Think back to last May, when the Boston Celtics and the “Big Four” were going up against the superteam Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs.
In what was a mostly forgettable series from a Celtics perspective, there was essentially one lasting memory — that of Rajon Rondo appearing to gruesomely dislocate his left elbow, only to return later in the game and help lead the Celtics to a win, essentially with one arm.
While that game was unforgettable, it was a video session that took place between Games 2 and 3 that may have been on the mind of Danny Ainge when he was reportedly shopping Rondo this offseason.
The Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett reports that Rondo lost his temper in a film session after Game 2.
“Rondo’s errors were being pointed out when he arose and began discussing the mistakes of his teammates. Loudly. Using harsh language,” Bulpett wrote. “Coach Doc Rivers got up and fired back, and Rondo threw a bottle that shattered the video screen. He bolted from the practice facility and was prevented from returning when he tried later.”
“I went home that night and thought about my actions,” Rondo told the Herald. “I talked to [Kevin Garnett], and I came back the next day and apologized to the team.”
Questions of Rondo’s temperament is nothing new. The word is that he fell into a funk last year after President Barack Obama insulted his jump shot, he was once fined for showing up late to a playoff game (he says he was sitting in his car in the parking lot) and Tubby Smith, Rondo’s coach at Kentucky, once said Rondo “could make life easier on himself by not being so stubborn.”
This story, however, shows that those longstanding knocks on Rondo’s mind-set were present as recently as the Celtics’ last few games. Then again, it didn’t stop him from doling out 11 assists in that Game 3, and it didn’t prevent Kevin Garnett from scoring 28 with 18 rebounds.
And so the complicated tale of Rajon Rondo’s NBA journey takes another turn, and despite the one-of-a-kind talent and unquestionable will to win, there is more understanding why Ainge and the Celtics at least considered shipping him out of Boston.
Photo of the day
Do you think Rajon Rondo’s disposition negatively affects the Celtics, or is it no big deal?
Quote of the day
“When you have somebody say, ‘We want you to be a Cardinal for life,’ and only offer you a five-year deal, it kind of confused us. Well, we got over that insult and felt like Albert had given so much of himself to baseball and into the community … we didn’t want to go through this again. Free agency is so stressful. … Albert and I never, not one time ever, made plans to leave this city. We had no reason, not one reason, to want to leave. … People were deceived by the numbers.”
–Deidre Pujols, wife of Albert, trying to explain that Pujols didn’t leave St. Louis due to the money he was offered in L.A.
Tweet of the day
I’m not Don Orsillo, but I’ll say that having some majestic pipes is a good start.
Video of the day
A fight broke out in a youth hockey game in Kazakhstan, which is news in itself. However, it is the proud YouTube description that’s most noteworthy:
This is my 9-year-old brother’s team Kokshetau — Burabay (green) fighting against the team from the capital city of Kazakhstan — Astana (white). Even though team Astana won against Burabay 5:3, they started talking crap to their opponents during hand shakes; so the [captain] of Burabay’s team could not just let it go and started the fight.
