Mercurial point guard Rajon Rondo has driven some pure basketball minds crazy — Danny Ainge in Boston and then Rick Carlisle in Dallas wanted him gone despite the inconvenient fact that Rondo can change a game like few other players in the league. As Rondo once said of himself: “I’m a beast.” And who could argue? He wears a championship ring and once scored 44 points while dishing out ten assists and grabbing eight boards in a playoff game. It wasn’t his best either.
Now, like Dwyane Wade, Rondo is a new face on the refashioned Chicago Bulls — replacing the enigmatic, oft-injured Derrick Rose at the point. Despite a reputation for liking things his own way, Rondo is a team-first guy on the court if not always in the locker room. At this stage in his career he’s trying to turn even his lesser-loved qualities into positives. As he said being introduced in Chicago, “I’m stubborn but intelligent.” Downright bullheaded he might have said. Or like Chicago itself. Rondo may have found a home.
