Rondo suspended...again????

Teams providing videos to the league to highlight perceived infractions by other teams or unfairness by the referees toward their own team is nothing new. That's been going on for a long time. Some teams like the Mavs (hello, Mark Cuban) do it more than others, but the Mavs are hardly the only ones. What's rare is that a) anyone in the general public finds out about it; and b) that a player appears to get fined or suspended as a result.

What's galling to Boston fans is that Rondo winds up getting suspended when the ref didn't call a tech at the time and that the league appears to have suspended Rondo based on a complaint by the Atlanta GM, Danny Ferry. I understand that completely.

But I also think Rondo deserved the suspension. He walked straight over to the ref and bumped him because he was unhappy with the call. The ref should've called a technical and should've thrown him out of the game. He clearly notices the contact and was probably thinking, oh man, do I throw him out of the game over this? He decided to let it slide, but the league cannot let that slide, especially when this is the third incident of Rondo making contact with a referee in the past year (throwing the ball at a ref in March, chest-bumping a ref during the Atlanta playoff series in April).

Tommy's version of the situation doesn't help things from my perspective. Rondo is asked to explain his position during a phone call with the league, says "you're gonna do what you're gonna do," and hangs up on them? Wow. Maybe if he shows contrition during the call and doesn't act like a jerk, the league winds up fining him instead of suspending him, but when you blow them off and hang up on them, don't be surprised that they bring the hammer down.

Danny Ferry is thoroughly unlikeable, but that doesn't change what Rondo did. There's no way to know at this point, but I think that there's a good possibility that the league would've taken action on this regardless of whether Ferry made a stink about it.

I find Rondo's actions, both in the game and in the followup phone call, inexcusable and contributing to a disturbing pattern showing lack of control and anger issues on Rondo's part, particularly toward referees.

Outside,

I agree with what you laid out.

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Outside, ditto. RR has mental health issues, sorry to say. I still love the guy but wish he'd learn the serenity prayer.

worcester wrote:Outside, ditto. RR has mental health issues, sorry to say. I still love the guy but wish he'd learn the serenity prayer.

The kid is competitive and sometimes crosses the line. He needs to reel it in, and grow up a bit...but mental health issues? Give me a break.

No seriously, he has anger management issues. To get suspended three or four games out of 80-90 is messed up. To physically interact with a non-combatant (a ref) is messed up. Rondo is in denial that he has a problem. He thinks it's ok to be hypercompetitive with no restraints. It isn't. This defect will play out in other areas of his life. He needs to address it, for his sake.

If Rondo has a mental health issue...so to 99% of professional athletes. These guys are wired differently and in order to get the most out of their ability, they often play very close to the edge.

Asking Rondo to grow up and stop this kind of behavior is one thing. Suggesting he has mental health issues, is another.

Sorry - not buying it.

Let's define terms. I consider mental health to be a function of valuing and preserving one's peace of mind. Those who can and do are healthy. Those who can't and don't are not healthy. Does Rondo preserve his peace of mind at appropriate times? Sometimes no. Can Rondo do so? We'll see. If he can't stay cool when appropriate, then imho he's got mental health issues that will show up in other areas. Life can deal us some bad cards out of the deck. So far Rondo has been dealt a pretty good hand. I want him to develop the skills to be peaceful and happy even when things aren't going his way.

Now he's never going to look to me for advice. This is just my perspective.

Rondo is stubborn, but I see nothing to warrant a pop diagnosis of mental health issues.

He came from nothing, making himself into a HS star it two sports, a McDonalds All American and NBA Champion and All Star. Doc calls him the smartest player he has ever coached and he has been very stable off the court - having a child with his College Sweetheart - who he has been with since he was 18.

Guess we will have to agree to disagree.

I am VERY happy to learn these facts aout his personal life. I hope that bodes well for im in the future.

Rajon Rondo: 'Situation's over'

By Greg Payne | Special to ESPNBoston.com

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo said Tuesday he was simply making a joke with referee Rodney Mott when he bumped him in Saturday's game against the Atlanta Hawks, a move that -- along with what the NBA termed "a failure to cooperate with a league investigation" -- got him suspended for Monday's game against the Knicks.

Rondo was whistled for an offensive foul when he collided with Atlanta's Josh Smith with 3:19 remaining in the third quarter on Saturday and made contact with Mott as he protested the call.


"Yeah, I thought Josh flopped," Rondo said. "I told Rodney, his body size and what he weighs, and look at me, there's no way I could have made him go into the stands off of contact. [Mott] laughed, threw the ball in, and we got back on defense."

Rondo said he talked to the league about the bump and didn't know why he was cited for failing to cooperate.

"I don't know about an investigation. I don't feel it was needed to have an investigation," Rondo said. "I know Rodney, and that particular time on that play, I actually went up to him and I made a joke, he laughed. In the midst of it I guess I touched him. I did touch him, and the league, I guess, reviewed it. The media blew it up on 'SportsCenter' or whatever, and I served a one-game suspension."

Pressed on his discussion of the incident with the league, Rondo said he "didn't drop any bad words," before adding, to reporters: "I said like one or two questions. [You reporters] are asking like 30 questions. That situation's over, man. They did what they had to do. Ask the league, you know?"

Monday's suspension was Rondo's fourth in less than a year. When asked whether he felt like a "repeat offender" in the league's eyes, Rondo playfully dismissed the question.

"Yeah, I feel like I'm a criminal. I go to court a lot, they say investigation -- what happened during the investigation?" Rondo joked. "I'm not on trial or anything, it's just how it is when you're dealing with the league when you get in a little bit of trouble. I'm a repeat offender. I don't know if I have two or three strikes, but it is what it is."

Rondo admitted he might have to "adapt" his behavior moving forward, as it seems evident the NBA has become less tolerant of some of his on-court conduct.

"Maybe. I may have to, but I'll adapt. I'll learn the game," Rondo said. "But I'm an emotional player in that aspect. I think at that time I had a triple-double, we were up 10. I wasn't angry. I didn't go over and yell at Rodney. I think he even said that in his statement. But the league put the hammer down and made a decision."

Rondo also discussed the incident that took place after Monday's win, in which Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony approached the Celtics' team bus after verbally sparring with Kevin Garnett for much of the game. Video of the incident showed Rondo nearby as Anthony hovered close to Boston's bus.

"I don't know. I haven't talked to Carmelo Anthony," Rondo said. "I talked to KG, but like I said, we'll focus on Phoenix tomorrow and getting better here as the Celtics."

"There was a couple people at the bus," Rondo later added. "I thought everybody was coming to talk to each other and figure out some things, going to dinner next time. I don't know."

Rondo said he knew Anthony and Garnett had been going at it during the game, but didn't realize Anthony's behavior carried over afterward.

"No, I didn't. I actually left my location where I was watching the game around like three minutes to go in the fourth to get to the team bus, and I didn't know what had happened," Rondo said. "They were talking trash in the game, but I didn't know it escalated to whatever happened after the game."

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