Ray Allen fell out of favor with the Celtics when he signed with the Heat in 2012. His relationship with Rajon Rondo, poor already, became especially dismal.
Allen said the issue stems from him trying to have Rondo stop a trade of the pair to the Suns in 2009.
Sean Deveney of Sporting News:It came up again during the 2010-11 season. In a team meeting, Allen writes, Rondo told his teammates, “I carried all of you to the championship in 2008.”
Allen continued: “The rest of the team, almost in unison, responded, ‘You what?’” Rondo said everyone on the team had problems with him, and when Allen told him, “None of us had issues with you,” Rondo said to him, “You did, too. You told me I was the reason we were going to be traded.”
Allen describes Rondo as a player who expected that he would be treated as a leader without having done the work to deserve the role, and describes the Celtics as an organization that could not figure out how to handle Rondo. Coach Doc Rivers asked Garnett and Allen to “let [Rondo] into the circle,” but Allen told Rivers, “We can’t make him a leader, Doc. He has to earn it.”
Allen details the famed incident during the Celtics’ playoff series against Miami in 2011, when Rivers was going over film with the team and pointing out some of the errors made during their losses in the first two games. Rondo “put his head down and turned his chair toward the lockers.” Rivers implored him to watch the film.
“F— that film,” Rondo said, according to Allen, hurling a water bottle at the screen and breaking it. Rivers ordered Rondo out. Garnett followed him and said, “Young fella, you need to get your s— together.”
Keep in mind: This is Allen’s perspective, detailed in a new book. Rondo might describe things differently.
Though even Rondo admits he can be difficult.
Rondo didn’t receive enough credit at the time for Boston’s 2008 title. So much of the praise was heaped on stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Allen. Rondo, just a second-year player, was also very good and hadn’t yet been recognized for his production.
But that’s not close to saying he carried the Celtics to the championship. He was still their fourth-best player.
And telling his Boston teammates he carried them would be a whole other level. Allen revealing this will probably take his feud with Rondo up a notch, too.
