5 Reasons Why Rajon Rondo is the Most Overrated Star in the NBA

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Post by bobheckler Mon Aug 12, 2013 6:51 pm

Did I say things were slow?  Well, here's an article that's almost guaranteed to make some heads explode.  Try not to get any grey matter on the wrist pad, it doesn't come out of fabric easily...

In his defense, the author of this article is a journalism student and NOT a journalist, much less knowledgable.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/five-reasons-rajon-rondo-nbas-most-overrated-star-220500698.html


Five Reasons Rajon Rondo Is the NBA's Most Overrated Star
Yahoo! Contributor Network
By Justin Haskins | Yahoo! Contributor Network – 39 minutes ago



COMMENTARY | Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo may be the "Black Mamba" of Connect Four, but it is his play on the basketball floor that has put him at the center of numerous trade rumors over the summer.

While GMs across the league drool over the prospect of scooping up the eye-popping Rondo at what has become the "going out of business sale" for Boston, Celtics fans know (or should know) that their All-Star point guard isn't nearly as impressive as everyone outside of New England thinks.

The following five reasons will likely make potential Rondo suitors think twice before pulling a trigger on a blockbuster deal:

1. The Celtics were better last year without him
When Rondo tore his ACL on January 25, 2013, against the Atlanta Hawks, the Celtics were a disappointing 20-23, with a winning percentage of .465. The entire world expected the team to get considerably worse after losing its All-Star point guard, but the Celtics instead responded to the adversity and won eight of their next nine games, nabbing wins against the Heat, Lakers Clippers, and Nuggets. They would finish the rest of the season without Rondo, posting a record of 21-17 and a winning percentage of .552 without him on the floor.

It's hard to make an argument for Rondo's greatness when the team's record actually improved while he was in a suit and tie instead of a green and white uniform.

2. Terrible mid-range and 3-point shooting
It has been said that one physical attribute that allows Rondo to perform unbelievable jaw-dropping plays on the court is the enormous size of his hands. Unfortunately, this also contributes to his astoundingly poor shooting. Since entering the league in 2006, Rondo is making only 37 percent of his shots from 15 feet or beyond, one of the lowest marks of any starting NBA guard.

The numbers look even worse from 3-point range, where Rondo is shooting an ugly average of 23.1 percent over the last four seasons. To put that in perspective, out of the 134 NBA players who made at least 55 3-point field-goals, only three players shot below 30 percent, and no one was worse than Rondo. Even "Mr. Inefficiency," a.k.a. Monta Ellis, was able to beat him out at 28.7 percent.

3. Scary-bad free-throw shooting
Some players, like Russell Westbrook, do not shoot for a high percentage from mid-range or 3-point land, but when they get to the charity stripe, they make their free throws at a high rate. Rajon Rondo, on the other hand, shot only 64.5 percent from the line, the worst free-throw shooting percentage of any point guard last season who had at least 30 attempts.

Astoundingly, there were even 39 NBA centers who shot a better free-throw percentage, including Andray Blatche and Tyson Chandler.

4. When the game is on the line, Rajon Rondo becomes the 'Invisible Man'
Over the last two seasons, Rondo has made only four field goals in 18 close games with three minutes or less to go in the fourth quarter. Additionally, he shot an abysmal 36.6 percent from the field with five minutes or less to go in the fourth quarter in all games over that same span.

And for all of you Rondo supporters out there who claim his true value is best seen when looking at assists instead of scoring, take note that Rondo had 24 turnovers in close games in the fourth quarter over 91 games from 2011-2013, while Clippers guard Chris Paul had only 22 turnovers with the same factors at play in 130 games.

5. No experience leading a winning team
The shadow of the "Big Three," Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, loomed large over Rajon Rondo for all of his young NBA career. So without any time in the driver's seat, it is hard to predict how the often-criticized Rondo will handle life without the three future Hall of Famers in the starting lineup this season.

Until we witness Rondo lead a young team to victory on the court, it's tough to rank Rondo among the elite point guards in the NBA like Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Tony Parker, all of whom have been important leaders on teams for many seasons.

Lots of sizzle without the steak

No one with two eyes and even a rudimentary understanding of basketball will deny that Rajon Rondo is supremely talented. He is one of the league's best assist men, perimeter defenders and transition playmakers. But until Rondo learns how to take over games late in the fourth quarter, shoot consistently from the field when it counts and avoid costly turnovers at pivotal moments in big games, he will remain one of the NBA's most talked about and highly overrated stars.

Don't agree with me? Tell me why I am wrong on Twitter @TheNewRevere.

Justin Haskins is a New England native and journalism student at Regent University. He has been obsessively following Boston professional sports for 10 years and has been published in numerous online publications and websites.



bob


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Post by k_j_88 Mon Aug 12, 2013 8:55 pm

BobH,

I saw this article a few hours back and debated with myself if I should post it. Needless to say, I opted not to.

His first point about the team being better than him was laughable. Sure, they went on a run for the next few games, but that doesn't explain the entire season. Nor does it explain the playoffs when Boston's offensive play was stagnant without his direction. Perhaps this guy even thinks Paul Pierce is an elite PG.

Rondo is a passer first and Pierce would take virtually all of the shots at the end of games, REGARDLESS of who was playing the point. I agree that Rondo's outside shooting isn't stellar but he has been improving. His FG% is typically around 50%, better than most guys in this league.

As far as FT shooting is concerned, the writer forgets to mention that Rondo only took 2.4 FTs/ per game last year. Yes, Rondo needs to improve on his FT shooting, but it isn't as if his FT shooting was a detriment to the team. Let me know when Rondo is taking 8-10 FTs a game.

No experience leading a winning team? Without Rondo, this team doesn't make it to the 2010 Finals and probably the 2008 Finals, either. Rondo has always been an underrated part of this team. PP, KG, and RA had most of the glory but Rondo was the one setting them up.

By the way, Rondo has a ring and Chris Paul DOESN'T. So there Twisted Evil 

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Post by Sam Tue Aug 13, 2013 12:51 am

Hey guys, go easy on Justy. Who can argue with a child who has been "obsessively following Boston sports" for a whole 10 years? What more compelling credential could he possibly have?

Just one tiny suggestion, Justy. Don't search for whatever convenient stat will force home a point you're dying to make. Go for the valid stat.

For example, instead of quoting Rondo's stats since coming into the league, how about allowing for the fact that he—you know—might just possibly be improving over time? For example, how about his 48% shooting percentage from 15 to 23 feet in 2012-13? At the time when he was hurt, I could find fault with elements of his game (for example, on defense, which you choose to praise). But his mid-range jumper was actually one of the more reliable offensive weapons the Celtics boasted at that time. On numerous occasions, he broke shooting droughts by the team with successful mid-range jumpers of his own.

So, Justy, why don't you "obsessively" take a statistics course or two and learn about the importance of validity when you quote stats?

Hey, I've been "obsessively following Boston sports" for 670% as long as Justy. Does that qualify me as an NBA savant?

Sam

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Post by sinus007 Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:37 am

Hi,
Let's just forget about RR for a moment and talk about Justin Haskins.
I'd say that he is a bad student who missed Journalism 101 course or, Regent University's journalism program doesn't have it, especially that part that teaches journalistic honesty and integrity.

AK
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Post by worcester Tue Aug 13, 2013 11:18 am

If Justin made a typo, then I can agree with him on one point:
New England native or New England naive?

Otherwise he's all wet.

Point 1. Celts better without him? Really? With him we go to the NBA finals or ECF. Without him we're out in round one. How much more evidence does Justin need?

2. Terrible mid-range? Sam has already refuted that point.

3. Scary f/t? Poor, yes. Scary, no.

4. Invisible man? What? The PG who carried the Celts to dramatic victories in numerous key games. Mr. triple double of the NBA, invisible? Come on Justin. Eat your Wheaties.

5. No experience leading a team to wins? Well if you say that Bill Russell had no experience leading a team to wins because Cousy, Ramsay, Heinsohn, Satch, KC, Sam, and Hondo were also starring on those NBA championships teams, then I get your logic Justin - in a Bizarro world that makes sense. I guess that means Dwight D. Eisenhower had no experience leading a team to victory either because Generals Marshall and Patton were also on his team. Yeah, right.
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Post by Sam Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:48 pm

Worcester,

I particularly liked the Ike reference.

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Post by worcester Tue Aug 13, 2013 3:59 pm

Sam, true story. I went with David Eisenhower (after whom Camp David was named) to his first date with Julie Nixon in 1966. David explained to me that he'd gone off to Phillips Exeter, and his hometown girlfriend - who was a year older than him - had gone off to college. Upon reuniting during summer vacation, she told him that whereas David didn't smoke, drink, dance, or believe in pre-marital sex, she had met a guy in college who did all those things. As a result she was having a lot more fun than with David, so she dumped him.

This really upset David, and he thought that with Julie he might find someone with the same conservative values. Well the rest is history. They're still a couple and VERY happily married after almost 46 years. I wonder how his high school girlfriend fared.
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Post by Sam Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:55 pm

Great story, W.

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