It's that time of the month again. It's like Old Faithful. Simmons has a new man-crush. This time it's the alien-look-a-like Rajon Rondo. If you haven't read the new article yet, take a glance. We've seen his hetero-hard on's before; Kevin Durant, Timmy Brady, Larry Byrd (whom he calls Basketball Jesus), and [insert Redsox player name here].
So, we've seen this behavior before. But, we've never seen Simmons get wet over anyone but a top-tier, unquestionably great player before. Hey, Rondo has proven he's a really good point guard. I won't question that. But Simmons is saying Rondo is a max player now. Take a look at this list: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, Rajon Rondo. Who doesn't seem to fit in on that list???
Simmons acts like Rondo is the second coming, insinuating that we've never seen a player like Rondo before. Just because we haven't seen someone exactly like him before, does that make him superior to everyone else we're currently seeing? Simple answer, no. He's a less dynamic, shorter Magic that can't score nearly as well and needs three perennial all-stars playing in front of him so his lack of leadership doesn't shine through.
Being the fourth best player (at best) on a championship team has an effect on players that should not be overlooked. It's really easy to throw Kirk Heinrich into the scorers table (game 6) or punch Brad Miller in the lip (game 5) when your big, bad teammates are standing between you and an ass kicking.
Another point that Simmons conveniently ignores; having tons of injured teammates and 7 OT periods in a series artificially inflates the box score. He is averaging a trip-dub in the series. But, let's not forget he has the extra minutes to draw off of. Plus, he's been playing out of his mind every minute of every game. What could Derek Rose be averaging if the fire he caught in game 1 never cooled? Rondo's play is admirable, but it's simply impossible (and crazy to assume) that Rondo can play out of his mind for every minute in the remainder of his career.
Newsflash to the Sports Guy, there IS a world beyond Boston city limits. Not everyone cares about Rondo (or knows who he is). Consider if Rondo played for the Raptors. No KG to educate him on the skills of being a lunatic on the floor. No championship team that is good enough (and who's conference is bad enough) to compensate for a young, inexperienced point guard that is really playing way out of his league. If he was on the Raptors, Rondo would still be that skinny little scary-looking player that left Kentucky too soon. The Rondo we're seeing and the Celts' bravado is one in the same. Stick him on the Bobcats and he's chunkin' turnovers to Sean May and splitting time with Raymond Felton.
As large as Simmons' woodie is for Rondo, there is a world outside of his tunnel vision. At the end of the day, Rondo isn't even a top 5 point guard in the league. If you're telling me that you would take Rondo over (1) Chris Paul, (2) Tony Parker, (3) Deron Williams, (4) Derek Rose, or (5) Devin Harris, then you're crazy. Devin Harris rates higher for me because he is relatively the same age, has the same potential for growth, but is a much more dynamic scorer.
Maybe the Harris pick is debatable. But, the other four are not. And if that is the case, then calm down Simmons. Come back to earth before you hit the save button on your article. This is the same kind of homer-ism that sours some people on your column.
Check out this funny youtube clip that explains where the BS Report theme music comes from.
