I’ve got to say, it’s a little surreal that Rajon Rondo isn’t a Celtic any more.
Not so much because he’d been there forever, though that’s certainly part of it. It’s more that in the time I’ve been doing this blog thing here (coming up on three years), Rondo’s been the player I’ve seen the most rumors about where nothing ever really happened.
Until, of course, this week.
Public perception of this trade seems pretty consistent: Brandan Wright is pretty good, Jae Crowder and Jameer Nelson are nice rotation players, and Danny Ainge should be able to get something out of a late first-round pick, but none of the pieces are a Rajon Rondo. Also, Dallas should be very fun to watch now.
But I think there’s something to be said for Ainge getting everything he could for Rondo, especially since Rondo re-signing in Boston appeared more and more unlikely.
Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com has more on Ainge’s thought process on the trade:
So I know a lot of you aren’t real familiar with the players that we brought in,” Ainge said. “But like I said earlier, Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright, as an example are two players that we’ve tried to acquire in the past. Thought they were under-valued players in their minutes, in their contributions so far. And time will tell if we were right or wrong on that, but we really like them, and think they fit into a good team in a rotation role.
“Jameer (Nelson), we haven’t tried to acquire Jameer, just because we’ve had the point guard position pretty set. He’s been a starter for 11 years, and an NBA Finals team, and been a terrific opponent against us. A guy that we’ve really respected, but a great high-character guy that can shoot and has great leadership qualities. So we’re excited about all three of them.”
It’s important to note that all three of these guys are eligible to be traded at the trade deadline due to the fact that the trade was completed more than 60 days before the deadline (by one day). That’s the minimum amount of days a player has to be on a team before he can be traded.
KINGS, NETS DISCUSS DERON WILLIAMS TRADE; NOTHING IMMINENT
Sacramento’s top target had to be Rondo, but having missed out on him, the Kings may have turned their attention to other targets.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:
The Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings are discussing a deal centered on former All-Star guard Deron Williams, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Nets have been shopping their high-priced star players, and the Kings have been probing the market for an impact point guard.
No deal is imminent, but the talks are ongoing, sources told Yahoo Sports.
The talks have centered on sending the Nets point guard Darren Collison and forwards Derrick Williams and Jason Thompson as part of a multi-player package for Williams, league sources said.
Sacramento has significant interest with Williams, but a hurdle to a possible deal is the Kings’ desire to have center Mason Plumlee included into the package, league sources said. Brooklyn has considered Plumlee a significant part of its future core.
The Kings have been thrilled with Collison, who has emerged as a strong leader and a popular teammate this season. There remains a reluctance for Sacramento to move him in a deal, sources said, but the Nets would need a point guard to replace Williams.
COULD SUNS DEAL DRAGIC?
If they did, the Knicks should be interested, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post:
Here come the Suns. And here comes Phoenix point guard Goran Dragic into the Garden for a Saturday matinee — a crafty, left-handed point guard who will be a free agent in July armed with a skill set that could make Phil Jackson’s triangle offense make sense.
Knicks fans can dream. While big men are Jackson’s top priority, the more veteran Jose Calderon looks off-kilter, the more the Knicks may need the sharpshooting penetrating Slovenian when they have tons of cap space come July 1.
Dragic was third-team All NBA in his breakout 2013-14 season, during which he burned the Knicks for 32 points in 32 minutes last March. The Suns’ makeup is curious, with an unfathomable amount of point guards, including Eric Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas and even Syracuse first-rounder Tyler Ennis.
But Suns owner Robert Sarver isn’t too worried about the glut. The more the merrier.
“I kind of liken them to The Three Amigos, the old receiving crew from the Denver Broncos,’’ Sarver told The Post. “They’re very good individually, but great together. We’re 10-6 when all three of them have been healthy enough to play. We’re 3-8 when two or less have played. That’s the story.’’
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com chimes in:
The Phoenix Suns, who beat the lowly Knicks 99-90 on Saturday, are in a bit of a quagmire with free agent-to-be Goran Dragic, rival executives say. Multiple teams already are inquiring as to what it would take to break up the Suns’ three-guard rotation of Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas — with Dragic, a prospective free agent, garnering the most attention. Coincidentally, executives have gotten the impression that Dragic is the one Phoenix would most like to keep if they do, indeed, decide to make a move.
…
“Right now, I’m going to be 100 percent focused on the team and helping the team,” said Dragic, who had 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting in his second game back after missing two with a strained lower back. “… If it’s going to happen, then it happens. The only thing that I can do is be professional and try to be ready every game and help my teammates. In the end, we’re going to see.”
The team to watch here is Houston, which has been after Dragic since he left as a free agent in 2012. Dragic can, and will, opt out of his $7.5 million contract for next season.
NICK YOUNG CALLS STEVEN ADAMS A ‘SNEAKY, DIRTY PLAYER’
Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
In normal circumstances, Lakers forward Nick Young treats interviews with reporters as a chance to show off his eclectic fashion tastes, tease teammates and tell jokes.
But not this time.
Young called Thunder center Steven Adams a “sneaky, dirty player” that led to an on-court altercation and an eventual ejection in the Lakers’ 104-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday at Staples Center. Young argued he “most definitely” did not deserve the ejection, an automatic ruling after being handed a flagrant foul type 2 with 11:24 remaining in the game.
“I feel bad about getting ejected, but I play with my heart on my sleeves and it shows out there,” said Young who had 10 points in 13 minutes off the bench. “I lost my mind a little bit, checked into the crazy house, got back out.”
The question in play first started when Adams set a hard screen on Young. Tired of Adams throwing what he called “little hits” that included sticking out his knee during screens, Young shoved his right forearm into Adam’s throat before officials soon separated them. Lakers center Robert Sacre and forward Carlos Boozer soon intervened, too.
“At the time, he had my left arm caught up,” Young said of Adams. “That’s all I had with my right hand. You didn’t see all that. He knows all the tricks and trades. But if you look carefully, he had my whole left arm locked in for the whole play.”
JERMAINE O’NEAL INTERESTED IN MAVS
The acquisition of Rajon Rondo has given the Dallas Mavericks an undeniable edge in the race to lure veteran big man Jermaine O’Neal back to the NBA, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that O’Neal, who opted to spend the start of this season with family and focusing on business interests while deciding whether to come back for what would be his 19th season, is “highly intrigued” by the idea of joining the Mavericks as a free agent in the wake of the Rondo deal.
The deal not only theoretically elevated Dallas’ stock as a Western Conference contender but also left it with a need on the front line after the exit of highly regarded reserve center Brandan Wright in the trade to the Celtics.
ESPN.com reported last week that O’Neal — a six-time All-Star who played two seasons alongside Rondo in Boston — intends to make a definitive declaration about his playing future early in 2015. But sources said Friday that timetable might be moved up, since O’Neal would naturally need some time to work his way into game shape.
NBA front-office sources say that the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors are also among the teams with a strong interest in O’Neal should he decide to play on.
SAM HINKIE GETS ANOTHER SECOND-ROUND PICK
… by jumping into a trade between two other teams. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
76ers general manager Sam Hinkie is a trading machine.
On Friday he sent Alexey Shved to the Houston Rockets in exchange for the Rockets’ 2015 second-round pick and Ronny Turiaf from the Minnesota Timberwolves and the rights to Spanish League player Sergei Lishouk. The Sixers will waive Turiaf. Lishouk, 32, will never make their roster. The team is expected to trade his rights at some point.
The franchise now has four second-round picks in the forthcoming draft.
This transaction comes a week after the Sixers acquired Andrei Kirilenko, Jorge Gutierrez, and a 2020 second-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets for Brandon Davies.
MCDERMOTT SHOULD BE BACK QUICKLY
KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:
McDermott said he is shooting, riding a stationary bicycle and will start running in water when the stitches from last Saturday’s arthroscopic surgery to remove a small meniscus in his right knee are taken out soon. He sounded confident he would beat the six-week estimate to return.
“When we got the MRI, I was definitely shocked,” said the rookie, who never missed a game in high school or college. “But then (team physician Brian) Cole explained this is very minor and I’ll be feeling (ready) to play within a week.”
Fellow Creighton alum Kyle Korver, now with the Hawks, told McDermott he had similar procedure and his knee is fine.
“I’m trying to take it as a positive, take a deep breath and learn from Jimmy and Mike and watch Thibs and how everyone reacts on the floor,” McDermott said. “I think it will be a good thing to watch practice every day and get better.”
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Ainge should have waited, to get a better deal. However, because there is still no guarantee that Rondo would have re-signed with the team that gave up talent for him, his trade value was diminished. Its possible the move was pushed at this time, because Dallas can still trade Rondo before the trade deadline, giving them extra flexibility.
Regarding DWill being moved – He’s not especially out of favor with Nets front office, as some would like to believe. His ankle surgeries appear to have been successful, as his explosiveness is back, but not his vertical leap. The trade talk is about taking a chance on another good PG (Collison) and also helping at PF. However, Nets aren’t going to be giving up Mason Plumlee, who has looked very good in his past 5 games with the starters. His FT shooting form is starting to look proper (needs consistency) and I can see him going from 40% to 70% in that department. DWill isn’t the player who Nets would like to move – its Brook Lopez, who likely won’t be starting when he returns from his minor low back strain. However, Brook will need to excel during the next 7 weeks, before he can bring back an acceptable return.