Does temper tantrum equal leadership?

Yesterday, I had two topics I wanted to write about. But when my husband picked me up from work and asked if I had heard about the Rondo drama rumors going on, I decided I should probably acknowledge this first so no one claims I overlook the ridiculousness that can be a Boston sports athlete.

In summary, the Boston Herald reported that last year, between games 2-3 of the Miami Heat Playoff Series (which ended up eliminating Boston from the playoffs), there was discussion about all of Rondo's errors. Mr. Rondo, apparently, does not take constructive criticism well and he began to rip apart his teammates flaws. 

Doc Rivers then tells Rondo to simmer down (I'm sure I'm making the entire altercation sound much more fairy tale than it really was), Rondo threw something at the TV, shattering it before leaving the facility and not being allowed back in later.

I was PISSED when I heard all of this information from Mr. Sabe. Rondo, you're 25 freaking years old - grow up. No one plays a perfect game, there is always room for improvement. I get it, we're all human, we don't like being told that we suck - but man up dude and take responsibilties for your actions.

When I got home, I decided to do some more research on this topic. I was shocked to see that most articles were giving Rondo a pat on the back and saying he was showing signs of great leadership abilities? Uh....what? Did I miss something?  I mean, maybe it's the lack of testosterone running through my veins but I don't see the leadership abilities in a temper tantrum. 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I love Rondo. I do, but I don't see him as a leader. He has a few redeeming qualities that allows me to see that there is potential for him to become a leader, but I think he has a few years before I trust him to take over as the Celtics number one guy. 

His leadership potential qualities include (without doing tons of research to get stats and using my own personal opinions):

• The ridiculous amount of assists he has,
• The steals he has,
• Playing with a dislocated elbow (I should note, that this happened during game 3 of the Heat Series), and
• just being Rondo.

The reasons I don't think he has the ability to take over the team:

• his decrease in numbers after the Kendrick Perkins trade (I get it, it sucks, but you're getting paid big bucks to play a game, play the damn game!),
• pulling a temper tantrum when your coach tells you you need to work on something,
• not only pulling that temper tantrum but picking apart your teammates flaws when the topic of discussion was your flaws,
• lack of points (granted, he's a point guard, his main goal is to find the play and to get the ball to the appropriate player for the points, but once our shooters are gone, we need him to take the reins), and
• just being Rondo.

Putting "just being Rondo" in both categories reminds me of Manny Ramierez and "Manny being Manny". Seriously, people? These players need to act like adults. If I my boss was to hand me a document that I  worked hard on with red marks all over it and I started pointing out the awful work my co-workers did -- my boss would tell me it was time to look for a new job.

However, people seem to think Rondo's temper tantrum shows his "heart" and "how much he cares." The Bleacher Report said, "you have to love the fire from Rondo. You have to love that he cared that much." 

I don't agree. A true leader looks over the footage and says "yeah, I have some work to do. I'll correct it for the next game, Coach." A true leader does not throw his teammates under the bus. A true leader understand that unfortunately, this isn't a church basketball league and sometimes your best friend will be traded and you'll have to play against him, not with him.

I love you, Rondo, but c'mon, guy. Prove to me that you can take over this team.

What do you think? Do you think Rondo shows leadership potential? What do you consider a leader on the court/field/ice?