Excerpts of Henkin on Bassy:
Here are a few other key factors that went against Telfair and led to his eventual trade:
COACHING STYLE
Much has been made about Telfair's demotion to third-string status last season, but little attention has been paid to the reasons why. Yes, Telfair's thumb injury allowed Steve Blake and Jarrett Jack to initially jump ahead of him. However, the injury itself doesn't explain why Telfair was unable to reclaim his former starting spot upon his return. The answer, according to John Canzano, sports columnist for The Oregonian, lies in the coaching. Specifically, Canzano believes that Portland coach Nate McMillan had little use for Telfair's fast-break-oriented game. "Telfair wants to run," Canzano said. "Do you remember Nate McMillan as a player? He was the anti-Telfair. Read between the lines there." While McMillan and the Blazers may have had little use for a speedy, run-first point guard, the Celtics were in desperate need of one. As the saying goes, one man's garbage is another man's gold.
IMPATIENCE WITH LOSING
Portland Tribune sports editor Dwight Jaynes said Telfair never received a fair opportunity to develop, mostly due to a franchise-wide frustration with the team's losing ways. "I think there was such impatience here with all the losing that there was an unwillingness to allow him to grow," Jaynes said. "Here, he never really had the keys handed to him. In Boston, if he's allowed to play through his mistakes, I think he's going to be fine."
TEAM CHEMISTRY
Nobody is going to confuse the Trail Blazers with a group of Boy Scouts, but what sort of negative impact did Portland's me-first, bad-boy attitude have on Telfair's game? A significant one, according to Canzano. "Telfair's relationship with [Portland stars] Darius Miles and Zach Randolph was icy, in part because he's not motivated by the same things that motivate those guys. Paul Pierce is a professional. Miles and Randolph are not. Paul Pierce wants to win. Miles is apathetic and doesn't seem to care." With the Celtics' alleged bad apples shipped away in the trade with Minnesota last season, Boston's roster appears stacked with choirboys when compared to Portland's.
And on Rajon:
The first thing you'll hear about Rajon Rondo is that he can't shoot the ball. It's an opinion that is held almost universally and is the very reason why he lasted until the 21st pick in the draft. Sounds scary, especially to guys named Pierce and West. One has to wonder, then, if Rondo is such a liability on the perimeter, why bother wasting a first-round pick on him?
SURROUNDING TALENT
Heading into the draft, Rondo was criticized for not living up to increased expectations after a spectacular freshman year. Both Kentucky writers disagree with the assessment. "A lot of people think he took a step back," Brewer said. "I think the Kentucky program took a step back in overall talent and it affected Rondo's play." Added Sun, "When you put very good players around Rondo, he seems to play better than if there are mediocre guys on the court."
COACHING WOES
Rumor had it that Kentucky coach Tubby Smith wasn't shedding any tears upon the loss of his starting point guard. While the rumor may be true, there appears to be another side to the story. "Rondo could never buy into Tubby because Tubby could never buy into him," Brewer said. "Rondo needs to have a relationship with his coach. He needs to trust his coach. Tubby just didn't want to deal with the relationship side of things."
THE SYSTEM
Not unlike Telfair, Rondo suffered from a slower-tempo offense at Kentucky. Said Brewer: "If he was in a better system for him, like Rick Pitino's at Louisville, Rondo's numbers would have been much better and it would have showcased what he can do."
No comments:
Post a Comment