Boston Celtics Owner Calls Rajon Rondo 'Stubborn' and Questions Coachability
These couldn't have been the fireworks the Boston Celtics had in mind for this offseason.
With the countdown creeping toward the start of the final season on franchise face Rajon Rondo's contract, the point guard found himself on the receiving end of some fiery comments made by Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck.
During an appearance on WBZ-TV's Sports Final Overtime, via Boston.com's Adam Kaufman, Grousbeck added yet another layer to the lengthy narrative on the floor general not being the easiest player to work with.
"He's super stubborn," Grousbeck said. "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."
To be clear, Grousbeck isn't exactly breaking any new ground here.
Stories of Rondo's riffs with head coaches date back to his college days at Kentucky. ESPN's Jeff Goodman said those close to former Wildcats coach Tubby Smith "admit he couldn't stand coaching Rondo," via CelticsLife.com's Michael Dyer.
A source told SheridanHoops.com's Chris Sheridan that Rondo nearly came to blows with former Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported in 2012 that a big reason ex-Celtics sniper Ray Allen left Boston was "a fractured relationship with Rondo."
Even Rondo himself has admitted he can be a bit hard to handle at times.
"It's not that I'm hard to coach, it's just that I may challenge what you say," he told RedBull.com's Sal Masekala and Brian Kamenetzky. "I know the game myself, I'm out there playing the game. So I may have saw something different versus what you saw from the sideline."
In other words, there may be some substance behind Grousbeck's words.
That said, where is the motivation to make those comments?
"Rondo remains Rondo. We didn't need Grousbeck to tell us that, but it's interesting he did—especially after Rondo was so happy about the owner's vocal support last season," wrote MassLive.com's Jay King. "This might not hurt their relationship...but it certainly won't help it."
Grousbeck did, however, stop short of staying he wants Rondo out. In fact, the executive said he "absolutely" wants Rondo to have a future in Beantown.
"It's intangible," Grousbeck said, when asked why he wants the point guard to stay. "You just watch him. He played through sort of a broken elbow, a ripped knee. He's a gamer, he's a competitor, and he's got world-class talent."
Grousbeck also said he thinks Rondo wants to stay, via Scott Souza of The MetroWest Daily News:
Of course, these comments make the others even harder to fathom. If Grousbeck wants to convince Rondo to stick around after his contract expires, this seems like an awkward negotiating strategy.
That said, as Pro Basketball Talk's Dan Feldman noted, it would be nice to have some context to help process Grousbeck's words:
"I’d love to see Grousbeck deliver these quotes. These really don’t sound so bad, and more context could be helpful.
Plenty of friends have called me stubborn while complimenting me. Grousbeck is either doing that here or couching the negatives with enough positives to paint an overall favorable picture.
After all, Grousbeck unabashedly says he wants Rondo to stick around.
But that doesn’t make the owner wrong when he points out Rondo’s flaws.
"
Given all the uncertainty surrounding Rondo's present and future, though, this might not be a matter of right and wrong. It all depends on what the mercurial point guard hears, and how he interprets that as it pertains to his standing within the organization.
Barring a miraculous recovery from last season's 25-win effort, the Celtics might not have much to talk about inside the lines this year. The media attention this team receives will almost assuredly center around Rondo's fate.
We should all expect to hear more fireworks as this year progresses, though we'll have to wait and see whether the next round fuels him toward the exit or keeps him draped in green and white.
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