Rajon Rondo
- Thread starter VF21
- Start date
Showtime
Starter
I'm very wary of this. We've seen contract players time and again, and I just don't know if we will get a 100% motivated RR if we lock him up under a new deal.
DeMoN
Bench
I think Rondo is a commited basketball player. His stint in Dallas didn't blow up because he wasn't into it.
Luckily, I don't think Vlade shares your fears.
ockingsfan
Starter
I think it really depends on if we start winning.
If we make a solid run toward a playoff spot, I think rondo resigns.
If we blow up and finish with 30 wins or less, he is probably gone.
I think vivek will step up and pay the man, but we need to win some games and rondo will be loyal to the kings for believing in him, when the rest of the NBA didn't.
Get in or close to the playoffs and rondo stays.
twslam07
All-Star
You do realize that Rondo was a contract year player last year on the Mavs, right?
If it was just about money, don't you think he would have shut up and not clashed with Carlisle? I think winning means more to him than you think.
bubulina
Bench
Wjhy should Rondo resign? Why would Vlade resign? I don't want them to resign. In fact I want Vlade to re-sign Rondo.
My English is not that good but please....
DeMoN
Bench
Wjhy should Rondo resign? Why would Vlade resign? I don't want them to resign. In fact I want Vlade to re-sign Rondo.
Rondo had a tough fit in Dallas, and is probably looking to stay somewhere for a bit before he tries out another team. He's a unique player, and what happened in Dallas is no joke. He literally seperated from the team mid play off game.
K
KingMilz
Guest
Not winning and they currently have a better record than us but Rondo has been very good for us.
Showtime
Starter
You do realize that:
1. he was traded and asked to share the load in the back-court in a system that wasn't conducive to his style, meaning his production (and value) would plummet even if he shut up and played nice,
2. there's a massive salary cap jump next season, so why would he pander to Rick and the Mavs knowing that he wasn't going to stay there OR seek a long term deal this season? He's too smart to leave big money on the table like that.
If that were the case, he would have stayed with the playoff team he was on, let alone signed with the Kings. This team was the only one going after him, so it was a perfect opportunity to rebound and make a case for a big contract once the cap is raised.
Sac.1989
Starter
Not being a downer however i do feel it it worth noting that Karl's style is tailor-made for Rondo and second to none.
I sign him regardless and i want to make that clear that i am a huge fan of what Rondo has bought to Sac and never doubted his pedigree or ability to perform at a high level post Boston, but i think it is worth noting and discussing the possibility of what if we continue to underachieve and Karl is shown the door post season or prior, then how effective will Rondo be long term given the coach who entrusted him to run the show and played to his strengths is no longer here ? These are the questions our front office will need to ponder and ask as we've somewhat created an oxymoron by creating an environment which enables Rondo to be great but isnt getting the results as a team desired. Aligning the two is key obviously key though the future could indeed be a less steller numbers wise Rondo though completely adequate in a system which brings more Wins - whether this is a tweak facilitated by Karl or else is to be seen.
Rondo has been the sole bright light for me this season and long may it continue. Id love for him to be our leader and floor facilitator for years to come but yes i do have questions and thoughts along the lines of the above.
I sign him regardless and i want to make that clear that i am a huge fan of what Rondo has bought to Sac and never doubted his pedigree or ability to perform at a high level post Boston, but i think it is worth noting and discussing the possibility of what if we continue to underachieve and Karl is shown the door post season or prior, then how effective will Rondo be long term given the coach who entrusted him to run the show and played to his strengths is no longer here ? These are the questions our front office will need to ponder and ask as we've somewhat created an oxymoron by creating an environment which enables Rondo to be great but isnt getting the results as a team desired. Aligning the two is key obviously key though the future could indeed be a less steller numbers wise Rondo though completely adequate in a system which brings more Wins - whether this is a tweak facilitated by Karl or else is to be seen.
Rondo has been the sole bright light for me this season and long may it continue. Id love for him to be our leader and floor facilitator for years to come but yes i do have questions and thoughts along the lines of the above.
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I disagree on Karls system being perfect for Rondo. Karl's system inflates numbers so that helps RRs stat line, but Rondo isn't a pace guy. The dribble drive also isnt necessarily a pg first system since everyone catches drives dishes and it cycles until you get a shot. I think rondo is best in a slowed traditional system where most of the decisionaking lies with the pg.
The dribble drive (junk ball)is the perfect fit for the two guys we got rid of in Tyreke and IT.
Rondos stats look fine(and will be inflated due to pace) but he's not really in his ideal system. If he was he wouldn't be pushing Karl to slow the pace.
Carlisle is a fantastic coach. One of the top 2 in the league for my money. But he runs a motion offense where everyone shares playmaking and you need to be able to hit open shots. He's also a control freak who will call as many of the offensive plays as he can. That was a bad fit for Rondo all the way around.
So in other words ... Rondo is putting up great numbers and clearly playing well but it's still not good enough because ... Karl? Rondo is pushing Karl to slow the pace because our best player isn't suited to running up and down the court, not because he's not suited for pace. I don't see how a guy can be putting up games of 15 assists and yet you can come to the conclusion that most of the decision making doesn't lie with the PG. The only player who is actually just catching and driving and dishing is Casspi and to a lesser extent Marco. So many of Koufos' baskets have come off pick and roll with Rondo, Ben is more or a less a permanent fixture at the 3 point line and when Rudy drives the only thing he's passing to is the basket.
My biggest beef with the offense as it is is that Cousins is rarely rolling to the basket. He's setting a lot of the high picks for Rondo but then popping out to the 3 point line instead of rolling, whereas we see a very different scenario with Rondo-Koufos.
The team's strength is not in setting screens. We don't have particularly good cutters or guys who can come off screens, catch and shoot, aside from Ben and Marco who still aren't at say a Korver or Rip Hamilton level, much less a Ray Allen level. Rondo isn't a big scoring threat. Playing in a slow offense may benefit Cousins, but it certainly won't benefit Rondo. You don't need a great playmaker if your offense consists of "dump ball to Cousins and space the floor", much less one who can't shoot. Which is why people were pushing for a Derek Fisher-like, Mario Chalmers sort of PG in seasons past, and why many were concerned that Rondo wouldn't be a good fit for Cousins. The team both in player and coaching personnel also isn't built to win games by its defense. We're aiming to play good offense and sufficient defense.
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ForlornKing
Starter
If Karl is going to stay, and Cuz is going to stay, then Rondo HAS to stay.
Has anyone noticed that Rondo's good relationship with George is allowing the relationship with Cuz and George to grow?
Rondo seems like a middle man, and it's working. I don't think Cuz likes George yet, but I also don't think Cuz wants to see him fired actually. Cuz wants stability. He doesn't want to learn some new system for the thousandth time since being drafted.
And he has Rondo in his ear telling him that it can all work out.
Has anyone noticed that Rondo's good relationship with George is allowing the relationship with Cuz and George to grow?
Rondo seems like a middle man, and it's working. I don't think Cuz likes George yet, but I also don't think Cuz wants to see him fired actually. Cuz wants stability. He doesn't want to learn some new system for the thousandth time since being drafted.
And he has Rondo in his ear telling him that it can all work out.
Kingston Jamaica
Bench
I like that. Much the way I think about it. Rondo leads the NBA in assist. He is 3 assists per game ahead of Chris Paul! It means that he doesn't just pass the ball. Somebody is scoring after getting the ball from him. CP3 has some great shooters around him (Redick for long range, Griffin for medium range and slams and Jordan for alley oops).
I think the Kings is are a very good match for Rondo. The team doesn't have divas as most of the other NBA teams have. The best players, DMC and Rudy, respect him. Rondo likes to control the game and with the Kings he can. Rondo can score. He gets to the basket with surprising ease and he mostly delivers. However, he gets everybody involved which, in my mind, is his greatness. When the players start to get more used to his bullet bounce passes and understand his logic, I expect to see good things coming out of it.
No, in other words I wouldn't hesitate to extend Rondo. Someone was saying the system is perfect for him, and we should hesitate on extending with that in mind. I dont think its the best system to maximize his skills, but I acknowledged it does inflate stats.
As for the rest of the post, I disagree that only Casspi is truly running the dribble drive just because guys arent as able passers while driving as rondo is doesnt mean our offense isnt essentially space the floor, someone drives and then shoots or kicks on the defense collapsing then the person who catches shoots or drives into the lane and that repeats over and over. Thats what I see most of our sets as, and thats the dribble drive which our coaches say we run. (Youre right to mention Koufos he is in fact the one guy on the roster that does need a delivery at a spot other than the perimeter to score so he has to score on rolling to the hoop or on putbacks and a lot of his points have been putbacks)
Also slowing down pace doesnt mean "dump it to Cuz" there are offenses other than dribble drive or post dump. Rondo's Celtics were never about PACE. im not sure how a team can be bad at setting picks and have that not be a serious indictment of the coaching staff. I also dont think you need Ray Allen or Rip Hamilton to run a traditional offense, and I disagree that the Kings don't have slashers. I actually think the Kings have a very balanced roster at this point which suits Rondo's ability to get the right player the right shot at the right time.
My ultimate point was that we should resign Rondo asap. I dont think his inflated numbers because of the junkball system mean he isnt EXTREMELY valuable in any system if the concern is that Karl and his sytem might not be here forever.
I think you missed the point of his post. It was the use of "resign" (to quit) instead of "re-sign".
twslam07
All-Star
So your argument for Rondo not shutting up and being submissive to Carlisle is because the cap is going up meaning that signing a contract this year is not very important? You do realize how dumb that sounds?
If Rondo didn't portray himself as such a bad teammate in Dallas, he likely would have drawn more interest at a higher salary level. Now having said that, Rondo could have still taken a 1 year or 2 year deal knowing the cap is rising. I don't see why him showing that he's a good teammate means he has to sign a long term deal. The two are not a package deal. You're making a huge assumption there.
It's funny how you say Rondo is "too smart to leave big money on the table like that." When in fact, Rondo's attitude and incident with Carlisle did just that. That's a perfect example of Rondo caring more about winning (arguing with a coach about running the team to help give them the best chance to succeed but at the sacrifice of losing money next offseason) rather than a paycheck (staying quiet, not caring, allowing Carlisle to call the shots, and be a good teammate).
To your second point...so since Rondo disagreed with Carlisle on how best to run the team (and being very vocal about it), teams stayed away from him in FA as he had the cancer tag applied to him. I'm sure if there was a playoff team that was interested in Rondo, he wouldn't be in Sacramento. To my knowledge, we were the only team that went after him. What choice did he have?
Saying that he chose the Kings as an excuse for not caring about winning is just plain idiotic. A player signing goes both ways. They have to want him and he has to want them. I didn't hear of any playoff teams that fell into the "they/them" category.
Many of you still don't understand that Rondo is very much like Cousins. If a coach doesn't have his back, he's not going to bat for them. Carlisle and Rondo obviously had issues and what do you know? Rondos play was the worst we've seen in his career.
However feel free to keep thinking Rondo is only playing for a paycheck if you must. I guess people just see what they want to see sometimes.
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