So I’m walking through the Asian supermarket looking for some galbi sauce and…..

[Kblaze8855]

….the podcast I’m listening to as I shop starts introducing the next guest. They say he’s a two-time NBA champion and four-time All-Star, and my mind immediately started racing to guess who it was before they announced it. Why? I am a weirdo. You’ve never seen me say otherwise. I do weird things like this. So with that reestablished, I’m gonna give you a bit of my thought process As I paused it to give it some thought.

I immediately thought it could be one of Hakeems teammates, who won two titles with him, but then I remembered Otis Thorpe was traded for Drexler so he wouldn’t have won the second one and while I knew he was an All-Star I suspected it wasn’t that many times.

Then my mind went to maybe Michael Finley because he ended up on the Spurs and I was trying to decide if he was there to win the 2005 and 2007 championship and if so has he made enough All-Star teams. I decided that one of the two criteria probably wasn’t met. he might have been an All-Star in like 2000 and 2001. Not four times. And I feel like he was gone by 07 as well.

Then I thought Shawn Marion before immediately realizing he was traded for Shaq so he couldn’t have a second ring in Miami and I think he retired in Toronto or somewhere else losing.

I thought about older guys but tossed them out because how often is a guy from the 60s or 70s on a major podcast these days? Maybe Walt Frazier would be but he was definitely more than a 4 time all star.

I flirted with the idea that Deron Williams had a second contender stop somewhere after the Cavs but dismissed that. I’m not even sure he was there in 2016 but 4 all star games felt about right.

I tapped out and resumed the show and it was….












Rondo. Not only did I forget he was on the Lakers when they won he somehow feels like he was around too long to only be a four time All-Star.

It’s weird, but he feels both really significant but forgettable at the same time. The only time I think of him is when I remember the painting I found in a flea market, where he was one of like six players, all of which were top 10 all time except him. It just springs to mind sometimes.

Anyway…during all that rambling did Rondo come to mind as the answer?

I’ll check back later after I find the stuff for my broccoli salad. I’ve been enjoying broccoli salads lately and I’m pretty sure I can make one better than the white versions I’ve been served.

I feel like I need a third thing with dinner(Galbi wings and broccoli salad) but it would just be for plate balance not because I want it…so **** it. Freedom is making your own choices. I choose a 2 item dinner and I’m firm in my convictions.

Good day.

[SouBeachTalents]

I would’ve been stumped on that too, it’s very easy to forget Rondo was on that Laker team. My best guess would’ve been Gasol, but I would’ve been skeptical about the all-star count.

[FultzNationRISE]

I think our evalutation of players in the past is tinted by how they would likely perform today, and this obviously does not do Rondo any favors. He was a below average shooter in his own time, and that was before outside shooting saw an explosion in importance.

I think he also does get a little bit overrated by virtue of being a starter on that famous Boston championship team. Same thing happened to Perkins, who was actual ass. Nobody could tell because Perk didnt have any responsibility in Boston except to body up Dwight and stay out of the way... but he was an actual awful basketball player. But even Sam Presti misjudged his worth due to Boston's success and gave him an excessive contract, and I recall there were some advanced metrics floating around subsequently that showed OKC Perkins to be the actual worst basketball player in history (over a certain minutes threshold). In fact history may have turned out quite a bit differently if Presti gives that money to anyone BUT Perkins.

Rondo obviously wasnt a straight up liability when he left Boston the way Perkins was, but he was mostly just an average point guard. Which isnt bad. That could be anywhere in the 10-20 range among starters. But I dont think there was really anything special about him. I think thats only the perception because he happened to start alongside the Boston Three Party for a few years which vaulted his celebrity.

To me he's like Jrue Holiday. Good player, you can win a chip with him starting. But he's not like... a HOFer.

[Kblaze8855]

I didn’t consider Pau but now that you mention it, I’m sure he was an All-Star too many times because he would’ve made it in Memphis and for the Lakers and the Bulls. He quietly might have had his best year in Chicago. And one guy I’m forgetting who should’ve come to mind is Bill laimbeer. The bad boys came to mind as to time champ, but I didn’t even think of him. I just knew Isiah and Dumars were all stars too many times, and that Rodman won too many titles.

[BarberSchool]

Rondo is one of the most overrated players of his generation. Very good player, but also glaring weaknesses that really prevented him from being as great as he could have been. His sexuality also made him a difficult locker room fit for some squads. But on the flipside, also makes him an extremely willing and enthusiastic “player coach” who is endlessly willing to help develop young talent, staying late at practices, etc. so in that way, it helped him function as a “player coach” late in his career.

[Kblaze8855]

I think our evalutation of players in the past is tinted by how they would likely perform today, and this obviously does not do Rondo any favors. He was a below average shooter in his own time, and that was before outside shooting saw an explosion in importance.

I think he also does get a little bit overrated by virtue of being a starter on that famous Boston championship team. Same thing happened to Perkins, who was actual ass. Nobody could tell because Perk didnt have any responsibility in Boston except to body up Dwight and stay out of the way... but he was an actual awful basketball player. But even Sam Presti misjudged his worth due to Boston's success and gave him an excessive contract, and I recall there were some advanced metrics floating around subsequently that showed OKC Perkins to be the actual worst basketball player in history (over a certain minutes threshold). In fact history may have turned out quite a bit differently if Presti gives that money to anyone BUT Perkins.

Rondo obviously wasnt a straight up liability when he left Boston the way Perkins was, but he was mostly just an average point guard. Which isnt bad. That could be anywhere in the 10-20 range among starters. But I dont think there was really anything special about him. I think thats only the perception because he happened to start alongside the Boston Three Party for a few years which vaulted his celebrity.

To me he's like Jrue Holiday. Good player, you can win a chip with him starting. But he's not like... a HOFer.

I do agree that people naturally, and unfortunately judge players off the assumption of what they would be today. It doesn’t really make sense because all-time comparisons Kind of requires considering the likely performance under any set of circumstances. The way the game is played today isn’t the way it has ever been played before so it’s really no more valid to use than any other time. It’s just natural. What I don’t know is jf that’s the reason Rondo kinda gets forgotten. I think prime Rondo would be pretty good today. Old Rondo still made a difference.

his assist whoring style might benefit him in a league where everybody is trying to get open from three or cut to the basket. It’s not inconceivable he could be something like a 15 and 14 player who was all d team if you gave him the minutes.

[Kblaze8855]

Rondo is one of the most overrated players of his generation. Very good player, but also glaring weaknesses that really prevented him from being as great as he could have been. His sexuality also made him a difficult locker room fit for some squads. But on the flipside, also makes him an extremely willing and enthusiastic “player coach” who is endlessly willing to help develop young talent, staying late at practices, etc. so in that way, it helped him function as a “player coach” late in his career.

I think he’s a hard guy to list as overrated, because I almost never see him rated highly. There was a time when he was known as a guy who turned it on in the playoffs and people were saying weird shit like he was better than Chris Paul because of it, but there has always been a group of people who were just weirdly convinced that Chris Paul wasn’t good.

The only group of people I would say have been weirdly big fans of him around me has been extremely casual basketball fan women. I’ve never understood why, but I’ve known several unconnected women who didn’t really even seem like sports fans who like Rajon Rondo. I knew a Nigerian girl who shocked me once mentioning that she loved the Celtics, and I asked how that happened and she said it was because of Rondo. I never heard her mention sports in any other way. But she loved Rajon Rondo.

One of my best friends sisters was a big Rondo fan as well.

Coincidences like that aside, he seems too forgotten for me to call overrated.

[tpols]

Rondo is one of the most overrated players of his generation. Very good player, but also glaring weaknesses that really prevented him from being as great as he could have been. His sexuality also made him a difficult locker room fit for some squads. But on the flipside, also makes him an extremely willing and enthusiastic “player coach” who is endlessly willing to help develop young talent, staying late at practices, etc. so in that way, it helped him function as a “player coach” late in his career.

Rondo was a great playoff performer. If anything he underrated. Guy was a dominant slasher with a great handle great passing great defense and great rebounding from a guard.



Rondo made the Heatles formed with what he did to Bron. How a point guard get 18 rebounds. Cleveland was one of the best rebounding teams in the league.

[BarberSchool]

rondo was a great playoff performer. If anything he underrated. Guy was a dominant slasher with a great handle great passing great defense and great rebounding from a guard.



rondo made the heatles formed with what he did to bron. How a point guard get 18 rebounds. Cleveland was one of the best rebounding teams in the league.

nope

[Real Men Wear Green]

Partially because you mentioned Olajuwon teammates I thought of Sam Cassell. Rondo being overrated is overrated.

[FultzNationRISE]

I do agree that people naturally, and unfortunately judge players off the assumption of what they would be today. It doesn’t really make sense because all-time comparisons Kind of requires considering the likely performance under any set of circumstances. The way the game is played today isn’t the way it has ever been played before so it’s really no more valid to use than any other time. It’s just natural. What I don’t know is jf that’s the reason Rondo kinda gets forgotten. I think prime Rondo would be pretty good today. Old Rondo still made a difference.

his assist whoring style might benefit him in a league where everybody is trying to get open from three or cut to the basket. It’s not inconceivable he could be something like a 15 and 14 player who was all d team if you gave him the minutes.

Yeah but I think the degree to which you could sag off him would be a killer. In 2010 if Rondo misses a jumper and it gets turned into a basket of some kind on the other end it's like... 25% likely to be a three point swing. Now it's like... 50% likely to be a three point swing. The cost of not hitting your jump shots has gone up, it's just harder to keep pace with teams if youre not knocking down shots. You could just let Rondo shoot all day. Also the size of ball handlers is going up, which makes assisting to various spots on the court easier. Rondo was a fairly small point guard.

I just dont see him being anything close to an allstar today. Could be wrong, we'll obviously never know... but I think itd be tough.

[FultzNationRISE]

I think he’s a hard guy to list as overrated, because I almost never see him rated highly. There was a time when he was known as a guy who turned it on in the playoffs and people were saying weird shit like he was better than Chris Paul because of it, but there has always been a group of people who were just weirdly convinced that Chris Paul wasn’t good.

The only group of people I would say have been weirdly big fans of him around me has been extremely casual basketball fan women. I’ve never understood why, but I’ve known several unconnected women who didn’t really even seem like sports fans who like Rajon Rondo. I knew a Nigerian girl who shocked me once mentioning that she loved the Celtics, and I asked how that happened and she said it was because of Rondo. I never heard her mention sports in any other way. But she loved Rajon Rondo.

One of my best friends sisters was a big Rondo fan as well.

Coincidences like that aside, he seems too forgotten for me to call overrated.

In all seriousness he does have a very memorable, melodious name, which may help casual fans form a basic connection

[Kblaze8855]

Yeah but I think the degree to which you could sag off him would be a killer. In 2010 if Rondo misses a jumper and it gets turned into a basket of some kind on the other end it's like... 25% likely to be a three point swing. Now it's like... 50% likely to be a three point swing. The cost of not hitting your jump shots has gone up, it's just harder to keep pace with teams if youre not knocking down shots. You could just let Rondo shoot all day. Also the size of ball handlers is going up, which makes assisting to various spots on the court easier. Rondo was a fairly small point guard.

I just dont see him being anything close to an allstar today. Could be wrong, we'll obviously never know... but I think itd be tough.

Id say he was serviceable way too recently in his washed up form to say he couldn’t be close to a star 10 years younger





That guy in his athletic prime would be having 24 assist games at the pace teams play now. Hes not gonna destroy your offense missing jumpers.

[tpols]

Rondo shot 40% from the 3pt line when the Lakers won the Disney title. Even his biggest weakness could be turned into a strength.

And shit I just looked up his playoff %s since 2018 and they were pretty good.

[FultzNationRISE]

Id say he was serviceable way too recently in his washed up form to say he couldn’t be close to a star 10 years younger





That guy in his athletic prime would be having 24 assist games at the pace teams play now. Hes not gonna destroy your offense missing jumpers.

Maybe so. I honestly didnt even remember him playing recently enough to be on the Cavs with Allen and Mobley and Dean Wade

I think I'm also a little bit bias by his personal issues and headcase nature, which for me diminishes his value. I personally would not be inclined to wanna sign him, even in his prime, just cuz I dont think he's very dependable psychologically. But that doesnt necessarily mean he cant PLAY. Just that I wouldnt value him all that much. So that's probably coloring some of my assessment of him as a player in general.