Crossover Chronicles is a relatively new blog, so we decided it was a good idea to introduce you to the crew. We’ve been doing that in a new feature called “Writer-Palooza.” Over the past few days, we’ve featured one writer, introducing him to you via an original piece, his favorite basketball video, and a wildcard post on any topic that he wants.
We conclude the series today with Managing Editor John Karalis. You can find him on Twitter here.
Rajon Rondo has Boston buzzing, but it’s not entirely positive. The dichotomy between the compliments and the cacophony can be best represented by his two most recent games.
On Friday, Rajon stunk up the joint (along with the rest of the Celtics) in Toronto, finishing with 5 points (2-10 fg), 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 5 turnovers in 41 minutes of play. Two days later, Rondo was scintillating against Chicago, dropping a 32 point, 15 assist, 10 rebound triple double. And while Rondo’s history in Boston isn’t filled with swings quite that wild, fan frustrations about their sometimes All-World, sometimes pedestrian point guard are getting louder.
The inconsistency, they’ll say, is too much. Boston needs a pedal-to-the-metal guy from start to finish, and if he can’t do that, then maybe the Celtics should find someone who can. Preferably someone with a jumper. And the trade scenarios on Boston sports talk radio are getting wilder and more bizarre… a sure sign people are willilng to run the guy out of town for whatever they can get. While it may be a vocal minority making those radio calls and blog comments, their voices are getting louder. Their venom is fueled by their insistence that Danny Ainge was not just trying to acquire Chris Paul with his lone attractive asset, but actually shopping a malcontent that has hit his plateau.
But there’s much, much more to Rondo than meets the fans’ eyes. Like a hermit crab that outgrows its shell and needs to find a new one, Rondo has outgrown his role in Boston. In 2008, he was pretty perfect for the Celtics. He was too young to demand too many finishing touches and his running mates were still too good to be denied the ball. They could run, somewhat, with their young gazelle and Rondo could use his superior passing skills to pick targets out at will and watch them finish.
As time has gone on, though, the rest of the team has slowed down. And Rondo has been forced to slow down with them. Kevin Garnett can’t beat anyone down the floor, or bait teams into these kinds of alley oops anymore. Paul Pierce was never flying down the lane on a break, but he’s been even slower this year. And Jermaine O’Neal couldn’t get out ahead of the break if he had a quarter-length head start. For one of the fastest guys in the league, Rondo has to feel like he’s running with a training parachute attached to him.
But Pierce and Ray Allen need shots. They won’t accept a combined 19 shots to Rondo’s 22 very often. And the Celtics NEED Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to take shots. Because the book on defending Rondo, as the Lakers showed last Thursday, is still to sag off of him, pack the lane, and dare him to beat you with the jumper. So they need to have some sort of rhythm to be able to execute late in games. So what does Rondo, who is most effective when he’s attacking the basket and running in the open floor, do when Allen and Pierce need half court touches to make the Celtics their most dangerous?
It’s like asking a Ferrari to constantly keep it in 3rd or 4th gear. Occasionally, he can pop it into 5th, and then he flies. But most of the time, he’s looking to rev the engine. Most of the time, he’s dialing it back because he has to. Because that’s what the Celtics need him to do. He needs to be the facilitator. He needs to be the guy that keeps the whole thing together.
There are times when Rondo dials it back too much. There are times when perhaps his ego, or petulance, get the best of him. And that is inexcusable. He’s like the genius who fails classes because they bore him. And just like the genius, it’s frustrating to watch someone so gifted turn in poor performances. There are times when Rondo’s pride won’t let him sit with injuries, and he goes onto the court trying to play with one arm, or one leg, or a bad back. Again, his ego (which many will tell you is quite healthy) won’t let him sit while he thinks he can be good enough.
Those are personality flaws. For a guy who only turns 26 in about a week, those are things that can still be corrected… or at least massaged into something workable. And his game most certainly has flaws too. That much can’t be doubted. But with Rondo, there are certain things that may just have to be accepted in order to fully appreciate the rest of his brilliance.
When you fellas finally meet the right girl and you go shopping for the best diamond you can find, you’ll find nothing but diamonds with flaws. Each and every one of them, no matter how much you shop for the cut, color and clarity, and no matter how many thousands you spend, you’re going to find flaws with each of them.
Rondo is one of those diamonds that would shown off. The one that would make almost everyone else jealous. But unlike that diamond, Rondo’s best days are still ahead of him. His physical prime is still ahead of him. And after this season, the Celtics will rebuild. If they are smart, they will rebuild around their brilliant, yet flawed, point guard and find him teammates that can take advantage of his skills. The Celtics will find younger, faster teammates that can take advantage of Rondo, and vice versa.
Yes, Rondo can be frustrating at times, but that frustration needs to be tempered. There aren’t but a few upgrades at his position. And this is a point guard’s league right now. Boston has to accept Rondo’s brilliance, or else they’ll be jealous of it when it’s being shown off by somebody else.
