Rajon Rondo will never be known as the easiest player to coach. Doc Rivers alluded to that on several occasions during his tenure with the Boston Celtics.
But how is Rondo as a teammate?
While the Celtics point guard certainly does a great job of sharing the ball and getting everyone involved, he’s not exactly the most affable character. ESPN’s Jeff Goodman even says the presence of Rondo makes the Celtics less attractive to some free agents.
[Related: Rajon Rondo skipped team trip without permission?]
Goodman had an interesting back-and-forth with Jeff Clark of SB Nation’s Celtics Blog on Thursday morning. Clark questioned Goodman’s belief that the Celtics should trade Rondo. That led to this exchange:
@celticsblog You must really enjoy the draft lottery.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) July 17, 2014
@celticsblog Nope. It may help attract free agents, though.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) July 17, 2014
@celticsblog From me talking to numerous players around the league.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) July 17, 2014
Goodman later said that he would not drop any names, as the conversations he had with players who don’t want to play with Rondo were off the record. We know Rondo and Ray Allen struggled to get along in their last season together in Boston, with Rondo later referring to Allen as “that guy.”
Kevin Love met Rondo during his trip to Boston last month, and as far as we know Love would still be willing to accept a trade to the Celtics and sign a long-term deal. Perhaps Love is the exception rather than the rule.
[Also see – Ex-teammate says Rondo is a diva, but in a good way]
