or shift coverage onto them after they catch the rock.

Such measures are tough on certain, limited bigs like, say Roy Hibbert, or DeAndre Jordan. Fortunately for Boston, Kevin Garnett—even at his advanced age—is far from limited. If you front KG, he’s long enough to snatch almost any high lob out of the air. If you double team him after the catch, he’s a perceptive enough passer to make you pay. 

As he gets up there in years, the most limited aspect of KG’s game is his minutes. Doc Rivers has set a low cap on those ever since Garnett came over to Boston in 2007. Right now, KG is averaging 29 minutes per game, a full 10 MPG lower than in his last Minnesota season.

I don’t think Doc is necessarily “wrong” for limiting KG’s play like this, but I often wonder whether Garnett could provide the same production with Minnesota playing time. Minutes allotment is an inexact science. Caution with Manu Ginobili’s minutes had been greeted with many Manu Ginobili injuries. Kobe Bryant was largely healthy last season, despite playing 38.5 MPG. There is a chance that the answer to Boston’s bench woes is simply, “More Kevin Garnett.” It remains to be seen as to whether Doc Rivers wants to take that risk with his elder center. 

As for KG on offense, his involvement should increase as Boston steps away from its long-two-laden strategy of old. Last year, the Celtics experimented with playing Garnett against opposing centers. This year, it’s time to take full advantage of his mobility and dexterity against the Nikola Pekovic’s of this world. It’s also imperative that Boston’s offense gets less Rondo-dominated. Rajon is playing well, but the Celtics would be wise to incorporate some balance to their offense, as opposed to making Rajon the Celtic version of Atlanta‘s old “Iso-Joe” strategy. 

Boston’s bench is struggling and there’s little size around Kevin Garnett. For the Celtics to have even a puncher’s chance at a title run, Garnett must be more of a presence, whether that means more minutes or more post touches. 

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

Boston Celtics Must Rediscover Team Identity to Fuel Success in 2012-13 Season

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 242012
 

The Boston Celtics were a lot of people’s pick to be the second-place team in the Eastern Conference, with a legitimate shot to take out the Miami Heat in the playoffs if things fell into place well. Yet here they sit, 7-6, with a lot of questions left to answer before those thoughts crop up in anybody’s mind again.

Really, this isn’t a case comparable to some of the other struggling teams in the league dealing with injuries. The Los Angeles Lakers are waiting for their team to heal and gel together, and the same can be said about teams like the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Instead, Boston is looking more like the Denver Nuggets by not dealing with putting the best team on the floor; rather they are playing their own style of basketball. They haven’t played like we’ve known them to play in years past.

At times watching this Celtics team there’s a feeling of indifference, like losing the game at hand isn’t something that would kill them. It’s almost as if this team is willing to accept defeat. That’s not something that’s necessarily bad for a team during an 82-game season, but that is something that’s extremely uncharacteristic of recent Celtics teams.

The intensity that has personified these Celtics ever since they came together in 2007 is just no longer there, and it seems to be combination of factors.

 

Kevin Garnett‘s Diminished Role

This team has historically rode on Kevin Garnett’s sometimes maniac tendencies on the court. Whether you agree with his bully tactics that he’s stooped to over the past five years or not, it can’t be ignored that Garnett’s biggest contribution has been to the team’s attitude as a whole.

Sure, Garnett is a terrific scorer and an even better defender, but what makes him tick is the anger that flows through him, the intensity that drives him and the physicality that drives both his offensive and defensive game.

Over the years the Celtics have thrived off this, and the rest of the team has fed off of Garnett’s intensity, but it just hasn’t been there yet this season.

Part of the problem could be that the Celtics are dramatically limiting his minutes, as he’s averaging a career-low 28.6 minutes per game, contributing to the worst rebounding numbers he’s seen since his rookie season.

I’m not sure whether or not they need him in there to be full of anger and intensity or if they just need him in there so they don’t have to play the backup big men as much, but there’s definitely something lacking in the competitiveness department. Garnett’s lessened role has to have something to do with that.

Honestly, Boston has played 13 games and Garnett only has one technical foul so far; something’s has to be missing.

 

Rajon Rondo‘s Team

I’ve never been one to dislike Rajon Rondo because he has a bit of an off-kilter personality, but there’s been something about this Celtics team—now supposedly “Rondo’s team”—that hasn’t worked out.

There has been a superficial element to the entire team starting and ending with his double-digit assist streak. It’s not that it isn’t impressive, rather there’s a lot of effort being put into something that will end up being superfluous.

It’s the passing out of a certain layup to hit Garnett at 17-feet on the baseline, or dishing out of a fast-break to a trailer on a 3-2 fast break. There’s a borderline obsession with getting 10 assists in Rondo, and it’s starting to be a bit of a sideshow.

What does this have to do with the team’s intensity? It’s more about the attitude of Rondo than it is the actual event itself. Rondo’s assist streak has been about him passing, not his team scoring, no matter how many times he comes out after a game and compliments his teammates. He wants this record for his own satisfaction, otherwise he wouldn’t have gone back into the team’s blowout loss to the Pistons last week.

If ever there were selfish assists, it’s been in the first dozen games for Rondo in this young season. And for a teams’ leader to act in that manner is sending the wrong message.

If anything, this team needs to go back to the way they played under Paul Pierce, and Pierce said as much himself:

We can play in the hundreds, but we’re a team that likes to grind out wins. We don’t mind playing a game in the 80s, 90s or getting defensive stop after defensive stop. So we have to go back to that, understand who we are.

That’s the way the Celtics have won games in the past five years. They’re not an offensive juggernaut looking to put up century marks every game, they are grinders who just haven’t done much grinding thus far.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

Why You Shouldn’t Be Fooled by the Boston Celtics’ Ugly Start

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 192012
 

After Sunday night’s loss to the Detroit Pistons, it’s safe to say that the Boston Celtics have gotten off to a rather underwhelming start (and why do the Pistons always seem to give them so much trouble?). The Celtics are sitting at 6-5, and although they have won six of their last nine games overall, it has been anything but pretty for the Celtics.

I already wrote an article on this subject earlier in the season, fresh after Boston beat the Washington Wizards two straight times to get to 2-2. Then, I mentioned how the C’s got off to a 5-9 start last year and were 15-17 as late as the All-Star break before turning it around. Celtics fans know the history. They know that the beginning of the season doesn’t really mean all that much to the team, so I am not going to spend any time on that this time around.

Instead, it’s important that we highlight specific reasons as to why you shouldn’t be fooled by Boston’s slow start this year. There are plenty of reasons to believe that the C’s are going to turn things around, so let’s just discuss a few of them.

1. New guys will learn their roles

It’s blatantly obvious that all of the new faces on the Celtics are having trouble adjusting. After all, only four Boston players currently on this squad were on the playoff roster in 2012. Other than that, this is a very different-looking team, so it’s no surprise that guys are still getting used to playing with one another.

Thus far, it seems pretty clear that this problem is very evident at the shooting guard position. Other than his 20-point outing in a win against the Toronto Raptors and a few clutch shots here and there, Jason Terry has looked a bit uncomfortable. Terry took only one shot in a win over the Utah Jazz, and for a guy who is known for letting the ball fly, that is incredibly unusual. Courtney Lee has seen his minutes fluctuate, and outside of a few moments of stellar play, he has been fairly non-existent (only twice has he scored in double-digits).

Then you have to take into consideration that Avery Bradley is still on his way back, and that will make things even dicier in terms of how Doc Rivers distributes minutes among his guards.

All of that being said, Terry is a seasoned veteran and should adapt soon enough. Lee may not have The Jet’s experience, but he is a talented player and is far better than what he has demonstrated thus far. Plus, he has at least been playing pretty good defense.

Once guys like these jell and get going, you’ll see Boston start to soar.

 

2. Brandon Bass will adjust

With Jared Sullinger now in tow plus Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox returning from heart surgery, Bass has gone from a key cog to essentially an afterthought.

Sullinger has gotten some starts, Green has gotten some minutes down low, and Wilcox is frequently paired with Kevin Garnett up front. That kind of leaves Bass out in the cold. That is meant almost literally, too. Bass is a player who relies heavily on his jump shot, and he has not been able to get into any kind of rhythm. As a result, he has not been shooting the ball all that well.

It may take some time, as Bass was certainly one of the C’s primary players last season, but once he becomes accustomed to learning how to play with fewer minutes, he will be fine and will likely become a crucial asset to the Celtics once again.

 

3. Doc Rivers is still experimenting

With all of the depth Rivers was handed by GM Danny Ainge this season, one would be remiss if they just assumed that he would know what to do right from the get-go. Doc may be an outstanding coach, but he cannot see into the future. He has no clue what lineup combinations will work best, so he is still messing around to try and see what his best options are.

A lot of people are wondering why Darko Milicic hasn’t seen the floor yet. Well, ever think it’s because Rivers is trying to get his main guys going first? Like it or not, Milicic is not going to be an integral part of the rotation this year. He may see some time against bigger teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies, but, ordinarily, you are not going to see him getting minutes. So, why should Doc waste time playing him when he still has to integrate other more important parts into the team?

This is going to be a process. Rivers understands that, and you should, too.

 

4. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will be fresh for the stretch run

This is probably the single biggest reason to believe that Boston will be all right. Rivers has been very cautious with Garnett and Pierce thus far, limiting their minutes and playing them in stints. This will be incredibly beneficial to the C’s come the end of the regular season and the playoffs, as they will both have fresh legs for those bigger games.

It’s also no secret that K.G. and Pierce have been coasting through regular seasons for quite a while now to conserve themselves for the postseason. Remember last year when Garnett suddenly exploded in the playoffs? Yeah; that was because he was saving himself.

No matter what happens early on in the year, Rivers is going to keep being judicious with Garnett and Pierce’s minutes, and that is a fine strategy that will only help the Celtics come April.

 

5. It’s November

That needs to be said again: it’s November. How often can you truly assess a team this early in the year? Almost never.

There are still five months left in the regular season. Are we really going to allow ourselves to be fooled over an 11-game sample size during the first few weeks?

Boston isn’t about short-term goals; it is about long-term goals. That isn’t to say that Boston “doesn’t care” about losing games in November, but…you know what; actually, I’ll just say it: The Boston Celtics do not care about losing games in November. They care about winning games in June.

As stated previously, this is going to be a drawn-out process. If you thought that the C’s were just going to come out of the gates and blow the doors off of anybody with this many new pieces, then you were kidding yourself.

Remember the Miami Heat during the 2010-11 season? They got off to a very slow start. It wasn’t because they weren’t incredibly talented. It was because they were still feeling each other out. The same thing is happening here.

Once the Celtics find a stabilized rotation and get more floor time with one another, they will be scary. Very scary.

So relax, and talk to me once the playoffs start.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

Are the Boston Celtics Contenders or Pretenders?

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 142012
 

We’re on year three of “This is now Rondo’s team,” but the question at hand seems to be: Does this roster have enough talent overall? Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce remain steadfastly good, but their play has to drop off at some point.

The Celtics have added some bench players to compensate for such a fall. Jeff Green and Jason Terry are supposed to bolster an offensive attack that faltered at times last season. Does Rondo and Co. have enough this year? 

Be sure to sound off and let us know what you think in the comments below. If you like what you see, click here for more from Bleacher Report Productions. 

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

Is Rajon Rondo Mature Enough to Be the Celtics’ Locker Room Leader?

 Boston  No Responses »
Nov 132012
 

Complex is a perfect word to define Rajon Rondo. His game is complex: no one plays quite like him—he throws complex passes, drives to the basket in complex ways and makes finishes around the basket that can only be described as, well, complex.

Rondo’s personality is complex, too. He’s been described by others as petulant, moody, stone-faced and stubborn, yet deep down he’s a warrior and a fiery competitor that plays a game so unselfishly that he needs to have his own offensive game urged out of him.

The question of if Rondo is mature enough to be the locker room leader of the Celtics is complex as well. Sure, outwardly you can see Rondo taking steps towards asserting himself to be a better leader, like organizing this flag football game for his Celtics teammates this offseason.

But to really answer a question like that, you’d need to spend weeks embedded in the Boston Celtics locker room. You’d need to travel with the team on road trips, attend shoot-arounds, eat meals with the team and really ingratiate yourself with all things Boston Celtics to fully understand complex team dynamics such as locker room leadership.

Leadership, however, does not put the ball in the hoop, and the NBA boiled down to its most basic state is about winning games. That is something the Rondo led Boston Celtics have done prolifically.  

Which leads to a deeper question about Rondo’s maturity to lead the locker room—does it matter?

Last postseason the Celtics came the closest to toppling the eventual NBA Champion Miami Heat and Rondo was (at times) the best player on the floor, including King James himself.

Maturity and locker room leadership from Rondo would certainly be a welcomed addition and a natural evolution of his personality, but in the grand scheme of things, it just does not matter and here’s why.

  1. There’s something to be said for on court leadership and in that area Rondo is the unmatched leader on the Celtics. There’s a reason Rondo was being talked about as a possible MVP candidate this season, and it’s because his individual play has never been better. When Boston acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to assemble their version of a “Big Three”, Rondo was the shy and mercurial point guard was often considered the reason the Celtics would fall short of a championship. The script has now been flipped in Boston now and any Celtic championship that comes along this time will be because of Rondo, not in spite of him.
  2. Kevin Garnett: from everything that’s been said about KG by past teammates and coaches, there may not be a better locker room leader in the game today. Being the point guard and arguably the team’s most important player will always entitle Rondo to a modicum of natural leadership, but as long as Garnett is donning the green, the locker room will be his.

Ultimately for the Celtics to make any noise in the Eastern Conference this year, they’ll need Rondo to lead by continuing to play his fearless brand of basketball that only he can replicate. Being a better teammate in the locker room will help, but producing 15 point, 12 assist and five rebound type of performances that he’s so famous for, is the type of leadership Boston needs the most.

Being a team’s best player and unquestioned leader on the court, yet a moody and sometimes disengaged locker room leader off the court is a complex scenario. Sounds like the perfect job for Rajon Rondo. 

—

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

 Older Entries