Post by DERRENMATTS on Jul 31, 2006 18:06:00 GMT -5
Right now, it appears that Telfair has a leg up on the competition for the starting PG spot (presuming that Delonte is no longer being looked at as our starting PG). Bassy has 2 years of NBA experience over Rondo, and this will give him an advantage early on.
But from the time I've first seen him in the McD's game in the summer of '04, I've been intrigued with his game and I even made sure I watched Kentucky games just to follow his progression. (You may not believe it, but when I seen that McD's game, it wasn't Rondo or Telfair or Darius Washington who caught my attention the most--it was Jordan Farmar. I think this kid is going to be a good one for the Lakers) Rondo had my attention with the way the game came so easily to him. His game is so smooth, so effortless, so spontaneous. He sees plays before it develops.
He has that special ability to do things that only a handful of players in the league seem to be able to do--like this uncanny ability to come up with key plays that come when you least expect it. Guys like Manu Ginobli and Teyshaun Prince are these types of players. Delonte showed some of this characteristic. Rondo displays these special qualities as well.
Give him a few years, and I say he turns into a better PG than Telfair. He's a better ball handler and he keeps his dribbling in better control than Bassy. He's just as fast as Telfair and his first step is also just as quick. Rondo has very good feet and very good balance. This is key for fast players, and this is why Rondo has excellent body control. Telfair gets in trouble once in awhile when he's speeding one way and has to stop on a dime.
Another thing I noticed between the two is how they change direction when they are running full speed. Rondo has such amazing body control that he can run full speed and either stop on a dime or shift his direction to the left or right, and still keep his dribbling under control. Plus, while he's running full speed, he can pull of some amazing dribble moves. He's just an incredibly gifted ball handler.
Rondo's extremely long arms and huge hands give him a big advantage over Telfair. Its quite impressive seeing Rondo palm the ball with one hand and fire bullet passes halfway across the court with little effort exerted. Its like throwing a baseball for him. And because of his long arms and exceptional ball control, he does a better job of protecting the ball and shielding it away from pesky defenders. Telfair's arms are just average in length, and since he bulked up his upper body and arms, it seems to have restricted his over all reach and even makes his arms look a bit short. When a player has a shorter arm span, its harder to deliver passes when a defender is in the way. Telfair is creative enough to make tough passes past defenders, but Rondo has an easier time doing so.
As for court vision, I think Telfair has a slight lead, but Rondo is very aware of his surroundings as well. I've seen Rondo make some plays that make you wonder if he has eyes on the back of his head. With Rondo, he hides his intentions so well, that you don't know whether he's looking to pass or looking to drive. He has a very good pocker face.
RR is a better finisher at the front of the rim than Bassy. Rondo is so long and athletic that he can take off on one side of the basket, let his defender go past him, and then make an acrobatic layup on the other side of the rim. And he does it so easily that it seems routine. The level of difficulty in executing something like that is pretty high. But for Rondo, its just a bit more difficult than a practice drill layup.
Rajon is just a steady jumper away from being a top 5 PG. Now is the time to bring in Dana Barros and have him work with both Telfair and Rondo to get their shooting forms squared away. A jumper will make them complete PG's.
But from the time I've first seen him in the McD's game in the summer of '04, I've been intrigued with his game and I even made sure I watched Kentucky games just to follow his progression. (You may not believe it, but when I seen that McD's game, it wasn't Rondo or Telfair or Darius Washington who caught my attention the most--it was Jordan Farmar. I think this kid is going to be a good one for the Lakers) Rondo had my attention with the way the game came so easily to him. His game is so smooth, so effortless, so spontaneous. He sees plays before it develops.
He has that special ability to do things that only a handful of players in the league seem to be able to do--like this uncanny ability to come up with key plays that come when you least expect it. Guys like Manu Ginobli and Teyshaun Prince are these types of players. Delonte showed some of this characteristic. Rondo displays these special qualities as well.
Give him a few years, and I say he turns into a better PG than Telfair. He's a better ball handler and he keeps his dribbling in better control than Bassy. He's just as fast as Telfair and his first step is also just as quick. Rondo has very good feet and very good balance. This is key for fast players, and this is why Rondo has excellent body control. Telfair gets in trouble once in awhile when he's speeding one way and has to stop on a dime.
Another thing I noticed between the two is how they change direction when they are running full speed. Rondo has such amazing body control that he can run full speed and either stop on a dime or shift his direction to the left or right, and still keep his dribbling under control. Plus, while he's running full speed, he can pull of some amazing dribble moves. He's just an incredibly gifted ball handler.
Rondo's extremely long arms and huge hands give him a big advantage over Telfair. Its quite impressive seeing Rondo palm the ball with one hand and fire bullet passes halfway across the court with little effort exerted. Its like throwing a baseball for him. And because of his long arms and exceptional ball control, he does a better job of protecting the ball and shielding it away from pesky defenders. Telfair's arms are just average in length, and since he bulked up his upper body and arms, it seems to have restricted his over all reach and even makes his arms look a bit short. When a player has a shorter arm span, its harder to deliver passes when a defender is in the way. Telfair is creative enough to make tough passes past defenders, but Rondo has an easier time doing so.
As for court vision, I think Telfair has a slight lead, but Rondo is very aware of his surroundings as well. I've seen Rondo make some plays that make you wonder if he has eyes on the back of his head. With Rondo, he hides his intentions so well, that you don't know whether he's looking to pass or looking to drive. He has a very good pocker face.
RR is a better finisher at the front of the rim than Bassy. Rondo is so long and athletic that he can take off on one side of the basket, let his defender go past him, and then make an acrobatic layup on the other side of the rim. And he does it so easily that it seems routine. The level of difficulty in executing something like that is pretty high. But for Rondo, its just a bit more difficult than a practice drill layup.
Rajon is just a steady jumper away from being a top 5 PG. Now is the time to bring in Dana Barros and have him work with both Telfair and Rondo to get their shooting forms squared away. A jumper will make them complete PG's.