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General manager Danny Ainge's verbal flogging of point guard Rajon Rondo on Boston's airwaves -- one day after saying the Celtics were extremely fond of him -- has drawn the ire of the player's agent.
Rondo
Rondo, who helped the Celtics win the 2008 NBA championship and averaged 16.9 points in this year's playoffs, has been the subject of much trade speculation.
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."
"I am just surprised that Danny is speaking, even if he considers it constructively, in a public setting [about Rondo]," the player's agent, Bill Duffy, told WEEI. "I don't think that it's appropriate to say that about one of your top players. Even if it's spoken constructively, I don't think it should be done in public. I don't think he would like it if Wyc [Grousbeck, the organization's managing partner] was talking about him in public.
"What they're saying about [Rondo] critically is actually an asset to him. He is feisty. He is competitive, yes. Last time I checked they won a world championship with him at point guard. If the team wasn't hurting they might have done it again this year. Rondo's tough love from Danny isn't necessary. He's self-motivated and a self-starter."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4286112