What's The Deal With Rondo?

I know on this site questioning Rondo is grounds for people showing up at my door with torches, but there is obviously something wrong here, and it should be discussed. To DP's credit he at least acknowledged it in his recap, but now it's time to dig deeper.

First, let's make sure everyone is on the same page that there is a problem. Let's look at Rondo's last 5 games.

@Bucks: 6 pts, 8 asts, 4 rebs
Clippers: 13 pts, 9 asts, 7 rebs
@76ers: 12 pts, 5 asts, 4 rebs
Bucks: 2 pts, 3 asts, 3 rebs
Nets: 2 pts, 9 asts, 4 rebs

Sure, some of those totals are terrible, but these aren't exactly the best teams in the league. Rondo earlier this year was looking like an MVP candidate, but if you've watched him over the past 2 weeks you know something is just not right. So, what's the problem? I have come up with 4 possible reasons.

1. DEPRESSION: Could it be that Rondo is depressed with the loss of his boy Perkins? In short, if this is the reason the Celtics are in a lot of trouble, because that means Rondo is fucking soft. I 100% do not think this has anything to do with it, but I guarantee you will read this somewhere. Bottom line, Rondo cares way too much about winning to just tank it because his friend is gone.

2. TIRED: Rondo has played way too many minutes. Actually the "Big 4" have all played way too many minutes, and it may just be that it has finally caught up to him. You can tell he has lost a step, and some of the mistakes he is making could be that he is not just physically tired, but mentally worn out. This makes the comeback of West even more important. That will cut down his minutes, and maybe the Celtics can even get him a game off or two before the playoffs.

3. HURT: We saw him grab his ankle last night, and could explain the lost step. It could very well be, but I don't feel like his is limping just a bit slower. I lean towards him being more tired then hurt, but those things kind of go hand in hand.

4. SLUMP: We've seen KG slump before. We've seen Allen slump before. We've seen Pierce slump before. So, why can't Rondo? It could be that he is just a little off and this will all blow over in the next couple of games.

So, what do I think it is? Well I do think he is in a "slump", but that is kind of a cop-out. I think he is in a slump because he is overplayed and needs to cut down his minutes. West really needs to comeback and be affective, so that Rondo can get his legs back under him and bring back that explosiveness. Also, I think some time off will cut down his "mental" mistakes. Rondo's recent struggles just show how important he is to this team. There is no doubt this current losing streak has more to do with Rondo then anyone else. He makes everyone around him better when he is on, and right now he is not getting it done.

Bottom line is that I am a little worried if they don't cut down his minutes, but I believe in Doc and think he will take care of this.