Rajon Rondo Slammed by Danny Ainge

It seems that there is no loyalty in professional basketball. It seems that the Boston Celtic general manager, Danny Ainge, is placing some of the blame for not reaching the NBA finals on Rajon Rondo:

“… After telling reporters Tuesday that he does not intend to trade any of the Celtics core players this offseason, Ainge told WEEI on Wednesday that Rondo needed “to grow up” and that “his presence hurt” the team in its seven-game loss to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Ainge also said that Rondo, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, is not a “max contract player.”"

link: Ainge’s criticism of Rondo angers agent

Essentially, Danny Ainge skewered his team’s starting point guard in a very public roasting. Rajon Rondo was an essential member of the 2008 Championship Celtics team. Soon, one can expect the usual disclaimers that the comments were taken out of context, were perhaps remarks spoken in the ‘heat of the moment’ or whatever spin seems appropriate for the day.

The obvious conclusion is that there is no loyalty in professional sports. In light of such behaviour, can one blame the athletes for chasing the maximum amount of millions? It’s just business and it’s all about ‘what can you do for me today?‘. And don’t count on any integrity.

Catherine Forsythe