Tubby On Teamwork, Al Nolen, Rajon Rondo

[Blizzard]

Only a few blurbs about each - I took the liberty to bold a few parts.

Sports Illustrated on Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, I spoke with his college coach, Tubby Smith. While they often weren’t on the same page at Kentucky, Smith said longstanding rumors of personality conflicts with Rondo have been overblown.

“I had no problem with Rajon,” said Smith, now the coach at Minnesota. “He kept himself eligible academically, and he did everything we asked him to do. “When Danny [Ainge, Celtics president] came to watch him play a couple of times when we were at Kentucky, I remember telling him, ‘You’re not going to find a better athlete.’ He’s as good athletically as there is in the NBA. He has great hands and anticipation, and he’s as competitive as anybody. He is really driven and determined to win.”

Smith said Rondo’s drive was at the heart of their differences.

“Sometimes that can be a sticking point for coaches because you want things done in a certain way,” he said. “That’s one of the things I talked to Doc [Rivers, Celtics coach] about, the confidence [Rondo] has in his ability and if you can live with that and get past that.”

Smith counseled Rondo to turn pro because he believed the NBA style would liberate him.

“In college you have a little more control,” Smith said of his half-court system at Kentucky, “and in the pros you have more freedom on that court. In the open court you can’t double-team the guy. No. 1, he’s going to beat his man — that’s a given because he can get to the rim against anybody. Now that he’s surrounded by great players, his game is elevated.”

But Rondo’s need to play in the open floor wasn’t the only issue at Kentucky.

“I used to say, ‘Rajon, you’re so good that you’ve got to make everybody better. This guy can’t handle that pass because he’s not as talented as you are,’ ” Smith said. “That’s why he’s fortunate he went to a team that has great players around him. I’m not so sure, and I hate to say this, but I’m not so sure it would have gone so well if he would have gone to a lesser team. He and I used to talk all the time about this, and I would tell him, ‘I know you can do that, but it’s going to take all five of us to beat this team.’ Sometimes he thought he could do it.”

Smith was speaking Sunday morning before a 72-45 rout of Northwestern.

“Coaches have differences with players all the time. Just now we’ve lost four out of five and I’m concerned about my point guard,” Smith said of Minnesota sophomore Al Nolen. “He reminds me a lot of Rajon. He’s got that stubbornness. It must be me. I must attract them.”

 

[Bad Gopher]

Getting with the program, Part 2

Last year at this time I remarked about how Al Nolen had distinguished himself so well as a freshman. I hypothesized that it was because he had 'gotten with the program' better than practically anyone else on the team. In other words, off-season work, listening to the coaches, working on weak spots in his game coming out of high school, running the offense. I'm wondering if his lack of success in the second half of this season isn't exactly the same thing in reverse - getting away from the program. It seems the coaches are having a hard time getting him to do things their way and the team's way. The previous conversation about Al getting a big head and reading his clippings could be a prime contributing factor.

"90 percent of the game is half mental."
-Yogi Berra

 

[CollegeBBallFan]

Watching Rondo play for Tubby at UK it was obvious that Rondo needed 4 more Rondos (or NBA players) to play with him. He is so fast, so quick in moves and decisions that the other 4 players were always a step behind. We're talking about very good players. That created obvious friction. Rondo is just so special. Al Nolen isn't on the same level: not even close. Tubby is offering encouragement to him to even mention his name in the same article with Rondo. But the point guard job is the same for both - get others involved where they can score. Nolen is a sophomore and the sophomores (& Blake) are struggling this year. As many a color-man has said they were unknowns last year and surprised everyone. Now the other teams know their tendencies so they must elevate their game or they will be left in the dust (on the bench) when someone better - a new freshman- comes along. That's the way with sophomores.

 

[The Truth]

Watching Rondo play for Tubby at UK it was obvious that Rondo needed 4 more Rondos (or NBA players) to play with him..

I think you hit the nail on the head. What Coach Smith is too kind to mention is the influence Doug Bibby had on Rondo at Kentucky. Not a good one, constantly trying to undermine Coach Smith's plans.

I've said this before but a source that I know who is a friend of Steve Smith of Oak HIll felt that the farther Rondo got away from Kentucky the better he was.

I think Al Nolen will be fine in time. The "sophmore slump" is cliche' but I firmly believe that all players hit a wall in their development at one time or another and it's those that break through it are the ones that have the most success. It's not always about talent but mental and emotional maturity. Keith Bogans went through a similiar problem his junior year at Kentucky and rebounded with a tremendous senior season.

 

[Schnoodler]

We forget that last year we didn't ask much of AL. Certainly not in terms of leadership and running an offense. I seem to recall LMAC doing alot of the PG work from his SG position. So even though he gained a lot of ex, not so much in the areas he's really struggling with this year. His weaknesses have beeen exposed. he is talented, and we've seen PG's struggle through this same thing over the years. I think it was Harris who was just atrocious well into his junior year. And he ended up being damn good.