Rajon Rondo has earned the reputation of a high-maintenance star over the course of his career, a notion Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck curiously echoed during an interview Sunday on WBZ-TV's "Sports Final Overtime," according to Adam Kaufman of Boston.com.
Celtics owner suggests Rajon Rondo is difficult to coach
Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said Rondo is stubborn and not the easiest player to coach, but Grousbeck also said he wants his star point guard in Boston for the long term.
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Rondo’s name continues to come up in trade rumors, and when discussing the future for his star point guard, Grousbeck confirmed the idea that he’s not the easiest player to deal with:
“He’s super stubborn,” revealed Grousbeck, adding Rondo is a good, generous kid who loves being in Boston. “I don’t know how coachable he really is.
“I know if you ask [former, long-time head coach] Doc [Rivers], ‘Was he the most coachable guy, or in the top half, 50 percent,‘ he’d say, ‘No, he’s in the bottom 50 percent of being coachable.’ It’s hard with him,” Grousbeck continued.
Rondo's occasional prickliness with coaches and teammates isn't exactly a secret. Rondo and former head coach Doc Rivers reportedly nearly came to blows in 2013, with some speculating that their fractured relationship was one of the primary reasons Rivers wanted to leave Boston. There was also a report of a feud with Ray Allen, although Rondo downplayed it.
These rumors go back even further. Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reported that Rondo wasn’t liked when he was a part of USA Basketball in 2010 and that he was sent home due to a bad attitude. Goodman also claimed Tubby Smith “couldn’t stand” coaching Rondo at Kentucky.
But while Rondo’s not-so-sterling reputation may be known, it’s a bit odd to hear an owner come out and admit that, especially considering the trade rumors. Just earlier this month, Jackie MacMullen said Rondo wanted out of Boston during a behind-the-scenes segment of ESPN’s Around The Horn. Rondo’s camp denied the trade request almost immediately.
Despite the rumors and Grousbeck’s comments about how difficult it can be to coach Rondo, both the owner and Celtics president Danny Ainge expressed how much they want to keep Rondo long term at a charity golf event on Tuesday:
Grousbeck repeated that he "absolutely" wants to keep Rondo. Thinks he wants to stay too.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) September 23, 2014 Ainge: "I can't say more emphatically" that he wants Rondo in Boston long term.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) September 23, 2014 Ainge also said that for now, Rondo wants to stay in Boston:
Ainge says he could need to gauge Rondo's mindset later, but "right now Rondo has indicated to me that he wants to stay in Boston."
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) September 23, 2014 The Rondo situation will be one to continue to monitor as his free agency next offseason draws closer. Grousbeck’s comments on Rondo’s coachability may cause a bit of a firestorm, but Kevin O’Connor over at CelticsBlog doesn’t think it’s a big deal:
Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said Rajon Rondo might be uncoachable and Danny Ainge said the point guard’s patience might need to be addressed at mid-season! What does it all mean? Is Rondo getting traded?
No, because these comments don’t tell us anything that we don’t already know. Celtics fans are chomping at the bit to make “trade Rondo” jokes, and these out-of-context quotes give them that ammo, but it shouldn’t. It’s really a whole lot of nothing.
O’Connor concluded by saying that until something actually happens with Rondo, all the noise is “garbage.” While much of the noise may not be legitimate, it’s not commonplace for an owner to call out a player. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens responded to Grousbeck’s comments by saying he “really enjoys” coaching Rondo, so maybe it truly is nothing.
Still, there’s quite a bit of smoke here. Will there be fire?
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