Rajon Rondo is overrated says one Eastern Conference scout. Credit: Getty Images
Not all sports scouts are created the same. As we learned in Moneyball, some scouts in professional sports can become quite comfortable in a job over the years and continue to use the exact same data they were working with 30 years ago.
We don’t know whether a certain “Eastern Conference Scout” that shredded the capabilities of Rajon Rondo Thursday bases his entire basketball ideal on “Winning Basketball” with Red Auerbach (not that there’s anything wrong with that) or if he goes the other way and gets tingly at the sight of Houston Rockets GM and analytics king Daryl Morey. We don’t know where anonymous opinion should be taken with something less than a grain of salt. Here’s what the anonymous GM told ESPN:
“Three years ago, I was the only scout saying Rondo is overrated, and I was crucified for it. I was saying he was awful. I think he’s a selfish player. He’s only going to pass it to you if he thinks he can get an assist. I’ve seen him come out for pregame warmups with his shoes untied shooting lefty foul shots. For him to come out for a game with that attitude makes me question his work ethic. I’ve never liked his game.
“If you play with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen at close to their peak, they’re going to raise everyone’s game. Defensively, Rondo’s a bit of a gambler, and I don’t think his defense is all that. If I was starting a team and had my choice of any point guard, he would be 40th. I mean it. I’d take some backups before him.”
Wow. This guy makes Ron Jaworski’s ripping of Johnny Manziel the other day look like a praise-fest.
No matter how you slice it, not a good few days for Rondo. Who would’ve thought that the days immediately AFTER the trade deadline would be the toughest stretch this season for the C’s point guard?
Follow Metro Boston sports editor and columnist Matt Burke on Twitter @BurkeMetroBOS
