Tommy Heinsohn says Rajon Rondo has 'bad habits' from Doc Rivers' team, should be benched at times
After the Celtics blew a 9-point 4th quarter lead last night for their 9th consecutive loss, Tommy Heinsohn was not too pleased during the postgame show. Tommy seemed to put a lot of the blame for the defeat on Rajon Rondo, in particular for his failure to push the ball up the floor in the final period. Said Heinsohn (watch the video from CSNNE):
Rondo has developed bad habits from playing with Doc Rivers' team. That was an experienced elderly team, so they weren't pressing the issue, they executed plays to perfection. This team has to go and find opportunities without plays. They've got to be aggressive without plays because they don't execute that well yet.
One of the things you do, and it's tough to do with a guy like Rondo, is you pull him out and put someone else in. I don't care [that he's the captain]. That's what you have to do. You've got to pull him aside and talk to him. It's a bad habit that he has from playing with different types of players. He has to play the style that brings out the best in these current teammates.
It's definitely a transition period for Rondo, no longer alongside superstar veteran's Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. And while I agree with Heinsohn's analysis in theory, I don't see it as an issue. This season is a learning experience. Rondo is perfectly capable of playing an up-tempo style, but winning games with the current roster isn't the main goal right now.
Follow Mark Vandeusen on twitter @LucidSportsFan