Rajon Rondo isn’t making tons of friends this week.
That is, unless there are people inside and outside the Boston Celtics organization in love with the idea of miscommunication and stubborn refusals to provide explanations.
News surfaced last weekend that Rondo skipped the Celtics’ trip to face the Sacramento Kings per The Boston Globe‘s Gary Washburn:
So when the news surfaced that Rondo did not travel with the rest of his teammates to Sacramento for Saturday night’s game, a game he was scheduled to miss because it was the second of a back-to-back set, the criticism came pouring in for his selfishness.
Rondo remained in Los Angeles and celebrated his 28th birthday Saturday, met the team in Salt Lake City Sunday, and played against the Jazz Monday. He was in the lineup Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks, scoring 22 points in the Celtics’ 115-104 win.
The team claims Rondo did not inform it of his plans to blow off the Sacramento trip and stay in Los Angeles, but a team security official escorted him to a car following the Celtics’ loss to the Lakers Friday night.
Truth told, this shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But it’s Rondo, a more tame, less violent presumably drug-free version of J.R. Smith. So this was news. Because again, Rondo.
Problem is, we don’t really know what the deal is. We know general manager Danny Ainge and the Celtics weren’t thrilled, and we know Rondo isn’t telling us why exactly he missed the game.
“I haven’t really read much about it,” he said after Wednesday win over Atlanta, via Washburn. “Heard a lot of comments. Nobody knows the story. You guys keep making up every story you guys possibly can. It’s my business. Not yours.”
Yikes.
Personally speaking, I haven’t read any outlandish tales of Rondo’s decision to skip the Kings game. Nothing that seemed to offer concrete details of his night. And personally, once again, I don’t care.
The reason Rondo skipped out on the Celtics really isn’t important. The fact that he missed the game isn’t even important, since he’s been sitting out the latter half of back-to-backs anyway. But would it kill him to tell the Celtics what he was doing? Or at least that he wasn’t going to show up?
Let’s be honest: That’s weird, and while we cannot read Rondo’s mind, it does come off as selfish and immature. Though I doubt that was his intent, that’s simply how it seems or can be interpreted, which isn’t what the Celtics need from the player they’re (allegedly) trying to build their team around.
But I don’t want to piss off Rondo by reading too much into things. Maybe he and the Boston organization have straightened things out already. Maybe he and Ainge have a guys night replete with darts and dollar-beers planned for sometime in the near future.
Maybe this all being blown out of proportion.
Or maybe, just maybe, we should all shut the hell up and mind our own damn business, just the way Rondo appears to like it.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
