The Rondo Conundrum

Since Rajon Rondo injured his MCL and was sidelined for the remainder of the 2012-13 season, the Boston Celtics have gone 6-0, with solid wins against teams like the Miami Heat, and both the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers. Even when Jared Sullinger- who too was ruled out for the season- joined Rondo in rehab, a trade seemed all but imminent. But Danny Ainge opted to do nothing.

Though the pure number of assists per game for the C’s is down since Rondo’s injury, the looser, pick-and-roll style of play has created better ball movement than demonstrated earlier in their season, which has been lackluster at best.

In his last five games, Paul Pierce is averaging 17.6, 8.8, 5.4 and a steal, shooting shooting 46% from the field and 35% from three.

Kevin Garnett is averaging 16.2 and 7.8 with a 1.5 steals on 59.3% shooting.

The consistency can be credited to the ball movement amongst right-minded, team oriented veterans like Jeff Green, Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, Avery Bradley, Brandon Bass, Leandro Barbosa, Chris Wilcox and Jason Collins. With Rondo, the budding superstar, and Jared Sullinger, the impressive young rookie combing for close to 50 minutes per game, plenty of playing time has opened up for guys like Barbosa, Wilcox and Terry to show what they’ve been dying to do.

Terry is enjoying playing a style of basketball he was used to from his days in Dallas. JET, who even I was beginning to consider a bust, is shooting an insane 64.5% from the field and 50% from three in his last five averaging close to 11 points.

Bass, who has suffered from declining offensive consistency this season, is shooting 54.8% in his last five, averaging 9 points and 5.2 rebounds a game.

Avery Bradley and Courtney Lee are providing feisty and tenacious defense and are beasts in the backcourt.

Even Jeff Green is averaging 14 points on 52% shooting.

Bottom line is, Doc Rivers is making some damn good Kool-Aid, and everybody’s drinking it.

…But also, this is a valuable period of time for Celtics fans and players alike. Especially Mr. Rajon Rondo. While he was healthy, he was putting up great numbers; no doubt. The bottom line is, something wasn’t right, and it’s starting to look like he could be to blame for some of it, maybe.

Perhaps he was hogging the ball, or as some put it, “pounding the basketball.” Rumors spread earlier in the season that Courtney Lee was reportedly unhappy in Boston because Rondo was a basketball-pounder. And any fan will tell you, it looks like there is a lot more ball movement in the last five games.

Whatever the case, Rondo is a very smart guy, and smart enough to notice what’s going on right now. My guess is he can benefit the situation when he returns, so long as he seizes this opportunity. Right now.

“C’s Struggling to Defend 3-Point Line”

“C’s Struggling to Defend 3-Point Line”

An excellent and poignant description of the Celtics’ defensive struggles. Never has the explanation of  “help-defense” been so digestible. Chris Forsberg is an exceptional journalist, and is certainly destined for bigger things- should he pursue opportunities outside of ESPN Boston.

It’s Tyreke, Stupid!

Tonight (11/16), the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Sacramento Kings 112-96. Tyreke Evans started at Shooting Guard and recorded 14 points (5-11 FG), an assist, a steal and two turnovers and a foul in 27 minutes of court time. Isaiah Thomas, the point guard- who quite honestly, despite his impressive 2011-12 numbers, only has his job because of his name- registered 3 points, 5 assists, a rebound, a steal, 0 turnovers and 2 fouls in just 17 minutes. They’re numbers and minutes took a hit from the fiery bench combo of Aaron Brooks (17 pts, 75% 3FG) and Marcus Thornton (17 pts).

One question remains, however: why in the world is Tyreke Evans not playing upwards of 35 minutes in this game?

For some reason, everyone in the world has forgotten that the 23 year old averaged 20 PPG, 5 RPG and 5 APG in his Rookie of the Year campaign. Ever since then, he has been horrifyingly managed by the Sacramento Kings organization, from top to bottom: the Maloof brothers never pursed the mass appeal that he warranted and the carousel of head coaches that came through the revolving door to the team never catered to his game. It’s as if the Kings have used the drafting of- and biased catering to- Demarcus Cousins as a blatant attempt to signify their climaxed frustration with Evans.

While as a coach, I can understand playing Thornton and Brooks given their production in this game, Tyreke delivered and clearly was deserving of more minutes. Keith Smart is a better coach than me, but if I had #13 on my team, the offense would run through him.

The last time a rookie averaged Evans’ numbers in his rookie campaign, it was none other than Lebron James. Before that: Michael Jordan. And yes, before that: Oscar Robertson. Needless to say, there’s something special about the men before Tyreke. Talent like this does not come around often, and when it does, to see it wasted so regrettably so, is enough to make a fan lose their mind.

Instead of treating him like just another role player, ship Thomas out of town and put Tyreke at PG. This is the position where he averaged his career numbers, and the idea of an Evans/Cousins pick-and-roll with Thornton on the wing and Thompson/Robinson in the post is a devastating scenario. Granted this team needs to learn how to play legitimate defense, this starting four, plus James Johnson or John Salmons at the SF and a productive bench including Brooks, Thornton, Robinson and Chuck Hayes is a better team than this current 2-7 record suggests.

I remember after Evans’ rookie year, I had convinced myself that the natural transition of divine basketball talent transition went MJ-Kobe-Lebron-Durant-Evans. But ever since then I’ve been sorely mistaken.

I refuse to believe I was shortsighted to hold such an opinion; Evans’ stats and athleticism don’t come around often. If- and hopefully when (soon!)- the Sacramento Kings trade Evans, it would be nice if they did so to a team that would either play him at PG, or give him more of a role than he has now. His numbers have slipped, but a renewed focus on his potential superstardom will help bring back the dominance we once witnessed.

TO ALL INTERESTED GM’s IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION:

…Looking for a guard capable of 20 5 and 5 on the cheaps?

Champs: I’m Calling It

The Celtics lost Ray Allen. Plus KG and Paul Pierce are too old. They’re not legitimate contenders.

Wrong.

Take your pick: Ray Allen, or Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and Leandro Barbosa? If the latter option is not your choice, then I just don’t know what else you could want.

Here’s what the Celtics’ Depth chart might look like for Doc Rivers on opening night:

PG: Rondo

SG: Lee, Bradley, Terry, Barbosa

SF: PIerce, Green, Joseph

PF: Bass, Sullinger, Wilcox

C: Garnett, Milicic, Collins, Melo

The absence of a true backup PG should be no cause for alarm. After all, Rondo has proven that he performs adequately when he voluntarily plays extended minutes. Nonetheless, Jason Terry has proven through training camp that he is capable of dishing out multiple dimes. So long as the bench can produce within the ball handling department, all should be fine.

So what about the other elephant in the room?

I think it’s safe to say Garnett will finish the season with a MPG number around 28-29. Sullinger looks like he is a candidate for upwards of 20 minutes, and Bass, who saw career high minutes last season, should still see a sizable chunk of court time. Though Jeff Green performs far better as a SF than PF, he’s still capable of minutes at the 4.

The important part though, is this: once Wilcox is fully healthy, Green will primarily be the 6th Man SF. Sullinger, Bass, Garnett and Wilcox/Milicic will  man the paint, and the backcourt will be pure beauty.

Rondo, the general, flying up the floor in transition with the likes of Courtney Lee, Avery Bradley (when he’s healthy, hopefully around December 1), Jason Terry and Leandro Barbosa on the wings. Because they all have speed, they will burst at the hoop, which leaves Rondo, who has the best court vision in the league, to either finish himself, toy with the D or best of all; hit The Truth wide open for three in the corner.

The depth at Shooting Guard is simply unprecedented. That coupled with Rondo, an MVP candidate, HOFers Pierce and Garnett, a rejuvenated and James Worthy-esque Jeff Green and an above average core of Big Men makes these guys dangerous. The final piece of the equation, of course, is the Doctor. He commands so much respect that he willed Terry, Lee and Barbosa to Boston with his personal pitches.

Lee’s story in the offseason is so great. He was a restricted FA, but the Rockets knew that he was going to command more money than they could afford to pay him, so the wait-and-see game began. Lee got a handful of offers and was enjoying all of the interest in his services.  Then it happened.

Lee, who has a home in Orlando where his NBA playing days began, was paid a visit by Doc Rivers. Doc was straight with Lee: the Celtics didn’t have money to spend after getting Terry. They did however, have the cash in disposable contracts (Sean Williams, JaJuan Johnson, E’Twaun Moore, Sasha Pavlovic). Doc told Lee that he and Danny Ainge were going to go to the board room to hash out all of the logistics in order to make this happen. All he needed was Lee’s patience.

And Lee fully accepted. He sat mum for weeks, ignoring offers and inquiries from upwards of ten teams, until finally a sign-and-trade deal was made official with the Houston Rockets. Lee went to Boston and got his payday. The C’s got their man. They replaced Jesus Shuttlesworth with JET Terry and Lee, a legitimate 3-point threat and notorious defensive hound every night.

I may be a biased fan, but find me a deeper team in the entire league.

You can’t.

On top of all this, in any story you look up about this Celtics team as a whole, their budding chemistry is oft mentioned. They’ve got the talent, they’re building a true sense of fraternity, and they’ve got the experience and pedigree.

My money’s on the boys in Green.

West L.A. Fadeaway Highway Robbery

Now that the dust has settled from the Dwight Howard trade, the outcomes for all participating teams are in focus:

L.A. gets away with murder by trading the 2nd best Center in the league, the rarely used Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga, and a 1st Round pick that certainly won’t be any higher than 25 for the most dominant big man since Shaq, the hefty contract of Chris Duhon and bench warmer/prospect Earl Clark. Important note is that where the Lakers were forced to take on additional salary in Duhon, it doesn’t really matter. After Steve Nash, they didn’t have another PG on the roster, so acquiring Duhon was actually in their interest since he is a more than formidable backup.

Denver quietly scoops Andre Iguodala for Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington and a 1st Round Pick. They definitely got the better of the deal, but Afflalo is no slouch, Harrington can still play and they lost a pick.

Philly lands their coveted big man that they’ve been dreaming of, as well as journeyman starting SG Jason Richardson, in exchange for rookie Mo Harkless, Sophomore Nikola Vucevic and Clark, as well as a 1st Round pick. While this exchange can basically be seen as Iggy for Bynum straight up, the Sixers actually came out pretty strong. They now  boast a rotation of big men that includes Bynum, Spencer Hawes, Thad Young and youngster Lavoy Allen. That’s pretty damn good. Bynum will dominate in the post and when Hawes is on the floor with him, Jrue Holiday is going to have a field day running pick-and-pops/rolls with his two 7-footers. I can see it now, double pick-and-roll at the top of the key, Bynum bangs his way into the post and Hawes casually steps behind the three-point line. Jrue immediately has two assist options with good chances of conversion, or he has a wide open trip to the bucket. Whoever it is that starts at the PF should suffice.Also needless to say, Holiday’s going to have sharpshooters Richardson and Nick Young running off the ball and Evan Turner wreaking havoc. Assuming Turner has a breakout year- which is certainly overdue at this point- Philly has themselves a dangerous starting five.

On the other side of the ball, however, I’m still angered as an onlooking Celtics fan at what L.A. just did. Speaking of pick-and-rolls, that is going to be the Lakers’ bread and butter this year. Howard is the best Center in the league, especially when he’s facing the basket in the paint, and Gasol basically hits every open jumper that he gets. Kobe is Kobe. Nash will hit the open three and other than Rondo and D-Will, he’s probably the next best passing PG in the league.

The other aspect of this highway robbery is L.A.’s recent signing of Antwan Jamison TO THE VETERAN’S MINIMUM! Are you kidding me?! He will now jump off the bench with Jodie Meeks, Duhon and Jordan Hill; a pretty formidable bench, though certainly not the best- see my Celtics.

I think an LA v. OKC battle in the Western Conference Finals is all but confirmed. I’ll stick with OKC for the sake of youth, and because I detest the Lakers, but this series should go seven games.

As for the East, here’s what I think the top 8 will look like:

1. Miami

2. Boston

3. Indiana

4. Chicago

5. Philly

6. Brooklyn

7. New York

8. Atlanta

Two Teams to Watch

It looks like Minnesota Timberwolves PF/SF Michael Beasley will be signing with the Phoenix Suns, while Minnesota has offered a fat contract to Portland Trailblazers SF/SG Nicolas Batum.

Pretty interesting scenario to ponder: Minnesota is more likely to let Beasley walk so they can clear up more cap space. Phoenix doesn’t have much in the way of trade bait that could benefit Minnesota, so a sign-and-trade might be superfluous. The plan was to offer Batum enough money (which turned out to be $11 Million a year) so that Portland wouldn’t match it.

Unfortunately for Minnesota fans, Paul Allen is the owner of Portland and he’s conveniently a billionaire/Microsoft co-founder, AKA money is of no concern. This means Minnesota is most likely going to have to acquire Batum by sign-and-trade. I’m surprised their most recent offer of a Derrick Williams package wasn’t enough to entice Portland.

In any event, if Minnesota acquires Batum, they look good with or without Williams.

Projected Starting 5 #1: Rubio, Johnson/Roy, Batum, Love, Peckovic

Projected Starting 5 #2: Rubio, Batum, Williams, Love, Peckovic

Clearly, #2 is a far superior lineup, but getting rid of Beasley is in the best interest of the team. He is a prototypical tweener, whereas Batum is solidly a SF who can dabble a little at SG. If they can mold Williams into a starting SF, Batum has the potential for all kinds of offensive freedom, essentially playing both SG and SF as he and Rick Adelman see fit both with or without Williams on the floor.

As for the Suns, Beasley is a great acquisition. He can run the floor with Kendall Marshall and spread the floor for Gortat to dominate in the post (I’m projecting 20 ppg, 10 rpg for Gortat in 2012-13). With Beasley, Marshall, Gortat, Markief Morris and Robin Lopez, as well as new starting PG and rising star Goran Dragic, Phoenix has a very solid core in place comprised of young talent with room to grow.

Phoenix finished the season at 33-33, not bad considering the look of their roster compared to the other Western squads that made the playoffs. Similarly, Minnesota was a legitimate .500+ team until Rubio got injured and they finished the season 5-20. Both of these moves make the teams potential 7-8 seeds in the playoffs, and change the landscape of the Western Conference. I’m not concerned about the loss of Nash either, as Dragic proved himself to be an offensive threat as the Rockets starting PG last year.

Let’s wait and see.

Thoughts Before the Draft

-According to Alex Kennedy at Hoopsworld.com, the consensus among ranking NBA officials is that Ray Allen will sign with Miami come July 1. How then will the Celtics respond to such a blow? Pay attention tomorrow, as anything is within the realm of possibility.

-It’s no secret Michael Jordan, Rich Cho, Rod Higgins and the rest of the Bobcats brass are indifferent about owning the #2 pick. According to Hoopsworld.com, reports have begun to surface about a conversation between OKC GM Sam Presti and Draft Prospect Bradley Beal of U Florida. Apparently Presti told Beal he may swing a deal for him, which- most likely- means Harden is the odd man out in such a scenario. Tomorrow, plan on the Bobcats moving the pick; either to Cleveland (more likely) or shock the world with an OKC swap.

-Houston just moved the #14 pick and Sam Dalembert to Milwaukee for the #12 pick, Shaun Livingston, Jon Leur, and John Brockman. Don’t expect any contributions from Leur or Brockman, but the #12 is a nice upgrade as they continue to gather assets for a Draft Day Trade. As I suggested in a previous post, Dwight Howard is still the preferred target. However I’ve also begun to see Josh Smith’s name appear in the Rockets rumors as well. Look for Houston to make a trade tomorrow, big or small.

D:12 to Houston? We Have Takeoff…

According to Yannis Koutroupis at Hoopsworld.com, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets have agreed to exchange the 18th pick in the draft for SF Chase Budinger. Immediately, I’m inclined to call this trade a victory for the Rockets: they’ve now secured the 14th, 16th and 18th picks, which is a feet in and of itself. However, Mr. Koutroupis has helped fans realize the ulterior motive here, which is Houston’s stockpiling of draft picks in order to entice the Orlando Magic into trading Dwight Howard.

I did some work with salary matching to make a feasible trade, and it doesn’t seem impossible. At very least, Houston can offer a package comprised of the 3 picks, Kyle Lowry, Patrick Patterson and Marcus Morris for D12. This certainly isn’t the best move for Orlando, but they won’t find much better. Jameer Nelson has a player option, but no one knows if he intends to pick it up or not. Plus Lowry is just flat out a better starting PG than Nelson. After that, Patterson has proven serviceable and Morris is still dubbed a prospect. Orlando gets a 26-year old All-Star caliber PG, plus two young, big bodies to bang under the hoop. What’s more, the 14th, 16th and 18th picks can net substantial talent in a draft that’s- in my opinion- one of the best in the last ten years. Even if this isn’t their desire, they can still package picks to move up or acquire more assets from other teams.

On the other side of the ball, what was David Khan thinking? Budinger was picked in the 2nd Round of the 2009 draft, yet Minnesota is essentially handing off their 1st round pick for a guy who can start- albeit with limited minutes- and give you lackluster production. It became painfully obvious by the end of the 2011-12 season that Chandler Parsons had become a far more effective SF for the Rockets.

One thing is for sure: Houston is rolling the dice. Howard has no intention of signing a long-term deal in Houston, but Daryl Morey et. al feel like they can sway him. Perhaps we’re witnessing the arrival of D12, which might make Mr. Deron Williams’ arrival in Houston inevitable…

Let’s play the waiting game.

First Post

Hello world,

I don’t expect to get many readers, but I plan to one day do extensive writing with basketball, so this blog is the first step in solidifying a basketball intellectual’s voice.

With the NBA Draft set for this Thursday (6/28) at 6 PM, I’ll be checking the airwaves to see what gossip- if any- is making its way around the league, whether it be potential trades or draft selections. Stay tuned, the ranting should begin shortly…