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Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics had been in contract talks all summer. As the deadline loomed, Rondo stated that he wanted to be a life-long Celtic, but at the same time he understood that it was a business.
The best thing to happen to Rondo was seeing the Glen “Big Baby” Davis negotiations; it provided him with a steep learning curve. He also got assistance from the big three in how to be professional in this situation, in particular Kevin Garnett.
Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett publically campaigned for him in last night’s post game press conference. Both said that Rondo is a true floor general who doesn’t need the ball to score.
Listen to Pierce’s comments on Rajon Rondo: Paul Pierce talks about Rajon Rondo at Boston.com
Last night’s game also saw some post-game tension between Rondo and the de facto reigning number one point guard, Chris Paul. Media outlets reported Paul had to be restrained from going into the Celtic locker room. This rivalry was borne from Paul’s inability to beat the Celtics even though he has a better stat line and the media proclaiming him the best at his position.
Is more controversy in sight for Rondo? His summer was filled with it. Stories of how his teammates didn’t like him surfaced and Danny and Doc spoke of how he was late for a game and stayed in his car until 45 minutes before game time. Local talk show hosts on WEEI, and New England Comcast Sports Tonight reporters harped on his inadequacies every chance they got.
Reports of his immaturity and how he incited a complaining session during a meeting he requested surfaced. Things were not going well for the mercurial point guard.
Through it all Rondo kept his mouth shut and continued to hone his craft. This year his hard work could be seen on the court not off it, as a result negotiations went smoothly and the Celtics will keep their Houdini of the hardwood in the fold.
In spite of the innuendos and rumors Rajon Rondo signed a five year 55 million dollar contract today for the Boston Celtics. Now that he has his contract, Rondo clearly has had his redemption.
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To be honest, when I heard Rondo had rejected a deal in the $40 millions and was preparing to leave in free agency, I was hoping we would trade him because to me it didn’t seem like he’d be here a lot longer.
But now that he’s been resigned, I couldn’t be happier. I love Rondo, he’s already one of my favorite Celtics (right behind Pierce, KG, and Allen).
Nice article, Frances, and go Celtics!
Thanks for the comments E.A. I’ve always liked Rondo even before his success. The Celtics would have been in serious trouble if they had not done this deal. Because unlike big baby, teams would line up to over pay him. Think Phoenix isn’t kicking themselves for that draft night trade. The most important thing is that Rondo hasn’t let the money affect his play.