Rajon Rondo really did withdraw from Team USA
Cool picture, but Rondo looks weird.
There’s a nice quality that runs in my family: stubbornness.
My dad loved the Joe Forte draft pick at the time he was drafted. Thought Forte would be the next great Celtic. To this day, if you mention Forte’s name around my father, he’ll tell you the Celtics screwed Forte out of being an All-Star. It couldn’t possibly be Forte’s fault that his game didn’t translate, he got arrested for gun and drug charges, and then was later arrested for assault when punching a pickup basketball opponent in the face. My dad said Forte would be the next great Celtic, so all problems Forte developed were somebody else’s fault. As I said, pure stubbornness.
But not me. When I’m wrong I’ll admit it. I said I would believe Rondo got cut from Team USA until he admitted himself that he didn’t. Well, Rondo has now spoken. He wasn’t cut. He just never wanted to play for Team USA in the first place and considers the Boston Celtics his priority. Amen, Rajon. Eff patriotism. Eff your country. The Celtics always come first.
“It was great to practice every day against the best young talent in the league, a veteran like Chauncey Billups and play for a Hall of Fame coach [Mike Krzyzewski],” Rondo said. “But some of these guys hadn’t played since April. Lamar [Odom] and I had just got out of Game 7. And next season is right around the corner. I feel like I had to take advantage of the opportunity I have right now to win another championship. It’s not often you get to play with four Hall of Famers. Another couple of years and I won’t have that.”
Another couple of years and Rondo won’t have four Hall of Famers by his side. But Danny Ainge will have a boat load of cap space to sign quality free agents. In Danny we trust.
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Celtics Blog | Jay King | September 20, 2010
It was Rondo’s decision indeed so we must respect it. He is a great talent out of the Celtics lineup. He can bring a high level energy on the team with many talents. For me, this is a nice decision by Rondo. He did not only shows his loyalty to the Celtics team but he also has given the opportunity to some young players in the league to play in the international competition and shine with their individual talents in the whole world.
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I just hope he was/is being honest with himself and if his “focus” is winning championships then he was/will be in the gym shooting hundreds of jumpers and FTs, which will show come season time. If there isn’t any significantly marketed improvement this season then these words will prove to be hollow. Go Cs…
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Sometimes shooting is all about confidence. I played one year at a prep school, and my shot just left me. In practice, I was still money, but in games I couldn’t hit the broad side of Kim Kardashian’s ass. I lost my confidence and everything only got worse. I suspect Rondo’s the same way. He can practice all he wants, but until he gets some confidence in his jumper he won’t be able to drain it on a regular basis.
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How much confidence do you need to shoot FTs? I shot 74 out of 100 Saturday, outside, in a mildly stiff breeze and not having shot in over a month (and I’m 56). Shooting FTs is all about focus and technique. And the only way to get good at that is taking 500-1000 a day in a gym. The jumper will improve from shooting the FTs. Go Cs….
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Ask Nick Anderson about how badly confidence plays into free throws.
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One guy is not a pattern. RR shot pretty good FTs until the Finals, too. Practice (as AI knows) makes players better. There’s an old saying that ‘how you practice is how you play the game’. If RR practices at shooting FTs and jumpers he will get better. Go Cs…
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I’m with you that practice makes better. But some guys really just have a mental block and don’t have the confidence to shoot a great percentage. If you notice, Rondo always seems to make jumpers when the clock’s running down and he has to shoot. My theory for that: when he has no other choice but to shoot, Rondo doesn’t think about shooting the ball. He just lets it fly, and his natural ability shines through. But when Rondo isn’t forced to shoot he has second thoughts, causing him to miss more often than not.
By all accounts, Rondo does work hard on his shot. It just hasn’t paid off yet.
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