Rondo and other factors

I was going to post this under the recent post game thread but decided against it. There is a lot of discussion about Rondo and the team and I want to add my two cents worth of observations.

First I can tell you that I do not believe that Rondo's play is the result of Perk's departure from the team. Rondo would have to be a very sefiish and self absored individual to let a business decision by the team influence his responsibility to the team. Rondo has seen a lot of players come and go on this team and I assure you that Perk's absence has little or nothing to do with what is happening on the court today.

In sum I believe that the Perk factor is a half baked notion that will never give rise to any factual manefestation that leaks from the mind of a fan that is trying to make sense of it all.

But there are real factors in play. There are circumstances that we have all seen for ourselves that may help to explain what is happening to Rondo and more importantly to the team.

To begin with this team has 5 new players to integrate. This is not training camp. The Celtics are in the midst of a regular season schedule that is unforgiving. And on top of the problems associated with adding new players, the Celtics as a team have collectively missed a ton of games. This teamn has yet to have a full complimnent of players.

Here are some factors that I think deserve consideration.

Factor # 1 - Rondo has the most difficult task on the court as any other player. It takes time to learn his teammates and quite frankly being 7-4 since the trades that were made 11 games ago is just not enough time. But the record is still not bad.

Factor # 2 - Rondo has been playing a lot of minutes. Even after the trade was made there was no BU point guard, West came back just the other night and Carlos has been on board for 7 games after being buried all year on nthe Miami Bench. Thus Rondo's point guard duties have taken its toll physically and mentally.

Factor # 3 - Rondo is not at 100% But at this time of the year everyone is nursing injuries. But Rondo has absored a lot of hits. last night he took a knee in the thigh and he was noticebaly limping. The game befroe he slammed into a pick and was knock to the ground, then he turned an ankle. And let us not forget that he was out with a hamstring injuriy and a sever ankle sprain.

These are facts not speculation.

I do not want to get into a lot of statistical analysis but the Celtics ARE NOT playing badly on the defensive side of the ball. They gave up 92 last night to a team that scores 105 per game. Over the past 5 games thay have given up 89, 56, 88, 80 and 92 points.

The problem has been with the offense and since Rondo is the quarterback much of the deficiency falls on his shoulders. The offense will improve once the rotations are firmly established and the new guys and the old guys are more comfortable with each other. Doc is still figuring out how to use all this talent. He has an almost infinite number of combinations to put on the court. There is more than enough time to make this work. The great thing about this team is that the rotation players with perhaps the exception of Avery and Sasha could be starters. Delonte West and Trop Murphy are just getting their seas legs under them Baby is back and still bringing a significant contribution to the court every game and Shaq will return to complete the puzzle.

There is nothing wrong with this team that cannot be fixed. I think we just need to ride out the lows and not lose faith in what this team is more than capable of accomplishing. The Celtics do not and will not miss Perkins over the long haul. They will not miss Nat. Both Green and Kristic more than make up for what we traded aways. Murphy, Carlos and Sasha add quality veteran depth to a team that was already deep.

I'm staying on the sunny side of the street.

dboss

Dboss,

Thanks for a great post. Very realistic and constructive. A very nice contribution to this board, and much appreciated from a personal perspective.

I often allude to the fact that people sometimes think players are veritable "toy soldiers." Just wind them up, put them on the floor, and they should always perform perfectly. But there are so many factors that make that notion far from realistic.

You comment about Rondo having the most difficult job on the team right now is perfectly on target. Since the new players and returnees are in a constant process of evolving with the team, Rondo may see one Krstic today and another one tomorrow.

I do believe there is also a mental aspect involved. The enormity of this adjustment phase obviously came as a surprise at a time when Rondo was used to grooving with the same bunch. The adjustments may seem rather daunting, but I believe he'll overcome that roadblock as the new and returning players become more comfortable in their roles.

Thanks again for the great post, and Go Celtics!

Sam

Thanks for a great post, dboss, I am so glad that there are people out there who are not jumping ship and taking a plane to Chicago. I have not given up on this
team, and I won't. The offense is sputtering, and that is where the main problem is.
Getting the ball to Ray and Paul in the right spots, and having them hit their shots will open up the game for the Celtics. Missing shots and not rebounding on the offensive end is the biggest problem I see.

I will keep the faith, and I am glad to see that you are too. Thanks again.

Rosalie

Rosalie, you have the wisdom of youth.

Sam

dboss

Think we all forget the mental aspect from time to time. Every NBA player has a ton of talent or they wouldn't be there, some more than others but the ones that can reamin focused virtually all the time are few. Rondo with the other factors you mentioned has a lot on his plate.

I am concerned that the physical part perhaps missing the 1/2 step of explosiveness is wearing on him mentally as much as anything else.
IMHO Doc ,as much as we want to see minutes regulated for our older players, needs to rest Rondo perhaps even more. A fresh Rondo for 28-30 minutes per game is better than a flat one for 35-40.

beat

Dboss,

Great post and well thought out. It' way too early to throw dirt on the kid. Sounds like he just wants to win. I like what he said about last nights game. Something about DW having a good night, and he didn't mind sitting as long as we win.

Hoop