Rondo suspended one game

There it is.

He deserves it. When is he going to grow up?

Not that this excuses Rondo's stupidity and immaturity, but Rondo has been suspended twice this season (if you remember, the last time was for throwing a ball at a referree). The ref who threw him out both times? You guessed it, Marc Davis.

bob


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What may happen as result of the suspension is that it may cause the Celts to have to expend so much energy to get out of this round, assuming the C's are able to muscle up and get to Chicago that there will be nothing left for the conference semis. If Atlanta gets by the C's they will get zapped 4 straight by the Bulls. Yes Rondo should have used better judgement, but Marc Davis must be a good friend of Tim Donoghy and should never be assigned to a Celtics game.

MD!

Interesting article from Jackie Mac.

http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/7874196/2012-nba-playoffs-rajon-rondo-makes-bad-situation-worse

I found the following section particularly illuminating:

Thus, revamping their team chemistry became a priority. They swapped Davis for Bass, a quiet, serious, professional young forward. They brought in Mickael Pietrus, a pied piper of positive thinking and boundless energy (think M.L. Carr with 3-point range).

Yet the most important addition in the locker room appeared to have been point guard Keyon Dooling. His results on the floor have been mixed, but his influence on Rondo as a trusted ally was immeasurable.

It has been well documented that Rondo struggles to coexist, at times, with his more celebrated teammates. He occasionally chafed when the Big Three overshadowed his accomplishments, and brooded when best pal Kendrick Perkins was dealt to Oklahoma City. Rondo needed a new confidant and Dooling, Rondo told me just before Game 1, had become that guy.

"Keyon is one of the best leaders I've ever been around," Rondo declared. "He tells me the truth. If I mess up, he lets me know. He's also very positive, very uplifting.

"Sometimes you play with guys who don't always want to see you do well. When they tell you something, you wonder where they're coming from, what their reasons are.

"But with Keyon, I never worry about that. He's going to give it to me straight, because he cares."

When Rondo drew a two-game suspension for throwing the ball at Wright in February, his veteran teammates went to him demanding a public apology. Feeling cornered, Rondo balked -- and that's when Dooling stepped in.

"I just told him, 'You hurt your family when you do stuff like [throwing the ball at a ref]. The [money lost due to suspension] comes out of your pocket. That's taking money away from the people you love,'" Dooling said.

"He listened because I was coming from a pure place. I want him to grow as a man.

"I set out to get to know him. I didn't listen to any of the other guys and their opinions of Rajon.

"I love the guy. I've made a friend for a lifetime."

I had no idea Rondo had become that close with Dooling. It's good that they have Dooling, but on the other hand, it's a shame that Rondo is so estranged from the rest of the team that he needs someone like that.

There's a lot of other interesting information in the article, including tidbits about Ray's bone spurs and KG's hip flexors. Highly recommended.

Outside

Outside,
Thanks for the article. A lot of interesting bits of info.

AK

Jackie says...

So now they will likely go into Game 2 with their best pure shooter in a snappy suit-and-tie ensemble and the NBA assist leader sulking next to him.

Are suspended players allowed on the bench? Are they even allowed in the building? I thought the answer to both questions is "No".

Does anyone know?

The answer is no. Rondo can''t be in the arena, or locker room. He either watches from the hotel, or takes an early flight back to Boston and watches the game there.

MD!

I would say he will stay at the hotel, unless the team is flying out right after the game, which is very possible. Who wants to stick around Atlanta, they have much to do to get ready for Friday's game. He could be gone already, but I seriously doubt it. He should be working with Bradley and Pietrus during the day today.

Rosalie:

I don't know. Atlanta is a very happening city. Tyler Perry makes most of his movies around there. There are many hip hop moguls based out of Atlanta.The two prime swingers of the 70's Clyde Frazier & Earl Monroe would have a blast there, and none of their activities would involve hoops either. Of course, that is if they were their 70's ages in today's Atlanta environment, instead of being 70 in today's environment.

MD!

Well, good luck to him if he goes partying, I wouldn't want to face the wrath of Doc and Danny. I hope this kid is smarter than that!!

Rosalie:

After the suspension, I think RR is smart enough and contrite enough to mind his "P's" & Q's and given all his extra effort into trying to compensate for leaving the team in a bind by his lack of self control.

MD!

MD- I think you are right, I believe we will see a double-double game three from him. I also don't believe all those out there who are calling for a trade after the season. Look at Pierce-after his incident where he ripped off his shirt and walked off the court, everyone was calling for them to trade him too. This was an unfortunate incident, but, I agree with Doc, at least he was fighting for one of his teammates.

I think they will win this game tonight, and come home and take them both here. Whether they win in Atlanta or home, they will take the series.

According to Las Vegas, Rondo is only worth 2 1/2 points to the Celtics when he plays. The betting line for game 1 had the Hawks favored by 2. Tonight without Rondo it's 4 1/2:

http://www.donbest.com/nba/odds/

Wow. He gets no respect.

I think he's worth more than a measly 2 1/2 points...