After a years of speculation, it finally happened: Rajon Rondo was traded away from the Boston Celtics.
Rondo moved West in a trade that sent the All-Star point guard and Dwight Powell to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the emerging Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson and a conditional first-round pick in 2015, as well as a second-rounder in 2016 and a $12.9 million dollar trade exemption.
On the surface, it seems like a relatively cheap deal to pry away such a unique talent, but nothing is guaranteed after this season for Rondo and the Mavs.
Rondo will become a free agent after this season and, as far as anyone can tell, fully intends to test the free agent market in July.
However things turn out in the future, Rondo has a chance to play a huge role on a team that can now be considered among the West’s elite this season.
In his first game with Dallas, Rondo and company faced off against the rival San Antonio Spurs. He ended the game with six points, nine assists (half the team total on the evening) and seven rebounds as the Mavs beat the Spurs, 99-93.
His addition to the Mavs means that we can officially add Dallas to the long list of teams that wouldn’t be a surprise if they won the Western Conference.
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The Atlanta Hawks demand your attention.
They have taken the mantle of hottest team in the league from the Golden State Warriors, who saw their franchise record win streak of 16 games come to an end against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
Atlanta has been on a tear as of late, going 12-1 since Thanksgiving. The start of this streak had few taking notice since those wins were coming against such league punching bags as the Sixers, Hornets, Celtics and Pacers.
This week, Atlanta confirmed that they are a team to be reckoned with in the East when they got wins over Chicago on Monday, Cleveland on Wednesday and Houston on Saturday.
Atlanta is second in the league in assists per game, eighth in points per game (103.0) and seventh in points allowed per game (97.0).
Jeff Teague has sparked the offense, supplying seven assists per game and leading the Hawks in scoring with 16.8 points per contest. This team is improved from the one that made the playoffs a year ago, thanks to the improved play of Paul Millsap as well.
Al Horford isn’t quite where he was before his injury, but the Atlanta bench has helped out.
During Horford’s extended absence last season, the Hawks built depth by relying on guys like Pero Antic and Mike Scott to fill the rather massive void down the stretch and into the playoffs.
This year, those guys are building on that experience. Now that Horford is back to full health, he and his team have their eye on a division title.
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James Harden has been absolutely tearing it up thus far in the season.
He already has the title of Most Valuable Beard, but now after an uptick in sharing and a reduction in his defensive liability, the Houston Rockets shooting guard deserves consideration for MVP.
Examining the empirical data, Harden is first in scoring, first in free throws, fourth in Offensive Win Shares and FIRST in Defensive Win Shares.
Harden’s feats of scoring are well documented (see his 44-point outburst against the Kings recently). But Harden has gotten into the spirit of giving as well, averaging seven assists—a full assist more than his previous career high.
In addition to his more generous spirit, Harden has finally made the decision to commit himself to defense this season. After being referred to as a turnstile on defense, Harden has upped his defensive game and lost very little on the offensive end.
He is hard-contesting almost every shot his assignment takes, and has been particularly effective defending the high post. The Beard is the only player in the league with at least 1.9 steals and a block per game.
He isn’t going to win Defensive Player of the Year, but if there were a Most Improved Defense award it would be Harden’s to lose at this point.
Harden has had the additional burden of leading a team that has been plagued by injuries. Patrick Beverley and Dwight Howard have missed chunks of time while the team’s No. 1 power forward, Terrence Jones, has only played in a handful of games all year.
Harden has accepted a increased load and has carried the Rockets to a 19-7 record. If Harden maintains his play, he will certainly be in the MVP conversation at the end of the year.
