Paul Flannery might have to be diplomatic about this... but we don't.
Let's start with Troy Murphy's quote about Rajon Rondo:
“He just kills your whole gameplan because you don’t know where he’s going to be,” Muprhy said. “He’s all over the place. He’s taking chances. He just creates havoc out there. He’s tough.”
And let's compare that to Flannery's dead on assessment of what most players say about Rondo:
Not sure if everyone’s noticed an emerging trend in the NBA where a large number of players stop short of giving Rajon Rondo his props. Indiana’s Danhtay Jones spoke for many who have conveyed similar statements when he said Tuesday night, “They have a great team. He compliments the guys around him. He’s a part of a great machine.”
There’s a couple of things happening in that quote. One, the players meme is that Rondo is beyond lucky to be on a team like the Celtics with veteran superstars and two, he’s a complimentary player.
And this is where we take the ball and run with it...
Guys like Danhtay Jones bounce around the league without ever seizing the opportunities given to them. Then they see a guy like Rajon Rondo, who is really in a good situation... and they purse their lips and sneer "hell I could be great with those guys around me."
But no, you can't. Very few of the players out there can. And any suggestion that being the point guard for the Celtics is an easy gig is born of jealousy more than anything else.
This won't lead to more gushing about Rondo. We do that enough. This is just a matter of calling bull on those players who hate Rondo for his success rather than give the guy his due. Troy Murphy, as Flannery said, got it right with his comment. Guys like Jones can continue their lives as NBA flotsam while Rondo continues to run a championship team.
Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images