Eulogy for the Rajon Rondo Era
By Shawn Glinis
Two nights ago, at a Christmas party, I was gifted a Rajon Rondo jersey. Although not a collector, if I were to have one jersey, Rondo’s is appropriate. And though I realized it might soon become outdated, I didn’t realize just how poignant the timing was. That the Rondo era in Boston would come to an end within 48 hours.
At the start of the season, pundits called a trade of this ilk a no-brainer. Maybe it’s just because I wanted it to happen so badly (for his sake), but as the season progressed, a Rondo trade became less of a sure thing. The narrative shifted from goner to “should we resign him?” And then suddenly, six years of perpetual Rondo trade talks came to a head.
Although I grew up an avid NBA fan boy (watching Jordan’s pre-championship Bulls before I could form sentences), I took an extended hiatus from watching basketball from about 2002-2008. I was swiftly isolated from and uninterested in something my life was previously obsessed with. For all I knew, I had sworn off being enthusiastic for professional sports indefinitely.
It wasn’t until I found myself around a TV consistently broadcasting the 2008 NBA Finals that my fervor was reignited. Specifically, it was Rondo and the Big Three era that inspired me to course correct, to re-realize how great basketball is. I had no prior geographical criteria that lead me to rooting for Boston. Maybe I could tell they were the underdog, but I couldn’t help but hope the Big Three beat Kobe’s Lakers. And though Garnett, Pierce and Allen were each fascinating in distinct ways, Rondo, the enigma lurking in the periphery, easily became the most alluring to watch.
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He epitomized (and still does) the adage that the pass is the most beautiful play in basketball. And while he doesn’t contain the rawest physical talent of NBA point guards, he has always struck me as perhaps the brightest NBA player in the league. He is nothing if not deliberate and calculated, on and off the court.
However, Rondo’s time in Boston has been heavily peppered with detracting adjectives. He’s often referred to as a temperamental and difficult player – not locker room poison, but mildew maybe. And while I usually thought that was blown out of proportion, it’s clear he had an emotional complexity. (I mean, his best friends were Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins…) Though quiet, Rondo would have occasional outbursts of frustration pointed at the opposition, or the referees, in a fashion that was aberrant from the status quo emotional percolation.
But his temperamental reputation has, more often than not, seemed to be the characteristics of a guy intellectually superior to his peers. And for a while, it was clear he was also too smart for his own emotional maturity. Thankfully, the veteran nature of the Big Three era gave him room to find himself in that way. Not to tailor his attitude after KG, Paul or Ray, but to realize who the adult Rajon Rondo was. Four years ago, he would not have been able to be the composed captain he was of this year’s rebuilding team.
While he proved himself worthy of captainhood, his performance this year has perhaps highlighted that Rondo’s skill-set might best be suited for a contender, like Dallas. Part of the perpetual Rondo backlash has also consistently rallied around the hard-to-deny supposition that he gets up for the big games. Whether it was a nationally televised marquee matchup or a playoff series, Rondo has routinely seemed to just care more. On the Mavericks, he will certainly have more opportunities to woo us with crazy triple-doubles, and an overall transparent determination.
For such reasons, I’m overwhelmed that Rondo didn’t end up on fellow bottom-dwellers like the Knicks or Lakers. And for diehard Celtics fans, at least he went to the opposing conference. Or maybe the consensus of Celtics diehards is just happy he’s gone. Depending on who you talk to, he was either the band-aid in need of application, or the one that needed to be ripped off. And that divisiveness is testament to how unique a personality Rajon Rondo is.
At the end of the day, I hope he finds himself happy in Dallas. And I hope not being on the tip of the GM’s trading tongue allows him to approach basketball with a relaxed, positive temperament.
Lastly, after seven years of tumultuous discourse, I hope Boston Celtics fans will remember Rajon Rondo’s years here fondly. I know I’ll never forget watching him make an in-game comeback after dislocating his elbow to lead the Celtics to a playoff win with the use of one arm, only to respond post-game, “Yea, I mean it hurts, but..”