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Wasn't Rondo that NY playground phenom who jumped to the NBA out of high school and looked like a real disappointment early on? From what little I saw of him this year, he's turned into a very level-headed team player.
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No, that was Sebastian Telfair, the cousin of another disappointing New Yorker by the name of Stephon Marbury (or "Starbury" as he's derisively called by his detractors.) The Portland Trailblazers drafted Telfair straight out of high school with the 13th pick in the 2004 draft. The Jailblazers eventually traded him to the Celtics as salary cap fodder in the Theo Ratliff/Raef LaFrentz deal.
Telfair was supposed to be the next great superstar, and a movie was made about him while he was still in high school. I think the hype got to his head because he never realized his potential. At the pro level, he turned the ball over a lot, couldn't consistently make his shot, and hardly ever played defense. He also frequently got into legal trouble. He was involved in a gang shootout with a second-rate rapper. He also got arrested a couple times for possessing a firearm without a license. The Celtics included him in the trade for Kevin Garnett. He apparently played competently in Minnesota this year but he's still not expected to do much in the NBA. He's going to be a career third-stringer who maybe tries the European market where he could start and earn more money.
The player you saw in this year's playoffs was Rajon Rondo, drafted out of the University of Kentucky. He spent two years there under Tubby Smith and played a far more cerebral brand of basketball. The Celtics drafted him (via Phoenix) with the 21st selection in the 2006 draft. He's a top rate defender and an excellent passer who penetrates the lane about as well as anyone. The only real negative to his game (and it's a big one) is his shooting. He has the shooting range of a backup center. If he can develop a jump shot, he'll be an All-Star. If not, he'll still be a better than average PG.
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I'm wondering what you think of an idea I heard on some sports show or site recently, Zen: that Pierce's turnaround, as well as the improved play of the other pre-trade Celts, can be credited to the Garnett Effect. The idea is that Garnett is a warrior whose on-court example tends to bring out the best in his teammates, i.e. a whiner looks bad enough on his own, but next to KG, he starts to look so bad that he can't even stand to be around himself.
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I think there's a lot of truth to what you heard. According to Doc Rivers, Garnett's arrival completely changed the culture of the Celtics. His contagiously strong work ethic and obsession with defense transformed the entire team from a mediocre defensive club to a defensive powerhouse.
The biggest transformation was Paul Pierce, who went from a below average defender to one of the five best in the league. Ray Allen, who never played much defense in Milwaukee or Seattle, evolved into an above average defender. Rondo and Perkins developed strong defensive games as well. I think we really do have to credit Garnett for demanding so much of his teammates and for having such an infectious enthusiasm for practice.
There was a story on the local Celtics network that after Garnett submitted a subpar performance in Game 5 of the Finals, he promised not to disappoint Celtics fans with another bad outing in Game 6. So when the Celtics arrived back in Boston at 2am, he drove to the Garden, and immediately went back to work, practicing his jump shots and free throws. The coaching staff thought he was a bit crazy for doing this, but that's the kind of commitment that Garnett has to perfecting his craft. When other players see this, they follow his example (with moderation - most players can't handle Garnett's intensity.)
In Pierce's case, I think he worked more diligently in part because he recognized he had a great opportunity at a championship this year, and in part because as team captain, he couldn't allow the newcomer to show him up effort-wise. Factoring in service time, Pierce is the only "true Celtic" on the team and being the competitive guy that he is, I don't think he wanted to cede the limelight to Garnett. That meant working extra hard and finally becoming the selfless, all-round player he proved himself to be.