Enemy Chatter: Rondo, when motivated, is an excellent defender

We often wonder what opposing teams, their beat reporters and bloggers are saying about the Celtics. Here’s a look at some enemy chatter from Dallas.

Rondo’s not having a great season by his standards, averaging eight points and 31.8 minutes per game, the lowest since his second year in the NBA. He’s shooting 40 percent from the field, 24 percent on 3-pointers and a miserable 42.8 percent from the line. But he still plays defense and passes the rock, averaging 10.6 assists and grabbing 7.5 rebounds a game.

The Mavericks’ biggest struggles have been at point guard, where Jameer Nelson has failed to impress as the team’s starter. With Monta Ellis locked in as the team’s second guard, Dallas desperately needs a defensive-minded guard to put next to him.

Offensively, Rondo’s a trickier fit in the Mavericks’ flow offense, but if Dallas is interested in trading for him clearly Carlisle believes he can make him fit.

Mavs Money Ball

The Mavs’ perimeter defense is awful, and that’s putting it politely. They consistently get killed on dribble penetration, a big part of the reason the Mavs allow opponents to shoot a league-high 39.2 percent from 3-point range.

Rondo, when motivated, is an excellent defender. There are precious few point guards who have his combination of athleticism, length and intelligence. He’s only 6-foot-1, but his long arms allow him to defend shooting guards, which would give the Mavs the luxury of putting Monta Ellis on point guards and avoid mismatches on the better scoring 2 guards.

ESPN Mavs Blog

With the Mavericks emerging as a potential buyer for Rajon Rondo, I was curious to see what their reporters/bloggers thought about our point guard.

There is a belief that Rondo plays strong defense. I think most Celtics fans – even Rondo’s strongest supporters – will agree that Rajon stopped playing excellent defense somewhere around 2011. He rarely ever pressures the ball and most of his steals come off gambling on passing lanes.

If Dallas wants someone to distribute the ball, Rondo is their guy. If they are looking for a defensive minded guard with the ability to cover two guards, they should look elsewhere.