Friday, October 14th, 2011 at 11:58 am  |  108 responses

Top 50: Rajon Rondo, no. 15

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

by Quinn Peterson / @QwinFNP

People love to hate, diss and under-credit Rajon Rondo.

The slights are always one of the following:

1. He’s playing with three Hall of Famers. If he wasn’t on the Celtics, he wouldn’t be anything.
2. He can’t shoot.

To the first point, sure. It’s no secret that playing with three future HOFs would help a young guard progress in the League. At the same time, for some reason, there’s cats who can’t seem to understand the challenge that comes with that, as well.

He’s got to keep everyone happy, from Paul to KG to Ray to Doc, and he does. He runs the show. Those aforementioned Celts are greats in their own rights, but at this stage in their careers, they can’t do things singlehandedly. They need someone to get them the ball. Rondo does so without failure.

Those wary of his value, should quickly reference the second round of last year’s Playoffs, when the Cs met up with the Heat. Rondo, despite dislocating his elbow in Game 3, returned in that same game to help lead his squad. This, in and of itself, is admirable enough. But, in overtime of Game 4, he was unable to go. The effects were obvious.

With a score knotted at 86-86 when the period started, the Celtics scored just four points, shot 1-6 and committed four turnovers, losing the pivotal game 98-90.

All those hall of famers, and the Celtics, arguably the best executing in the League, looked lost. The answer requires little deliberation.

During Rondo’s his five years in Boston, Garnett, Pierce and others have missed countless games, while the revolving door of role players has swiftly spun. The one constant has been Rondo. Since he became the full time starter in ‘07-08 (when they won the chip), he’s missed 21 games (13 of which were last year.)

Rondo was blessed to be put in a brilliant situation. That’s no fault of his. All he could do is worry about what he could control—and he did. He deserves ample respect for that, which is why SLAMonline has him here at 15 (the highest of any Celtic).

For a PG-lover and student of the game like myself, it’s an absolute beauty to watch him facilitate and distribute. The boy averaged a career high 11.2 assists last year (against 3.4 turnovers), further proving that he is one of the best passers and decision-makers in the L. And he’s one of the fiercest defenders in the League, leading one of the best defenses in the League, harassing ballhandlers on a nightly basis. Accordingly, he clocked a league-leading 2.3 steals last season.

To the second point—that Rondo can’t shoot—well, there’s really no argument I can make for that. He can’t… yet. But neither could Jason Kidd (early in his career) or Gary Payton, and they seem to have made it out OK.

What’s more important, though, is thus far, it hasn’t necessarily mattered. Sure, opponents sag on him, but he’s grown adept at compensating for his inability to shoot from the perimeter by perfecting his ability to score from the interior, using a wide arsenal of floaters, layups and runners.

We can contemplate hypotheticals all day long. At the end of the day, that’s all they are, though. If “if was fifth…”, you know.

What’s real is the fact that Rajon Rondo is one of the League’s premier floor generals, and has a ring and plenty of Ws to prove it. Forget shooting percentages and three-pointers made, and how many HOFers he plays with. Since ’07-08, the Celtics are 234-80, finished first in the Eastern Conference three times, been to the Finals twice, with one ring to show for it. Those are the only numbers that matter.

SLAMonline Top 50 Players 2011
Rank Player Team Position Pos. Rank
50 Luol Deng Bulls SF 8
49 Andrew Bogut Bucks C 7
48 Ray Allen Celtics SG 9
47 Marc Gasol Grizzlies C 6
46 David West Hornets PF 15
45 Kevin Martin Rockets SG 8
44 Andrew Bynum Lakers C 5
43 Brandon Jennings Bucks PG 11
42 Lamar Odom Lakers PF 14
41 Gerald Wallace Blazers SF 7
40 Brook Lopez Nets C 4
39 Joakim Noah Bulls C 3
38 Carlos Boozer Bulls PF 13
37 Kevin Garnett Celtics PF 12
36 Eric Gordon Clippers SG 7
35 Tony Parker Spurs PG 10
34 Andre Iguodala 76ers SG 6
33 Al Jefferson Jazz PF 11
32 Al Horford Hawks C 2
31 Stephen Curry Warriors PG 9
30 Tim Duncan Spurs PF 10
29 Josh Smith Hawks PF 9
28 Manu Ginobili Spurs SG 5
27 Tyreke Evans Kings PG 8
26 Rudy Gay Grizzlies SF 6
25 John Wall Wizards PG 7
24 Danny Granger Pacers SF 5
23 Monta Ellis Warriors SG 4
22 Joe Johnson Hawks SG 3
21 Paul Pierce Celtics SF 4
20 Steve Nash Suns PG 6
19 Zach Randolph Grizzlies PF 8
18 LaMarcus Aldridge Blazers PF 7
17 Chris Bosh Heat PF 6
16 Kevin Love TWolves PF 5
15 Rajon Rondo Celtics PG 5

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’11-12 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Maurice Bobb, Shannon Booher, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Jon Jaques, Eldon Khorshidi, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Quinn Peterson, Dave Schnur, Abe Schwadron, Dan Shapiro, Irv Soonachan, Todd Spehr, Tzvi Twersky, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Ben York.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: , , ,

  • GreenBall Posted: Oct.14 at 12:02 pm
    yes! Was worried Rondo would be ranked higher then Westbrook

  • niQ Posted: Oct.14 at 12:08 pm
    To be honest, with all the experience and leadership he’s gained, I think Rondo’s ceiling will not be reached until the big 3 have retired…

  • BlackStar Posted: Oct.14 at 12:17 pm
    I agree with nIQ. Rondo has some tricks we haven’t seen yet.

  • Wayno Posted: Oct.14 at 12:18 pm
    I’m fine with this ranking. I like his game alot, hopefully he adds a jumper some day.

  • Mike Posted: Oct.14 at 12:18 pm
    His PER stats are only 69th.
    Love’s who you ranked 16, has the 4th PER stat.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 12:19 pm
    Called this

  • omphalos Posted: Oct.14 at 12:23 pm
    People are sleeping on Rondo as a scoring PG, when the Big 3 retired don’t be surprised to see him scoring a lot more and quelling a lot of these fears. He’s playing the situation he’s in. I still think it’s a joke he’s behind Westbrook. You put Rondo on the Thunder and they are beating the Mavs, case closed in my opinion.

  • seriousblack Posted: Oct.14 at 12:46 pm
    Rondo>Westbrook

  • Enigmatic Posted: Oct.14 at 12:50 pm
    Rondo was balling out of his mind early last season. Averaging like 16 assists per early on. I really like dude.
    Also, f*ck John Hollinger.

  • Armando Posted: Oct.14 at 1:00 pm
    Co-sign seriousblack. And although he sometimes acts like a douche, I’d take him over Westbrook.. And if age weren’t an issue I’d take Nash, and Wall, over Westbrook as well.

  • TruthHurts Posted: Oct.14 at 1:09 pm
    “During Rondo’s his five years in Boston”
    You would think some one wouldve proof read this article before it was published.

  • kj Posted: Oct.14 at 1:09 pm
    If this guy could hit an open three, he would be 5 spots higher.

  • GreenBall Posted: Oct.14 at 1:12 pm
    @omp – You really think OKC would beat the mavs with Rondo… mavs could just put in some scrubs and foul every offense in the 4th Q. And; Westbrook was 2nd in tripple doubles last season.

  • ctkennedy Posted: Oct.14 at 1:20 pm
    his ability to not space the court A LITTLE BIT n not able to make FT …has cost the Celtics atleast one more title …People forget that SamCassell was they pg closer on that championship team n they tried to get that same magic with Marbury the next yr cuz of his weakness of makin shots of any kind n the clutch

  • Eboy Posted: Oct.14 at 1:33 pm
    RONDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 1:39 pm
    There’s no way that if you were building a team to win a title in a fantasy draft that Rajon Rondo would be the 15th overall selection.

  • MUBWAR Posted: Oct.14 at 1:45 pm
    well deserved. great defender, amazing passer and so so scorer.

  • LakeShow Posted: Oct.14 at 1:48 pm
    Not a great defender… Not the 15th best player in the League. I ain’t mad though. Good player. Good starting PG.

  • Allenp Posted: Oct.14 at 1:53 pm
    Just saying he can’t shoot isn’t accurate. His shooting is so bad he actually passes up shots he should take to make passes he shouldn’t.
    Payton and Kidd shot the rock. They shot it badly for a while, Kidd moreso than Payton, but they shot it. And they finished way better than Rondo at the rim.
    But, since he’s lower than Westbrook, I’m not going to complain too much.
    This is a good spot for him.

  • Enigmatic Posted: Oct.14 at 1:54 pm
    His defense can be overrated.
    He plays the passing lanes well and gets lots of steals with those long arms of his, but that doesn’t make him a “great defender”.
    Not trying to hate, though. Dude is nice.

  • BAWSE Posted: Oct.14 at 1:57 pm
    Hmmm I would place Rondo slightly outside of my top 20. Maybe 21 but then again he is a good player. We talk about his weakness but we all saw when he went out how the Celts struggled terribly. If he gets a jumper he is top 15 player easy.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 2:04 pm
    He is as good a defender as you can ask for with the Rules that are in place. there will not be a lockdown PG like Payton ever again, not with the way the game is called on the perimeter. idk what you guys expect from a “great” defensive PG in this day and age, but likely, you’ll never see one.

  • Enigmatic Posted: Oct.14 at 2:06 pm
    True.
    The new rules have really limited what defensive cats can do nowadays.
    He struggles with quick pg’s, they usually blow right by him, but again, as you alluded to, what can he do?

  • LakeShow Posted: Oct.14 at 2:07 pm
    You can still lock guys down. Not like Payton sure, but don’t act like Rondo makes other guards give up the ball like every other play because he is ball hawking. Jrue Holiday > Rondo defensively.

  • Enigmatic Posted: Oct.14 at 2:09 pm
    True.
    Holiday is a better defender than Rondo.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 2:11 pm
    Jrue Holiday as a defender < Rajon Rondo in every measurable way. Opponent PPG, APG, TOPG, PER, & FG %. Just because Holiday is a popular pick, doesn't mean he's better.

  • seun Posted: Oct.14 at 2:12 pm
    Rondo is not better than westbrook because rondo cant shoot or make layup; anybody who says he will be a great scorer in a few years is delusional he will never average more than 16 a game in a season and thats a fact.To me whats really depressing is his free throw shooting, i mean he shoots about the ame percentage as a center thats absolutely ridiculous because he cant even take advantage of his slashing ability because he’s such a bad free throw shooter.Plu you cant really fix free throws i mean if yo shoot 60 percent from the line in the nba your not getting that number up any higher than 65 percent so he is always gonna be bad at them.

  • LakeShow Posted: Oct.14 at 2:15 pm
    Sorry nbk, you know me and using my eyes. I can’t help it. Jrue Holiday is a visibly better man on man defender. Now I only watched him in the playoffs for the most part. So maybe throughout the course of the season Rondo was better, but during the playoffs Jrue was playing better D than Rondo. Rondo is good, but I think it’s silly to call him a ‘great defender’. Rondo when he takes the task to play D on someone(James) he can do real well, but he doesn’t play D like that on a regular basis.

  • seun Posted: Oct.14 at 2:16 pm
    oh and rondo’s per was 46th in the league and you put him in okc and they’re 8th seed in the playoff because the team already struggles to score points with westbrook take him away and they will be even worse on offense. plus westbrook and durant have by this poiint built a type of chemistry that cannot be replaced by any other point guard in the nba today. i mean thers’s a reason durant was the most assisted score in the nba and that westbrook was the least assisted scorer in the nba last year.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 2:17 pm
    that FT % thing is not true. If you work hard enough the right way anyone can be a good FT shooter. (as long as shooting infront of millions of people doesn’t psyche them out)

  • JTaylor21 Posted: Oct.14 at 2:19 pm
    Russ is better than Rondo. A better scorer, rebounder, shooter, defender and has the ability to carry OKC for a week or two without KD.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 2:21 pm
    All I know is I watch a lot of basketball, and they’re are only 2 PG’s in the NBA I would take to defend over Rondo. Westbrook, & Kyle Lowry. That’s it. George Hill maybe, but he hasn’t had much time guarding PG’s. And John Wall has the potential to be the best defensive PG in the NBA. But I don’t think any of them are going to be “great” because I think that’s basically impossible at this point.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 2:23 pm
    there are*

  • Enigmatic Posted: Oct.14 at 2:25 pm
    I still take Holiday over dude on defense.
    But that’s just me.

  • LakeShow Posted: Oct.14 at 2:36 pm
    I would also take all three you mentioned over Rondo. Rondo is good, top 5 Defensive PG for sure. He is thought of as a great defender and that’s not true. He is a real nice defender. He is not a liability on D and that’s good enough. George Hill actually kinda annoyed Kobe last year which immediately places him high up in my book. Lowry is a little demon on D. And Westbrook just out-athleticises the competition. It’s debateable which one of these 5 are the better defender. I’m not upset with anyone that would take one of these guys over the other. They all bring different things to the table defensively. Rondo doesn’t have the strength that these 4 have, nor is he any quicker or more athletic than any of them. Therefore I place them above him by just a scoche.

  • seun Posted: Oct.14 at 2:39 pm
    shaq never became a good free throw shooter

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 2:41 pm
    Ok, Rondo is definitely quicker, then all of them. (not including Wall obviously) idk why you think that he is the least athletic But I’m with you on the lack of strength thing, Rondo is not the PG I would pick to check Deron Williams, Westbrook, or Rose. But if I needed a PG to guard say Chris Paul, Steve Nash, John Wall, Stephen Curry, it’s Rondo.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 2:42 pm
    Shaq didn’t try very hard.

  • yada Posted: Oct.14 at 2:43 pm
    i love rondo game ok! im just saying stop with the rondo is such a great defender thing. the CELTICS play GREAT TEAM DEFENSE. rondo aint lockin nobody up iight? especially not other PGs but i think this is a good spot for him

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 2:44 pm
    Karl Malones FT % in his first season 48% (on 5 attempts a game). By his third season he was a 70% Free Throw Shooter. So there is proof.

  • seun Posted: Oct.14 at 2:46 pm
    rondo can move up from 60% to 65% but he will never move up from 60% to 70% because thats too big of a leap to make.For me the reason i dont like rondo is i just dont think he can be the face of a franchise and to be a top 15 player in the nba you have to either be the face of a franchise or be capable of being the face of a franchise and rondo is neither.

  • Allenp Posted: Oct.14 at 2:47 pm
    Tony Allen and Ron Artest do a better job of staying in front of players, even with the current rules.
    So does old boy for the Bucks.
    I don’t think Rondo does a great job of staying in front of him man. That’s my beef.

  • seun Posted: Oct.14 at 2:48 pm
    oh and rondo is entering his sixth season, and i was actually wrong about his free throw numbers he didn’t shoot 60% he shot 56% my bad.

  • Red Posted: Oct.14 at 2:49 pm
    Rondo sucks

  • LakeShow Posted: Oct.14 at 2:49 pm
    You have a point that he might be quicker than Lowry and maybe Jrue. But not faster or as athletic as Westbrook and Hill imo. I feel you on the better for guarding certain guards deal. He’s probably great on Nash, D-Will, Curry. If you had all these PG’s(/SG) on the same team you would probably utilize their defensive talents per whom you were playing against on a nightly basis. All I really wanted to clarify is he is a good defensive player, but certainly not the best at even his own position.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 2:50 pm
    The point is, you said it’s impossible for a player to improve as a FT shooter, “i mean if yo shoot 60 percent from the line in the nba your not getting that number up any higher than 65 percent so he is always gonna be bad at them.” Which is 100% false.

  • Allenp Posted: Oct.14 at 2:50 pm
    NBK is sleeping hard on Jrue Holiday as a defender.
    He does not have the expert defenders behind him that Rondo has had for most of his career, and he still is incredibly tough on the ball. Incredibly tough.
    Westbrook and Holiday are definitely better. Haven’t seen enough of Lowry. And, honestly, I’d say Deron Williams and Chris Paul as well. To me at least.

  • Allenp Posted: Oct.14 at 2:51 pm
    Tony Allen and Ron Artest don’t guard PG’s. And Jennings is that who your talking about? Why do you think Bogut led the league in Blocks and was top 10 in charges? Because nobody got in the key? lol come on

  • Justin G Posted: Oct.14 at 2:51 pm
    Rondo is not the 15 best player in the league…I would John Wall over Rondo…Can any body remember what Rondo was b4 KG n Ray…??…Thats right he was a role player…Every pg KG played with he made them look good, Rondo can’t shoot freethrows 4get that…Ok so now the Big 3 are getting old n slow you would think Rondo would play at another level,but his game is the same…15th best player in the league Negative!!

  • JTaylor21 Posted: Oct.14 at 2:54 pm
    John Salmons or Luc Mbah a Moute? I’ve always thought of Salmons as an underrated on-the-ball defender.
    You know who can become a great defender if he puts his mind to it? DRose. The boy can become the LeBron of PG defenders, he has the size, athletic ability and strength to become a great defender.

  • Allenp Posted: Oct.14 at 2:56 pm
    Jrue Holiday is one of the best defensive PG’s in the NBA. But he isn’t better then Rondo. He fouls more, lets his opponent score more points on a higher % from the field. Forces less turnovers. You can’t say that about Jennings and he has more help behind him then Rondo does.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 2:57 pm
    F*CK – That last comment by Allen was me, my bad. Slam this is getting annoying I’ve had Allen’s info like 20 times over the last 2 days.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 2:57 pm
    The last 2 comments from Allen were me. my double bad.

  • ctkennedy Posted: Oct.14 at 3:12 pm
    it dont matter who plays D at the point on Boston squad…with KG leadin the D EVERYBODY gon fall in line …period…where he hurts them is on Offense …period …he F*CKS up the spacin n the clutch so bad that his first 43minutes is damn near worthless

  • LakeShow Posted: Oct.14 at 3:17 pm
    ^Kinda agree^

  • Pve_2 Posted: Oct.14 at 3:18 pm
    In response to the point that the Celtics fall off when Rondo is out of a quarter/game: Sure Rondo is good, but it’s also worth noting that Rondo is and has been the ONLY point Boston has had since he became a starter. Every other player reserve brought in to relieve him was either subpar or a shooting guard in a point’s point. With that being said, of course the Celtics fall off without Rondo. I don’t think Rondo can carry a team on his own like Paul/Rose and at times Nash, but he certainly is a good point guard in his System.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 3:19 pm
    Also Rondo was a really good defender before KG got their. And he is also one of the better rebounding PG’s in the NBA. 5th in defensive Rebounds for PG’s last season (tied with Westbrook).

  • Slick Ric Posted: Oct.14 at 3:30 pm
    I respect his game, and think he is the fourth best pg in the game right now.

  • ctkennedy Posted: Oct.14 at 3:33 pm
    it couldnt of been before KG got there …he was a rookie that season ..n SamCassell was the closer …Rando has flatout cost them big games cuz he just cant score…thats why EVERY YR they lookin for a pg with a scorin mindset…Cassell Marbury NRob ..they even brought in D.West with legal issues ….u put Avery Bradley n there Boston is no worse with a better scorin threat

  • datkid Posted: Oct.14 at 3:36 pm
    i had no idea jennings was that good a defender… also this a decent spot for rondo.. a little high but whatever

  • Enigmatic Posted: Oct.14 at 3:36 pm
    JTaylor – I cosign on Rose having the tools to one day become a great defender, but you know who else I can envision being a great defender too is Eric Bledsoe.
    Not as big as Rose, but the athleticism and strength is there.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 3:37 pm
    Yeah Kennedy, he was a good defender in his rookie season. Probably the worst offensive PG in the league for the minutes he played, but defensively he was solid, his numbers look almost exactly like they do now, per minute.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 3:38 pm
    I think Bledsoe (if he gets enough burn) will definitely be a better defender then Rose. He’s quicker (supposedly) and his wingspan is like 6’10″ — Plus he is never going to be the guy who a team relies on to generate all of their offense, like Rose is.

  • Enigmatic Posted: Oct.14 at 3:41 pm
    I wonder how Phoenix feels about trading away Rondo for nothing.
    Probably the same way they feel about trading away Luol Deng for nothing.

  • GP23 Posted: Oct.14 at 3:41 pm
    I would still take Nash over Rondo..

  • Allenp Posted: Oct.14 at 3:42 pm
    Nah, I was talking about defenders in general, then switched to point guards.

  • Enigmatic Posted: Oct.14 at 3:42 pm
    I wasn’t trying to say who was gonna be a better defender than who, just pointing out Bledsoe has the physical tools to be nasty on D one day, as does Rose, if both put in the time and work on that side.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 3:43 pm
    Nate Robinson, and Marcin Gortat (we got him back though) as well.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 3:47 pm
    oh word matic, i agree with you 100%. I just think Rose has to focus on offense just as much as defense, and that is going to take away from his ceiling as a defender.

  • JTaylor21 Posted: Oct.14 at 3:48 pm
    Co-sign nbk and engimatic on EBled. I remember watching him vs the heat and a couple times dude got up there and blocked a couple of LeBron shots, you don’t see that everyday from a PG. His only problem will be lack of significant playing time because if people think Wall plays too fast, they haven’t seen EBled. The guy plays as if his shorts are on fire.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 3:55 pm
    haha lmao yeah he does JT.

  • Enigmatic Posted: Oct.14 at 4:17 pm
    Off topic, but speaking of former UK Cats who need more burn, you gotta feel bad for Daniel Orton.
    Dude went from backing up DeMarcus Cousins in college to backing up Dwight Howard in the NBA, pretty much having little chance to prove himself.
    Then again, dude shoulda stayed in school.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 4:19 pm
    Backing up Dwight can only help imo. Would you rather have him sharing minutes with Darko & Tolliver in Minnesota? or Ronny Turiaf in NY? I think learning from Dwight is better then Learning through getting totally trashed every game, and then facing nothing near real competition in practice. But that’s my opinion

  • Enigmatic Posted: Oct.14 at 4:40 pm
    True.
    But I think dude lacks the maturity to soak in everything he can from learning from and practicing against Howard.
    I think he really could’ve benefited from staying at UK at least another year.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 4:43 pm
    Oh yeah, I agree with that for sure.

  • Dr. DL Posted: Oct.14 at 4:51 pm
    Well at least Rondo has decent shooting mechanics; that means he has a good fundamental base to work with. The same cannot be said about Kidd, whose shot has always looked ugly even when on a hot streak. But Rondo is still young and is undoubtedly an elite level distributer. I believe he will solidify his shot. 70-75% is not an unreasonable expectation for FT percentage as he continues to develop. Malone turned his FT shooting around to a much greater extent than that. Westbrook has deficiencies in his game (decision making) that are much harder to correct than a weak jumpshot. I think the two are neck and neck but would probably take Rondo at this point provided my team had a legit scoring option for his to feed the rock. Bledsoe actually reminds me a lot of Rondo but with even more freakish athleticism. I like that he came up in this discussion; I think that as he matures he will help make the Clippers even more spectacular than they already are. Seriously their starting lineup will feature at least four guys with 40+ vertical leaps. Not sure what Aminu’s is but that could make five. Anyways, no argument with Rondo’s ranking here. I think he could even be higher. I think people hate on him especially hard because he plays for Boston and has one very noticeable weakness, but I’m sure once he gets his shot on track his detractors will continue to sing the same song.

  • ripslam Posted: Oct.14 at 4:58 pm
    More Rondo hate…yawn…
    -
    I actually think this is a nice spot, considering his late-season slide. RONDOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  • LakeShow Posted: Oct.14 at 5:11 pm
    yo, ripslam. Who’s hating on your boy? Name a hateful remark that people took with some merit in this thread please. I don’t think anyone is placing him outside the top 5 maybe 6th PG spot in this thread. No hate here. Your that guy that wear the “I LOVE HATERS” shirts aren’t you? It’s not hating to dislike certain aspects of people and things.

  • Enigmatic Posted: Oct.14 at 5:29 pm
    If this is hate, I don’t wanna know what it was when Rose came up on this list last year.

  • the preacher Posted: Oct.14 at 6:24 pm
    solid placing for rondo. could be ranked higher next season when the big 3′s minutes and performance noticeably drop due to age, or rondo could very well just disappear from the rankings coz he wont have anyone to pass to.

  • Z-Bound Posted: Oct.14 at 6:46 pm
    Would not take him over many of the dudes he’s in front of, mostly because of his inconsistency. Also, he didn’t lead the L in spg, Paul did – c’mon writers these things aren’t hard to find out.

  • Shifty Posted: Oct.14 at 7:06 pm
    You know what, there must be obviously alot of Celtic haters out there,or Rondo haters but I for one am not. But because I live on the other side of world its morning here so I cant get on in any discusion. There’s a reason why he has made the All Defensive 1st team two years in a row, its becuase hes a good defender, you guys keep reffering to payton and stuff who were great defenders….back then and comparing but In these times I would say hes a real good defender, and then you compare him to drue, and yeah he is pretty good as well. Lets not forget that Rondo saves himself, well seems to for the Playoffs where he really shines, he can be a monster in the playoffs, almost averaging a triple double a few years ago. Good for a double double any day off the week and is a pretty good rebounder for his size. He gets ray allen all his shots, Ray Allen said that most of the shots that he has made in Boston have been passed to him by Rondo, he gives KG his post looks and alley opps, how many alley opps did he give to shaq, though he didnt play as many games it seemed to be a few each game almost, he is the one who runs the floor on transition and easily passes it back to a trailing paul pierce who does his slow walk up 3′s, hes the one who gives the bounce passes to a avalanching Big Baby coming through the lanes, he assigns himself to the star players to defend. He is the one who now tells KG when to shut up. And earlier i read he couldnt finish at the rim? I seen him do that, plenty of times, and his lay ups a wonder to watch, not D wade finishes or Manu finihses but still a thing to watch, his touches of the glass are a spectacle. Once the big three are gone i do see him scoring a bit more and proably a lil down on his assists but dude at this point deserves this spot, I would take Rondo over westbrook because westbrook to me seems like a lil bit#h when things don’t go his way while Rondo keeps it cool.

  • Robb Posted: Oct.14 at 7:22 pm
    jesus christ, leave this site. Rondo isnt a great defender? shows yall dont even watch celtic games, eff outta here.

  • JTaylor21 Posted: Oct.14 at 8:37 pm
    Jesus Christ comments on here?

  • Ronald Posted: Oct.14 at 8:47 pm
    Rondo’s defense isnt very good anympore. Except for when he’s allowed to lean and grab lebron like an octopus. Remember how Fisher kept making big plays after big play during the 2009 finals? Rondo was supposedly guarding him.

  • ripslam Posted: Oct.14 at 9:12 pm
    Somebody’s a little sensitive…

  • Van City BBall Posted: Oct.14 at 9:22 pm
    @nIQ you just blew my mind! you are so right, when the 3 of them leave he will be forced to learn to shoot with confidence and that passing ability will still be there

  • DukeFromDeep Posted: Oct.14 at 9:31 pm
    Rondo deserves this spot, if not higher. All this bull about him not playing solid d is crazy. I’ve watched shlenty of Celtics games (thanks NBA league pass) and there are shlenty of instances where Rondo is the best player out there. Shlenty.
    And I agree that Rondo is better than Westbrook. Rondo would help KD score 50, no worries. And the Thunder would’ve beaten the Mav’s….
    You like that?

  • sup3rstar Posted: Oct.14 at 10:19 pm
    I was thinking of a chemistry joke but the good ones Argon…

  • Caboose Posted: Oct.14 at 11:38 pm
    How noble of you sup3rstar. And I think this is a good ranking. Lets get some things straight:
    1. Rondo is atrocious at shooting. His ceiling for that is mediocre.
    2. He can pass the ball incredibly well and can break down opposing point guards with the best of them.
    3. He is a terrific TEAM defender in that he gets steals in passing lanes, helps out on the perimeter, etc.
    4. His on ball D is slightly overrated. Can he play defense? Sure. Is he lockdown? Far from it.
    5. His ceiling is about 15/6/11. He lacks the sheer offensive arsenal to get more ppg than about 15.

  • nbk Posted: Oct.14 at 11:51 pm
    Boom. And scene. Good sh*t caboose

  • Enigmatic Posted: Oct.15 at 4:38 am
    Shlenty???

  • hoopistani Posted: Oct.15 at 4:48 am
    Rondo > Westbrook

  • Otero Posted: Oct.15 at 5:39 am
    I’ll give rondo top 5! 1.derrick rose
    2.chris Paul**
    3. deron Williams
    4. Russel westbrook
    5.^ ** indicates best PG in league . Derrick is number one based off how beast he is PG is just the closest position to his stature

  • gawe Posted: Oct.15 at 12:08 pm
    rondo is definately better than westbrook yes westbrook may be a better score, but it takes him 10 times before he actually hits something.
    not to mention the fact rondo knows how to pass- westbrook struggles to even remove the ball from his own hands.
    rondo isnt bad at shooting, he needs alot more opportunity to score, thus as soon as the big 3 disappears im sure he will have to eventually step up and take place as a scorer.

  • BlackPhantom Posted: Oct.15 at 12:17 pm
    I’d personally rather have Rondo at the point than Westbrook, all Rondo needs is a jumper(which is something I don’t really see improving), I forgot why his assists fell down from the 14-15 assists per game that he started the seaason out with, did he get injured?

  • Caboose Posted: Oct.15 at 12:26 pm
    Ok, for Rondo v Westbrook:
    -Westbrook makes good teams great.
    -Rondo makes great teams even better.

  • ctkennedy Posted: Oct.15 at 1:14 pm
    Rondo dont make no team great even better …if so Boston missin SOME rings he done cost them …Westbrook produces across the board as much or greater than Rose at certain things as the sidekick …n everybody wants to say Rondo is better ..CRAZY AS HELL….smgdh

  • Heals Posted: Oct.15 at 1:23 pm
    and then there were none. Nice showing for green regime; so if there’s no season does that mean the C’s still get 4 in the SLAM top 50 for the year after this one…

  • Heals Posted: Oct.15 at 1:36 pm
    Funny thing is since KG’s knee cost him some lift Rajon doesn’t really have any atheltic wings to run the court with (fingers crossed on JGreen). Yeah he has a couple knock down shooters to help his assists, but Baby and Perk before him routinely cost him assists by missing/mishandling the ball down low. When Diesel was healthy it wasn’t fair with Rajon throwing him lobs or his “Oops” play to KG (when opposing D just left the key open)they used to run 2 years back. If Boston gets some nice athletic pieces around him after the New3 graduate the their offense has the potential to be wildly entertaining. I’ll put it this way with the current squad Rajon is in cruise control most of the game. Just wait til he gets to run in 5th or 6th gear for 4 quarters…

  • wamit Posted: Oct.15 at 3:29 pm
    Somebody said that westbrook was better rondo he play better in the cluch rondo know how to win.

  • shifty Posted: Oct.15 at 7:36 pm
    yeah my man Heals coming in for the green machine. Rondo has big hands, I think bigger then lebrons, his body is cursed by the fact it’s unproportinate all over the place which is why he has trouble shooting, dude is what 6’1? and he has like a 7 foot wing span and huge mits, you try shooting with those?

  • Kyle Posted: Oct.16 at 12:29 am
    Nash should be higher since he can actually hit an open jumper and freethrow. Oh, he also would make sure Allen got more open 3′s, and KG got more easy layups. Like Love, this cat is overrated. You have to prove that you can get wins by yourself on a team, and Rondo and Love haven’t. Griffin is a beast and fun to watch, but he’s a lil overrated right now too. Pierce has to be rated higher than Rondo, doesn’t he even though he’s getting older? And just think how the defenders would have to stick like glue to Nash, and the lanes he’d get players.

  • Big A Posted: Oct.17 at 12:03 pm
    Where is Ricky Rubio?

  • Rainman Posted: Oct.17 at 12:40 pm
    should NOT and i mean NOT have been in the top 15. nor ranked ahead of Nash.

  • James Posted: Oct.20 at 5:25 am
    just sit in the corner rainman!!! nash has lost it, his career is almost finished. No way will he win a ring anymore .. no chance! He is nothing to what he used to be. Rondo is way ahead of him now. Nash ain’t even in top 5 PGs anymore, so dont give rondo that hating BS or ill give you some back!

  • 3kings Posted: Oct.30 at 12:41 am
    shouldnt have been ranked ahead of nash, but still love the kids talent and iq on the court

  • Khalil Harmon Posted: Nov.10 at 9:19 am
    Rondo all the way!!!!!!!!

Comments




The comments section is a place to further discuss the topics in this post. Commenters who seek to accomplish any of the following may be banned: - Personally attack other commenters. - Make derogatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation or religion. - Troll, or comment with the intention of creating problems. Trolling includes, but isn't limited to, baiting people to flame at you, encouraging people to leave the site, spamming and using alternate IDs.