ESPN: Hawks Intimidated by Celts, except Horf

[yardbird]

Awards for 'Rajon the Late Bloomer' and others

By Bill Simmons

Page 2

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Updated: April 25, 2008, 4:25 PM ET

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"Rajon couldn't do anything right. He couldn't speak. He couldn't draw. He couldn't write. ... And then one day, Rajon could speak! He could draw! He could write!"

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Rajon Rondo has developed into a steady leader who can hit big shots in crunch time.

Sorry for bastardizing "Leo the Late Bloomer," one of my daughter's favorite bedtime stories and a true classic. But I couldn't help it. Not only has Rajon Rondo's belated emergence been the most fascinating subplot of a storybook Celtics season, but he's just like the character in that book. Like Leo, Rondo never spoke. Like Leo's father, Celts fans spent an inordinate amount of time wondering when Rondo would "draw" (in this case, play with consistency) or "write" (in this case, bang home open jumpers). Leo had patient parents who believed in him; Rondo had veterans such as Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, role models who provided the confidence and toughness he desperately needed, eventually springing him from his on-court shell and altering the course of his career. We always hear about the value of young teams adding veterans, but after watching the effects over the course of an 82-game season, it's probably impossible to exaggerrate the importance of polished, professional, competitive, proven veterans on young guys who don't know what the hell they're doing.

It's the little things that made the trades for Garnett and Allen (and to a lesser extent, the pick-ups of Sam Cassell, James Posey and P.J. Brown) so successful and altered the careers of Rondo, Leon Powe, "Big Baby" Davis and Kendrick Perkins. They're everyday moments that go beyond KG crouching over Powe after a dunk and happily punching him in the chest. For instance, my father read a story about Rondo watching last Saturday's playoff games at Allen's house and critiquing the point guards with him. Let's say Seattle never traded Allen and the Celtics were coming off another 24-58 season. What do you think Rondo would have done Saturday? Would he have been planted in front of a plasma studying those games, or would he have been headed to the Bahamas or Vegas with some buddies? Think of young NBA players like "only-children" and it makes more sense -- yeah, you can turn out fine when you're an "only-child," but it's much easier if you have three older brothers giving you advice, looking out for you, molding you and believing in you.

From Boston's game against Detroit on Dec.19 to Game 2 of the Atlanta series Wednesday -- two home games that I attended -- the difference in Rondo's on-court demeanor was remarkable. Old Rondo carried himself like a little brother who didn't want to screw things up for his big brothers, someone who had confidence in his athletic ability and little else. He never talked on the court, never bitched at the referees, never changed his expression and seemed like an odd fit for a particularly charismatic group of Celtics, somewhat of an enigma, the wild-card youngster for the season. When Chauncey Billups abused him in the second half of an eventual defeat, I remember walking back to my father's house in 10-degree weather and deciding the Celtics couldn't win a title with such a green point guard; they probably had a more realistic chance of prevailing in 2009. But Rondo kept getting better and better through the winter, and there was a pivotal moment in March when Rafer Alston got physical with him on the opening tip and Rondo belted him back, then defiantly stood his ground, ready to trade punches in a nationally televised road game. Watching from home, I remember thinking, "He made it! He's all grown up!"

So, seeing Rondo thrive in Game 2 wasn't a total surprise, although it's a little weird seeing him control the tempo, bang home open jumpers, bark orders at teammates (at one point, he screamed at Pierce like an angry housewife), badly outplay Mike Bibby for the second straight game and openly relish the moment when the crowd chanted "Rondo's better!" at Bibby (who drew their ire for calling them "bandwagon" fans after Game 1). Even more surprisingly, the stands were littered with No. 9 jerseys -- not as many as No. 5, No. 20 or No. 34, but enough that you'd notice, nearly all of the No. 9s belonging to young kids and teenagers. His relatively sudden emergence as a fan favorite brings back memories of a pre-Eva Tony Parker, another late first-rounder who lucked into an ideal situation, improved mightily in his sophomore season and played a pivotal role for San Antonio's 2003 team ... only he couldn't get it done every game, which made Speedy Claxton's contributions so crucial that spring. (Remember, Parker was just shaky enough that the Spurs pulled out every stop to sign Jason Kidd that summer.) Playing for the same stakes on a similar team, Rondo is further ahead of the '03 Parker, which gives you an indication of his potential and where he's sitting already. Whether Sam Cassell has to pull a Speedy to save a few games remains to be seen.

[+] EnlargeBrian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

After getting clocked by Chauncey Billups in December, Rondo has developed into a tough cookie.

Did I see any of this coming? Actually, yes. Rondo played so well in the 2006-07 preseason that I stupidly picked him for "Rookie of the Year," bought a seat in the front row of the bandwagon, then broke three ribs when it careened off the Mass Pike on opening night. Poor Rondo didn't have the most fun rookie campaign, struggling with nerves in the first few games, getting his minutes stupidly yanked around, landing in Iverson trade rumors for a few weeks, getting his minutes stupidly yanked around some more and finally earning extended playing time in the last weeks of a lost season. By the summer, it was clear the Celtics had something -- they just didn't know what -- and when old friend Kevin McHale insisted on Rondo being included in the Garnett deal, Celtics GM Danny Ainge held his ground and refused. Nine months later, Rondo's a potential All-Star and the X factor of this playoff run. Amazing ... but not really.

Again, you can't exaggerate the impact of veterans here, something that surfaced in Game 2 as a central theme -- the Celtics were furious about a hard foul that briefly sent Pierce to the locker room in the first half, so they spent the second half banging bodies, doling out retaliatory clotheslines, talking trash and intimidating the young Hawks in every way possible. TCIKG (The Completely Insane Kevin Garnett) was leading the way, as always, and other than Al Horford (a tough cookie who's going to be great), none of the young Hawks seemed interested in escalating things, getting each other's backs, sticking up for themselves, responding or even making eye contact with TCIKG. If anything, they went the other direction -- I think poor Marvin Williams peed his pants at one point. And if Rondo had been drafted by the Hawks two years ago, he would have been right there with them: Looking like a deer in the headlights, just waiting to get the hell out of Dodge.

Instead, Rajon/Leo was doing as much woofing, glaring and posing as everyone else. After one of the 47 times when two Celtics tag-teamed a Hawk (in this case, Horford) for a hard foul, right as Horford was stumbling away and rubbing his head, he made the mistake of nearly walking into Rondo and took an elbow for his troubles, followed by Rondo whirling around and staring him down. Who knew? I thought Rondo might make it through an entire career without uttering a word -- now he's strutting around like Clint Eastwood. Which brings me back to my point: Basketball careers might hinge on talent and desire, but circumstance plays a much bigger role than most people realize. Would James Worthy have become "Big Game James" if the Lakers had drafted Dominique Wilkins over him in 1982? What would have happened to Wilkins if he had played with Magic Johnson for his entire career? Would Robert Parish have made the NBA's "50 at 50" list if the Celtics hadn't rescued him from the Warriors? What would have happened to Parker if the Spurs signed Kidd that summer? And so on and so on.

In Rondo's case, there are two great "What ifs?": What if the KG and Allen trades never happened? And what if Phoenix had just drafted him in 2006 instead of selling the pick? Would Rondo have been better off or worse off in Phoenix backing up Nash? We'll never know, just like we'll never know if he would have matured into a potential All-Star without Garnett and company. But we do know what we see, and here's what we see: someone who has noticeably improved as a shooter and a leader, someone who has emerged as an elite defender, someone with a real chance to recreate the numbers from Fat Lever's prime sooner than later. The best thing you could say about Rajon Rondo is he brings a lot of stuff to the table and doesn't take much off it. The second best thing you could say is he's lucky enough to have influential teammates sitting at that same table. Regardless, I'm giving him the "Leo the Late Bloomer" Award for Round 1.

[yardbird]

Also indirectly deals with what the Hawks can gain from this experience, even if swept, and the value of veteran leadership on young players.

[DJ_Money]

Simmons is basically there to appease and further ESPN's love for Boston...I'd hardly call him objective.

If he hasn't noticed...nobody in the NBA is interested in escalating anything. Especially not in the playoffs.

Smoove could take a swing at KG in Game 4. He's easily the most likely to lose his cool. And he's got nothing to lose. (Maybe a couple of games at the beginning of next season...)

If KG or any of the Celtics retaliate, they're looking at a suspension in the 2nd round.

That would give Simmons something to write about. I'm sure he would throw in all the usual tired jokes that come with writing about Atlanta. In fact, I'd almost guarantee that he will have something about "burning Atlanta to the ground...again" in the next week.

[yardbird]

I'd love to see a few Hawks show some balls in game 3, not enough to get ejected, just to maintain some pride on their home floor.

There don't seem to be many candidates. Seems like a good poll. Josh Smith? Horford? Joe Johnson? Salim?

[atlien]

Quote:

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Smoove could take a swing at KG in Game 4. He's easily the most likely to lose his cool. And he's got nothing to lose. (Maybe a couple of games at the beginning of next season...)

He'd lose more than a couple of games next season if he actually swung on KG. But really, who in their right minds would want to start that type of feud with KG. Just think of what KG would do to Smoove in games they played against each other for the rest of their careers. That would just be dirty for Smoove. No one should bring that on themselves.

Now, I definitely wouldnt be against a hard foul... especially if the Celtics try any BS in our house.

But yeah, this series has shown us our team is fundamentally flawed in that we have no real toughness (minus Horf). Even our veterans (JJ and Bibby) are soft. We dont have someone with cajones in the vein of a KG, Baron Davis, Sheed, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, etc. We need at least one guy like that.

[IonSen88]

I hope the Hawks read this so they'll be aware the nation sees their timid and weak approach. You will continue to get punk'd down low until you show you have some balls...Of course, this will never happen and Garnett will continue to pound his chest until he caves it in ten times fold; this - of course after he claims every defensive board and snatches every offensive rebound that doesn't bounce near Horford.

[Omni_Rock]

You know i respect KG, Ray, Pierce and those guys a lot. They have done a lot in their careers and have been nothin but class acts. But THIS is the playoffs and righat now they are the enemy. I don't care how much of an underdog the Hawks are. They CANNOT let this team punk them into submission. I thought the hard foul on Pierce in game 2 was a sign but we didn't let that carry on and keep us fired up. If one of those Green team guys even think about showing off and carrying on like they did in Boston, SOMEBODY better do something about it. I don't care who. You can't let a team come in your house and show you up and your fans.

[WraithSentinel]

This team isn't going to step up to the Celtics. This particular team has been soft since Woodson got here. Only Horford is a tough guy. Marvin tries to act tough. Beyond that any team can push these guys around and get away with it. It is not about fighting them. It is about showing they are not intimidated by them.