If ever there were a professional athelete that was severely overrated by the media and fans it is point guard Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics. Now don't get me wrong, he's an amazing talent. If he didn't have talent he wouldn't be in the NBA. What he lacks is an ability to shoot a 15 foot jump shot. He has no jumper in his arsenal that could put him and his team over the top. If one or two of the Big Three are having a bad game, Rondo's jump shot ability could still allow them to win.
Instead you have incidents like last years playoff series against the Miami Heat where the Heat clogged the lane which prevented Paul Pierce from scoring his easy jump shots therefore forcing Rondo, the ever dependable facilitator, to shoot the ball. His defenders actually stood several feet back from him and DARED him to shoot, and when he did he missed. Horribly.
All the other elite point guards in the NBA, Darron Williams, Russell Westbrook, Steve Nash, Derrick Rose, etc., all can shoot the ball. They have all around games to where if they had to put their teams on their backs, and many of them do, they can still win the game. They make their teammates better, they make their team better. They are what you call difference makers.
Rondo gets a triple double and now people are quick to call him elite, a difference maker. Some will even go as far to say that he is a franchise player. I beg to differ for the reasons I've already outlined above. His assists stats get padded because of scoop passes to one of the Big Three. He has no choice but to pass because he can't shoot the ball. I could provide a myriad of other examples of why Rondo is not an elite point guard, but I feel the previously stated points suffice. Many fans are prisoners of the moment. They see Rondo have a great game here and there and they call him one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game. At some point we have to take the blinders off, and as true fans of basketball be honest about the strengths and weaknesses of our favorite and least favorite players. There was nothing impressive about Rondo's triple double against the Knicks on Sunday March 4. Until he develops a jump shot in addition to scoop passing the ball to one of the Big Three, he will never be elite.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Monday, June 6, 2011
Who is Batman and Who is Robin? Let's settle this!
There is no Batman and Robin when it comes to Lebron James and Dwayne Wade!! Why is this even an issue? Because two super star players came together with the ultimate goal of winning championships? I blame the media for coming up with this Batman and Robin crap. It's a very divisive tactic that so far hasn't worked.
Let's do a quick history lesson of championship teams of old:
The Lakers: Magic had Kareem and Worthy
Boston: Larry Bird had Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, Dennis Johnson
Detroit: Isaiah had Dennis Rodman, Joe Dumars, The Microwave, Bill Lambier
Lebron James had in Cleveland:
Eric Snow, Ira Newble, Anthony Parker, Anderson Verajo, Donyell Marshall, Delonte West, Boobie Gibson, Zydrunas Ilgalskus, and Larry Hughes. And these were some of the players that Lebron went to the finals with! What other super star do you know could take this team to the finals? Please be honest and realistic before you name one!
Were the players of old criticized and unfairly compared to one another with the analogy of Batman and Robin? Do you think any of the players that Lebron had in Cleveland could match up with the great players that Magic, Bird, and Isaiah played with? When you see these facts in black and white you have to wonder "How did Lebron do it?" And please, don't say "But he had Shaq!" Lebron had Shaq when he was broke down and decrepit, not like when Wade had him when he was 32 years old and in his prime!
I hope this idiotic statement is laid to rest once and for all. There is no Batman and Robin. Lebron James and Dewayne Wade are both SUPER STARS on the Miami Heat.
Let's do a quick history lesson of championship teams of old:
The Lakers: Magic had Kareem and Worthy
Boston: Larry Bird had Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, Dennis Johnson
Detroit: Isaiah had Dennis Rodman, Joe Dumars, The Microwave, Bill Lambier
Lebron James had in Cleveland:
Eric Snow, Ira Newble, Anthony Parker, Anderson Verajo, Donyell Marshall, Delonte West, Boobie Gibson, Zydrunas Ilgalskus, and Larry Hughes. And these were some of the players that Lebron went to the finals with! What other super star do you know could take this team to the finals? Please be honest and realistic before you name one!
Were the players of old criticized and unfairly compared to one another with the analogy of Batman and Robin? Do you think any of the players that Lebron had in Cleveland could match up with the great players that Magic, Bird, and Isaiah played with? When you see these facts in black and white you have to wonder "How did Lebron do it?" And please, don't say "But he had Shaq!" Lebron had Shaq when he was broke down and decrepit, not like when Wade had him when he was 32 years old and in his prime!
I hope this idiotic statement is laid to rest once and for all. There is no Batman and Robin. Lebron James and Dewayne Wade are both SUPER STARS on the Miami Heat.
NBA Playoffs 2011 Lebron is bashed; excuses made for Dirk - Why?
Why does Dirk get a free pass when he misses key shots or make careless passes, but when Lebron doesn't do nightly heroics he's not clutch?
Throughout Lebron's career in Cleveland, people have been saying he's not clutch, he's not this, he's not that. As soon as Derrick Rose and Dirk Nowitzski have the same problem of trying to lead teams with only one super star they say "Oh, well they don't have any help." How can you win two MVP's, lead your team to 66 and 61 wins and not close out games?
Michael Jordan didn't start to win championships until Scottie Pippen got to his all star form. Michael Jordan was also one of my all time favorite players, however I'm a realist. Scottie Pippen did all of the dirty work. He held the best player on the other team, he was the point foward and handled the ball more than anyone else. All Jordan had to do was score when he needed to. When people say that Lebron should be able to win a championship by himself it makes no sense. No one has ever won a championship by themselves. It can't be done.
Lebron James is being tarred and feathered and branded with the scarlett letter because he decided to leave a losing team and join Dwayne Wade in Miami. Was "The Decision" spectacle a good idea? NO! It was the worst thing he could've done. BUT, was he within his rights legally and morally to leave Cleveland and go to a team that had another super star and a very good chance of winning a championship? YES! People are so hung up on how he left Cleveland and its time to get over it and move on. There are others who are upset because Lebron made this bold, yet smart career move early in his career instead of at the end like other former NBA players who never won ring, ala Charles Barkely.
Let's face it. Lebron James did what many former NBA players wish they had the smarts and guts to do. Because Lebron had the gumption to take his future into his own hands he's hated. I can't even begin to wrap my head around how a person can be so villified for making an intelligent career choice for himself instead of waiting to be traded off like cattle by an owner.
Perhaps Dirk is more respected because he's been with the Dallas Mavericks his entire career, around 13 years. This may be his last chance to get a ring. People are rooting for Dirk and I understand that, but lets be fair when it comes to dishing out the criticism. Dirk made a horrible pass in game 3 and then missed a potential game winning shot. Dirk has a history of being mentally weak when things don't go his way. He also has a history of yelling at and blaming his teammates for his mistakes. His flaws shouldn't be overlooked just because he happens to be playing against one of the most hated players in the NBA finals right now.
Throughout Lebron's career in Cleveland, people have been saying he's not clutch, he's not this, he's not that. As soon as Derrick Rose and Dirk Nowitzski have the same problem of trying to lead teams with only one super star they say "Oh, well they don't have any help." How can you win two MVP's, lead your team to 66 and 61 wins and not close out games?
Michael Jordan didn't start to win championships until Scottie Pippen got to his all star form. Michael Jordan was also one of my all time favorite players, however I'm a realist. Scottie Pippen did all of the dirty work. He held the best player on the other team, he was the point foward and handled the ball more than anyone else. All Jordan had to do was score when he needed to. When people say that Lebron should be able to win a championship by himself it makes no sense. No one has ever won a championship by themselves. It can't be done.
Lebron James is being tarred and feathered and branded with the scarlett letter because he decided to leave a losing team and join Dwayne Wade in Miami. Was "The Decision" spectacle a good idea? NO! It was the worst thing he could've done. BUT, was he within his rights legally and morally to leave Cleveland and go to a team that had another super star and a very good chance of winning a championship? YES! People are so hung up on how he left Cleveland and its time to get over it and move on. There are others who are upset because Lebron made this bold, yet smart career move early in his career instead of at the end like other former NBA players who never won ring, ala Charles Barkely.
Let's face it. Lebron James did what many former NBA players wish they had the smarts and guts to do. Because Lebron had the gumption to take his future into his own hands he's hated. I can't even begin to wrap my head around how a person can be so villified for making an intelligent career choice for himself instead of waiting to be traded off like cattle by an owner.
Perhaps Dirk is more respected because he's been with the Dallas Mavericks his entire career, around 13 years. This may be his last chance to get a ring. People are rooting for Dirk and I understand that, but lets be fair when it comes to dishing out the criticism. Dirk made a horrible pass in game 3 and then missed a potential game winning shot. Dirk has a history of being mentally weak when things don't go his way. He also has a history of yelling at and blaming his teammates for his mistakes. His flaws shouldn't be overlooked just because he happens to be playing against one of the most hated players in the NBA finals right now.
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