In the new ESPN the Magazine, Ric Bucher goes into detail about the riff between Rajon Rondo and the C's. On Rondo arriving late to Game 1 vs. Orlando:
Doc was halfway through his pregame talk when Rondo arrived. His routine in shambles, so too was his first half. He missed his first six shots as the Magic built an 18 point halftime lead. Rivers lit into him at the break, and rondo nearly finished with a triple-double. But the Celtics lost the game, homecourt advantage and, maybe, the series - all because Rondo was late.
On Doc's meeting with Rondo after the playoffs:
"I didn't have that meeting for him to talk," the coach says. "He needed to hear about some things." Things like his late arrival to the first game against the Magic in the conference semis, his body language and loss of focus, his speaking up at the wrong time - or not speaking up enough. Still, Rivers is very clear. "This isn't a Rondo issue, it's a young-player-chasing-a-contract, celebrity-and-endorsements issue," he says. "What he can't forget is the basketball chase."
Rondo on the C's:
"If I part with the Celtics, they'll realize what they passed on," he says. "A team that wants me, that's where I want to be."
Grr, despite all the talk about how great Rondo looks this preseason from the players and Doc, all these stories are just adding to a Red Sox like drama with a star. Usually these things end with the player being shipped out of town for 50 cents on the dollar, followed by hit jobs from management and the Boston press. I really wish all this "Rondo needs to grow up" stuff was done behind closed doors and kept there. All this leaking to the press does no good. Also the whole "Rondo's been great, Rondo's awful, Rondo makes us go, Rondo is hurting the team, Rondo is the future, Rondo needs to grow up" seesaw is a little nauseating.
