The Return of the Dynamic, Underappreciated Rajon Rondo

Tonight marks the return of one of the NBA’s most dynamic, electrifying, and all too underappreciated players: Rajon Rondo. It’s been nearly a year since his devastating ACL tear, and during his hiatus, Rondo has fallen off of the NBA radar. His return hasn’t been anticipated. His name hasn’t even been mentioned.

Of course, this isn’t surprising. Ever since Rondo entered the league, he’s been viewed as a coattail rider (Garnett, Pierce, Allen, and Rivers), and a guy that never really had a superior skill set. He’s been bashed for not being able to shoot, and he’s been portrayed as a head case and a problem child. He’s been left off of the Olympic team, and he’s been in countless trade rumors.

All of this disrespect is completely unwarranted.

The reason for this disrespect, however, is no mystery. Rondo’s style of play makes people feel uncomfortable. He’s a transcendental player that doesn’t fit any particular mold or idea of what an NBA point guard should be, and people can’t handle it. It’s a smaller scale problem of what plagued Tim Tebow, but unlike Tebow, Rondo is an extremely polished player.

In fact, for the last few years, Rondo has been one of the most polished NBA players in the league. And, his skill set all starts with his passing. During his entire career (especially during the past few seasons), Rondo has been a statistical anomaly when it came to assists, averaging a Nash/Magic/Kidd/Stockton level 11 assists per game. On top of that, during the middle of last season, Rondo was only a few games short of breaking the

Rondo's long arms allow him to get creative with
his passing.

record for most consecutive 10 assist games. But, what may be even more amazing is the way Rondo gets his assists. His praying mantis arms and oversized hands provide him with one of the best ball fakes in the league, as well as allowing him to throw head spinning wrap around passes and extremely accurate lob passes.

Passing isn't the only thing, though. Adding to the polished play is Rondo’s shooting. Waaaaaaaait!!!!!!!!! What????

When Rondo first entered the league, he was a non-threat from outside of the paint. But, times have changed. According to Grantland’s Kirk Goldsberry, “Rondo was actually one of the best elbow shooters in the league last season. Out of 141 NBA players who attempted at least 100 shots from the elbows, Rondo ranked fourth in field goal percentage- trailing only Jason Smith, Steve Nash, and Jose Calderon.” DAMN. Who the hell would’ve thought that? Sure, he still can’t shoot a three, but Tony Parker has proven that an elite point guard doesn’t have to. In fact, the entire Rajon Rondo shooting evolution is very Tony Parker like. Hmmmm.

But, Rondo is most underappreciated when it comes to his playoff performances. Over the past 6-7 years, NBA fans have watched Rondo dazzle when it matters most. He’s been more electrifying than Steve Nash (no defense), Derrick Rose (shoots too much), Russell Westbrook (shoots too much and at horrible percentages), Chris Paul (never wins), and Derron Williams (is he like 50 years old?). Really, his only point guard rival is…once again Tony Parker (this guy is just really fucking good).

Rondo was a huge contributor when the Celtics won their ’08 championship, even garnering Phil Jackson’s respect; “he was the star of the [deciding] game.” For the next few years, Rondo put up staggering triple double numbers while carrying his team deep into the playoffs. During the ’09 playoffs, he averaged 16.9 ppg, 9.8 assists, and 9.7 rebounds!!! During the 2012 playoff run, he set a Celtics record for most playoff assists and most playoff triple doubles. The Celtics are the most historic playoff team of all time!! And more impressively, he almost single-handedly led the hobbled Celtics to what would have been the biggest playoff upset of all-time.

Rajon dropping 44 points, 10 assists, and 8 boards 

in the '12 Eastern Conference Finals. 

Tonight, after way too long, we get to watch Rajon again. Hopefully, his injury doesn’t creep around like it did for Rose and Westbrook. Hopefully, he can push the Celtics into the playoffs, so we can watch him go wild. Hopefully, everyone will appreciate him a little more this time around and give the respect he deserves.

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Why Is Anquan Boldin So Underrated?

On Sunday, as I watched the 49ers take down the Panthers, I left the game thinking a few things. 

1. There is something really obnoxious about Colin Caepernick. Maybe, it’s that he is desperately seeking approval all of the time. Or maybe, it's that obnoxious, frat boy smile that he is always sporting.
2. The 49ers defense is awesome (need I say more?).
3. Anquan Boldin is severely underrated.

For some reason, the Anquan Boldin thing has stuck with me all week. I mean I can’t stop thinking about what bad mother this dude is. Every year, every playoff run, this guy is in the mix making big catches and putting up 100 yard games. But, every time that I hear a “Who’s the best receiver in football discussion,” I never hear Boldin’s name brought up. Why is that? The answer is: it boils down to a few strange circumstances that have somehow diminished his legacy.

The first problem that comes up when assessing Boldin’s career is the pesky injury bug. Boldin’s injuries- which primarily affected the first half of his career- were never too severe. They weren’t even enough to keep him off of the field for very long. So why am I mentioning it? Well, it's because they have come at the most inopportune times.

During the first half of Boldin’s career, he played for the Arizona Cardinals and one of the most dangerous passing teams of the past decade. And when people think of this team, they mostly think of Larry Fitzgerald being the primary threat, but hold on. That wasn’t always the case.

Boldin came out one year earlier than Fitzgerald, and during his rookie year, he had over 1350 yards. The next year, Fitzgerald was a rookie and Boldin was hurt for 6 games. This allowed Fitzgerald to slide into the number 1 slot for a few games, but he still didn’t come close to Boldin’s rookie numbers (780 yards vs. 1377). In fact, Fitzgerald didn’t out produce Boldin in yards per game until 3 years later after Boldin had sat out a significant amount of games in back to back years. If Boldin would have never had those untimely injuries, I’m not so sure he would have ever relinquished the number one receiver position.

In the second half of Boldin’s career, a new set of circumstances have diminished his rep: playing on non-passing teams. For the past 4 years, he’s played for the Ravens and the 49ers. They’re both contenders, but they are both run heavy-defensive teams. Because of this, Boldin has only had one 1,000 yard season during that time. Yikes. That will sink anybody’s claim for being the best receiver in football.

But, this lack of production is not his fault. Over the past few years, great receivers like Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson and Reggie Wayne have all played for teams that do nothing but pass. Of course, they are going to look better on paper, especially regular season paper. But for some reason, deep in the playoffs, they don’t have the same intimidation factor as Boldin.

That’s because in the playoffs, the games naturally slow down and openings down field diminish. Boldin performs anyway; in fact, he is the best playoff receiver over the past 5 seasons. He's been in multiple Super Bowls, had clutch 100 yards games, and made all of the big catches (just like he did on Sunday). He possesses the physicality and the speed and the strength to succeed in the toughest conditions when nobody else can.

So, the next time you and your buddies are having a “Who’s the best receiver in football discussion”, don’t sell Boldin short. He’s had a strange career, but one thing is for sure: when it counts, the guy is money.

Can the Knicks Actually Turn it Around?

I still remember when the Knicks brought Amare Stoudemire to town. Everybody was hyped. He was one of the most athletic and versatile scorers in the league. He could jump, run, and shoot. I mean this guy still holds the record for most points per game in a Conference finals series debut (37 ppg against the Spurs in ’05). He played with tenacity and he could even rebound and play defense. Well, whatever. The man brought hope back to the big apple.

In case you forgot...

Then, I remember when the Knicks brought Carmelo to New York. He was considered by many to be the best pure scorer in the league (I never bought into it, but others did!). Sure, he had never won anything, but he never had a legit big man, either. But now, he had Stoudemire.

The 2012 Knicks were actually respected

Along the way, they brought in a slew of Ex all-stars, veterans, scorers, defenders, and role players. Last season, they had a fully loaded team that could compete with anybody, and everyone was thinking that they could actually challenge Miami for the Eastern conference crown. But, somewhere along the way this team lost it. Stoudemire had multiple surgeries, chemistry was a problem, and J.R. was being J.R.- throwing elbows, untying shoes, taking bad shots, etc. (On a side note, one of my favorite J.R. Smith memories came during a Twitter rant in which he asked a chick publicly, “You trying to get the pipe?”).

This year, they started off horrible, like really horrible, like bottom of the pathetic Eastern conference horrible, and they were all but forgotten. Last night however, they made me wonder: Could the Knicks really turn this thing around?

Shumpert could be really, really good. Knicks, please
don't trade him (fingers crossed).

In last night's game, the Knicks impressively beat the Heat 102-92. It was a collective effort, and it reminded me of how well the Knicks were clicking last year at this very same time.Last night, Carmelo shot the ball well, Amare showed glimpses as a dangerous bench player, and the role players played up to their potential. Tim Hardway Jr. was an athletic freak, and is it just me or does Shumpert have some All-star level potential? I mean last week he dropped back to back 30 point games. The game was also the first time that Coach Woodson benched J.R. and played him ZERO minutes (Hallelujah!!!).  And….And, don’t forget: this was all done without their only defender, Tyson Chandler.

Realistically, this was probably just a blip on the radar. But for the first time all year, the Knicks actually made me think, and they actually made me believe (even if it was only for a second) that this team could actually do something.

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Kevin Love or LaMarcus Aldridge?

Earlier this year, I watched as the Orlando Magic ended up losing in overtime to the Minnesota Timberwolves. When losing is an inevitability with your favorite team (man, was it bad during those Rony Seikaly years… And those Darrell Armstrong years… And the crippled Penny Hardaway years… And-I can’t believe I’m saying this- the current Glen Davis years), you have to learn to appreciate other things.

Kevin Love has gotten his chance
to play on the Olympic team. Don't tell
me Aldridge's game doesn't transfer, too.

On this night I appreciated the greatness of Kevin Love. Love ended up dropping 31 points and grabbing 17 rebounds like it was nothing, like he does every night. During the game, he threw ridiculous outlets, he facilitated the offense, and he cut every Orlando Magic fan’s throat when he hit a game tying shot to send the game into OT. Basically, he did it all, and he once again made me a believer.

For the past few years, it’s been considered a fact that Kevin Love is the best power forward in basketball. A lot of this has to do with weak competition. Blake Griffin just isn’t skilled enough and not long enough to be considered better. Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki are too old and too prone to injury and too…well, just too damn old. This year, though, a new competitor for the title of best power forward on the planet has emerged: LeMarcus Aldridge: aka Rasheed Wallace Jr.

This year, LeMarcus Aldridge is making a serious run at the power forward title. Sure, he doesn’t average as many points as Love (23.5 vs. 26.5), and he doesn’t swallow up as many rebounds (10.6 vs. 13.7). But, he IS the leader of the team that has the third best record in basketball (a team, by the way, that is fun as hell to watch, too). He DOES make his teammates better.

In so many ways, he reminds me of Rasheed Wallace. He has the same shot, the same body type, and he even puts up the same numbers. For his entire career, Rasheed was overlooked. He brought the Blazers thiiiiiiiiis close to the NBA finals when his Blazers lost to an incredible Kobe/Shaq (Shaq/Kobe…whatever) Lakers. He led the Detroit Pistons to Eastern Conference Finals appearances, Championship appearances, and even an NBA title. He was the superstar that didn’t have to prove he was a superstar by putting up inflated numbers. The only thing he gave a shit about was helping his teammates play better (Chauncey, Rip, Tayshaun, and Big Ben had the best years of their career with Rasheed around…not a coincidence) and WINNING. 

How the hell does he play for the Blazers and his
shot looks exactly like Sheed's?

With Aldridge, it’s the same thing. While Lillard is winning Rookie of the Year, Aldridge is getting forgotten. When Wesley Matthews and Nic Batum are becoming household names, Aldridge is cool with letting them enjoy the praise. When Robin Lopez (!!!!) is actually having a respectable year, Aldridge doesn’t try to take the credit. Everyone in that locker room knows who the man is, who one of the best players in the league is. Even if no one outside of it knows.

This summer, when the playoffs roll around and Kevin Love is at home (ZERO playoff appearances in his career) and Aldridge is still hooping, you should take the time to ask yourself the “Who’s the best power forward in the league right now” question one more time.

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The Problem with the Jameis Winston Case and ESPN's involvement

For years now, I've been watching ESPN cover rape and sexual assault cases involving athletes. During this past month, it happened once again when allegations against FSU quarterback Jameis Winston started to rise up like a ghost ready to haunt Winston's future. Today, all charges were dropped.

Throughout the month long ordeal, ESPN was ready in the wings to cover the entire event. Today, police announced that at 2 o'clock they would be releasing a statement indicating whether or not they would be pressing charges against Winston. Strangely, ESPN started full coverage at 9 am!?!? I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Every time there is a high profile sexual assault case (Kobe Bryant, Ben Roethlisberger, etc), ESPN covers the event more than any other news station, swaying the country as they do. As we all know, ESPN is the biggest boy's club in America. They produce television for men by men; it's great; I watch it constantly, and I'm obsessed. But, this causes a problem with sexual assault cases. Even though they try to stay as neutral as possible, ESPN covers these events from a male/sports point of view. Every person watching is a sports fan, and the last thing they want to hear is that their idols... these athletes...their team's favorite player is a rapist. No further questions. AND ESPN, doesn't want to present an argument to piss off their viewers because that means less money and more room for competition to compete. It also means disservice and illegitimacy.

Every major sports star over the past ten to fifteen years that has been charged with a major sex crime has been exonerated. Hmmmm. Something doesn't seem right. Do we really believe that Ben Roethlisberger didn't do anything questionable in the bathroom at that bar? Did Kobe get off? Is Winston getting a pass because the National Championship is in a few weeks? To tell you the truth, I really don't know. But if I listen to ESPN, it ALWAYS sounds like these athletes are being wronged because a woman is questioning his integrity as a person. Let me clear something up for you: Athletes are no better than anybody else. As Charles Barkley once said, I am not a role model.

So, what does ESPN's distorted vision do to the national mindset? First, it turns sports fans into real jerks, (which makes me look bad because I am the ultimate sports fan). Across Facebook, I see people posting insane statuses saying things like "Leave Jameis Winston Alone!," and "I'm so glad to see that Winston got off." It's not crazy for people to say this about an innocent man (and Winston may very well be), but it is crazy to say this about a man and a sexual assault case that you know almost nothing about. And let me be clear: these people know nothing about the case. The police didn't even know enough to make a decision until today. The only thing these people know are the facts being reported by ESPN's distorted vision.

The other thing that ESPN is helping to create is a culture that is absolutely terrifying for women. In today's world, women are absolutely afraid to report a sexual assault against a high profile athlete. If they do, they will be smeared beyond belief, just check out what happened to the chick that accused Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant. The only thing that I could tell you about her is that she is insane, a whore, and a gold digger. Thanks ESPN.

Today, after the Jameis Winston announcement, I don't know what to feel because I don't know any of the facts. The only thing I really do know is that I wouldn't want to be the girl that tried to challenge the almighty.