They're 10-10 in the last 20 games and 11-9(.550) with Rondo(didn't count the game he played a few minutes before getting hurt). W/O Rondo they're 25-11(.694). Starters w/Rondo 290 minutes OffRtg 103.9 DefRtg 102.8 NetRtg +1.1 AST/TO 1.53 Starters w/Nelson 254 minutes OffRtg 116.4 DefRtg 103.6 NetRtg +12.9 AST/TO 2.53 Starters w/Harris 119 minutes OffRtg 118.1 DefRtg 106.9 NetRtg +11.2 AST/TO 2.03 Starters w/Barea 65 minutes OffRtg 121.5 DefRtg 106.0 NetRtg +15.9 AST/TO 2.06 Funny how so many people thought Rondo would make our offense better.
Rondo was awful last night. I'll give him a pass for Westbrook torching him...Westbrook does that to pretty much everybody. But the ball would move through the rotation and find itself in rondo's hands for an open shot...an open shot he knows he can't make, so instead he makes a bad pass. It's gotten to the point that he doesn't look to score at all when he's driving to the hole and there's any traffic in the lane at all. Most PG's would use that opportunity to at least get to the line...but when you shoot about 40% from the FT line, that's not really a good idea. You can look at stat sheets and see it...but it's even more evident just watching them play. He kills the rotation style offense that Carlisle employs.
I think a lot of it is fit within that system. But if an offense is designed to rotate the ball...and if you're open you're to catch and shoot...but you can't shoot...that's kinda limiting. http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4704658/was-rondo-deal-the-right-move-for-mavs The harsh reality, though, is that Rondo hasn't had many good nights since arriving in Dallas as the featured attraction in a blockbuster deal on Dec. 18. After seeing point guards fly all over the league in the final hour before the trade deadline, it's worth asking whether the Mavs would have been better off exercising patience instead of pulling the trigger on the Rondo trade. Could Mark Cuban have closed a deal to get Goran Dragic from the Phoenix Suns? The Miami Heat gave up four warm bodies and two first-round picks for a point guard who was third-team All-NBA last season. How about Reggie Jackson? It didn't cost a whole lot for the Detroit Pistons to acquire Russell Westbrook's former disgruntled backup with starter talent. Detroit gave up point guard D.J. Augustin, small forward Kyle Singler and a pair of second-round picks in the three-way deal with the Utah Jazz. Or maybe the Mavs could have landed Brandon Knight, an explosive scorer who went from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Suns in a three-way deal. Phoenix gave up a pair of young backups -- center Miles Plumlee and guard Tyler Ennis -- and the Los Angeles Lakers' protected first-round pick. A strong case can be made that any of those three point guards would have been much better fits for the Mavs than Rondo. That isn't a knee-jerk reaction to the goggles-wearing Rondo struggling in his return after missing six games due to facial fractures. There were plenty of doubts about Rondo's fit in Dallas before he was dominated by All-Star MVP Westbrook, who lit it up for 34 points and 10 assists, compared to Rondo's five-point, six-dime performance. "He looks healthy," coach Rick Carlisle said when asked to assess Rondo's outing. "He was a little tired because he wasn't playing. I know he didn't shoot well, but it's one game." Well, it's a lot more than one game. Rondo always has been a subpar jump shooter, and he's not been nearly as dangerous off the dribble since his comeback from a serious knee injury, with his field goal percentage hovering just over 40 percent the past two seasons. The presence of Rondo usually has served as clutter for what was the NBA's best offense since his arrival. It's an issue Rondo is determined to improve -- working with Nowitzki's longtime shot doctor Holger Geschwindner -- but the reality is he's at least a summer away from being even a respectable NBA shooter. The Mavs have been a much better defensive team with Rondo, but their improvement on that end of the floor hasn't been as drastic as their offensive drop-off. And it's hard to be real fired up about Rondo as a defensive stopper in the wake of Westbrook essentially doing whatever he wanted. The Mavs made the trade for Rondo because they felt they were nothing but first-round fodder with Jameer Nelson as their starting point guard. But Rondo hasn't made them better. They are 12-9 with him, not counting a win in Orlando when he was hurt 98 seconds into the game. That projects to a 47-win pace, which might not be good enough even to make the playoffs in the West. The hope was that by making the deal in December, it would give the Mavs a two-month head start on establishing a rhythm with Rondo. It's been a rocky transition, and the Mavs had to start the process over in some respects after Rondo missed two-plus weeks. "Not necessarily hit the reset button, just get back adjusted and get back in a little bit of a rhythm, not just with them but with myself as well," Rondo said. "Missing two weeks in the NBA is a lot. Coming back first game with this type of tempo, these type of guys who run the floor and be in a bunch of pick-and-rolls is challenging. But that's what it's about. "I'm fine. I'm able to adapt and adjust to anything." Perhaps Rondo flips a switch for the playoffs. He does have a proven track record of being at his best in the postseason. But you have to reach into his past to find reason to be encouraged about his potential to help the Mavs make a run. "We've got to keep working," Nowitzki said. "Unfortunately, he missed some longer time than we wanted to, but he'll be OK. He's a tough kid. We've just got to still find our groove." If things don't get much better with Rondo, the Mavs still might have to find a starting point guard this summer.
Because the EAST is weak and pathetic, everyone looks amazing in the LEASTERN CONFERENCE: 1) AI is semi-decent in Detroit, gets traded to the West and looks like trash. 2) Dwight puts up 20-20s, goes West, suddenly looks like a "normal" superstar instead of HOF video game character come to life. 3) Jrue Holiday looks like an emerging all star, goes West, goes from all star to "who the **** is this guy and why should I care?" etc etc. In the case of Rondo, his shooting has always been bad but since he first played with 3 other offensive threats he didn't play with a lot of pressure. Then, when the big 3 left he was playing in a weak conference so he took advantage of beating up on pathetic franchises (at the time) like Charlotte, Cleveland, Milwaukee, NYC etc. Now replace all those times he can pad his stats on weak teams with bloodbaths against Houston, Spurs, OKC, POrtland, GSW etc. and obv he will be in a world of hurt. I thought for sure Rondo would be getting the max from the Lakers or someone else this summer, but with the way he's playing it doesn't seem likely anymore. Who the **** would pay 15M+ for this guy?
I still think the Lakers might if Kobe is still around. It's going to be an interesting off season for point guards, depending on how Jackson, Dragic, Rondo and Knight do the rest of the season.
He'll be one and done in Dallas. Benefit of hindsight: Maybe they don't make that trade again No hindsight: They make that trade again Lost a first round pick in the process. Oh well.
I disagree with the bolded part. Dwight regressed not because he played in the West, but because he suffered a back injury that required surgery and later on, an insistence to NOT play the PnR. Back injuries are incredibly debilitating and can often take years to properly recover from. If Dwight was 100% healthy and willing to run the PnR, he would still be owning the West on the front court.
Let me ask you a question, do you think Dwight was more injured now or his last year in Orlando around 3 years ago when the injury actually happened? Because the year when he was most injured he still averaged 14.5 rebs and 20 pts before he shut it down compared to now when he is averaging just 11 rebs and 16 pts. The back injury wasnt just due to some freak accident, it was the culmination of wear and tear so IMHO it would have been bothering him all season long before he shut it down and yet it didnt stop him from getting 14 and 20. DHs reluctance to PNR has been present ever since he stopped listening to SVG, yet nobody was complaining then because hey, DH postups against Bargnani are still good for 20 pts a night. Its different when DH has to score in the post against Tim Duncan though.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>MRI shows Chandler Parsons has sprain and bone bruise on left ankle. Not expected to play tomorrow.</p>— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/569239154300596225">February 21, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Marc Stein on Twitter: "Mavs coach Rick Carlisle tells me Chandler Parsons (ankle) will miss next three games. (twitter.com)
I think that Dwight is more limited now in terms of athleticism then when the injury first occurred. I am no doctor, but when my mom got back surgery, she came out of rehab much more debilitated and worn down than when was dealing with a herniated disc. It took her roughly 3 years of rehab where she "felt" that she was getting back to before. For an athlete like Dwight, I imagine this is even more so especially considering athleticism has a shelf life. That said, Dwight still has more explosive burst than most bigs and that's one of the big reasons why he was so amazing running the PnR and that's what we need him for. The East is weak, but that's on a team level IMO. NBA players are still NBA players. It's not like the East is full of scrubs, just really poorly managed/coached teams.
The ultimate demonstration of sneaky athleticism by one sneaky athlete against another sneaky athlete: SHARE TWEET CLOSE <iframe src="http://bleacherreport.com/video_embed?id=NrYXV0czrs8keBNHlXVFgVDEwWJ29XGm" width="630" height="355" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" seamless></iframe>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Rick Carlisle, asked about Chandler Parsons' status: "He's single." (Yes, Parsons is playing.)</p>— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/574724165124558848">March 9, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Im over this dude. Brewer, Ariza and Smith more than make up for him. He was great and all but I'm okay if he's never a Rocket again.
