Celtics great Robert Parish understands what it’s like to be Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo is a legitimate All-Star point guard, and the only elite level talent left on a Celtics roster that will be undergoing a full-fledged rebuild beginning next season.

There are questions as to whether or not Boston will (or should) retain Rondo during this transition, because at some point, you need special players to return your team to championship contention. But Rondo’s perceived personality may not be fit to lead a younger group to the promised land, so the trade offers will continue to roll in until Rondo is cemented as the future face of the franchise.

The personality issue is an important one, because it may ultimately punch Rondo’s ticket out of town. But Robert Parish, a former Celtic who made his way to the Hall of Fame, understands what it may be like to be Rondo, in that his outward appearance may not be telling the story of just what he’s feling inside.

From Sean Deveney of Sporting News (via CelticsBlog):

“Just going by what I have heard, I have heard he has a talent for being difficult,” Parish said [of Rondo]."But you can say that about most of us. I know I had my moments. For me, if I don’t know you, I come across as being aloof and distant if I don’t know you. I am just quiet if I don’t know you. I can be very stoic looking, that’s just my facial expression. I don’t smile a lot. I come across as being arrogant and dismissive, even if that is not the case. I know what it is to be misunderstood. I can’t say for sure that’s the case with Rondo, but I can understand it if it is.”

Parish was aware of his social shortcomings, but Rondo’s seem to be more embedded in the person he truly is trying to be.

There’s no doubting Rondo’s ability to lead on the court, but being the veteran leader off of it takes a bit more finesse. In Parish’s day, the Celtics were led by Larry Bird and Kevin McHale in the locker room, and in Rondo’s early tenure, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were there to similarly lead the charge.

It’s unclear at this point if Rondo is up to that task all by himself, but at the very least, he has the support of a former Celtic great who understands the quirks of his personality.