Why Rajon Rondo is The Man

Despite all of the doubters and nay-sayers, Rajon Rondo has arrived. Soon enough everyone else will jump on board and realize that this kid really is as good as advertised and understand why the Celtics had so much confidence in him from the get-go. While he may endanger himself on a quarterly basis trying to outjump 7-footers for rebounds, diving for looseballs and flying across the lane at full speed into traffic, he's finally starting to look comfortable not only with his teammates but within his own game. He's shown as the season has progressed, especially over the course of the last 5 games that he knows how to get the job done. The one thing I've been most impressed with, which many young guards have a problem with, is that he has unbelievable control of his speed and is quickly becoming one of the best at constantly changing speeds to throw off defenders. Watch a game or two and see him catch a big man on a switch and watch the fear in the big mans eyes as Rondo steps foward, steps back, crosses over and then burns right by him. He also has unbelievably long arms and bigger hands than KG, which allow him to reach and wrap around oncoming defenders. He's a fantastic passer and hits people right in the chest almost every time. He also does a great job of cutting off a defender and then getting the ball to a wide open shooter, basically setting a screen and passing at the same time giving his teammates extra room to operate. He's knocking down that 10-15 foot shot consistently, now shooting 50% for year. Despite being much smaller than Jason Kidd, he has that innate ability to know where the ball is going to bounce when it hits the rim and puts himself in great position to grab rebounds. He also tends to suprise people with his leaping ability and quick hands. Just the other day he made Dirk Nowitzki look like a chump, utilizing this quickness. Nowitzki, like the softy that he is forgot to box out, left enough room for Rondo to slip in, outjump him for a rebound and then Rondo quickly got himself to other side of the basket out of Dirk's reach and layed in what turned out to be the game winning layup. Obviously, he still has his flaws, but he's 22 years old and he's always getting better and most importantly is always listening to his coaches and mentors. You might not agree with me yet, but watch a few games and I promise you too will become a believer. Watchout for him in the Rookie/Sophomore game, and watch for him to be an All-Star in the next year or two...mark my words.