Food for Thought 3-6-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Could Danny Ainge and the Celtics really trade Rajon Rondo (pictured above) after watching the show he put on against the Knicks on Sunday?

By Josh Kramer

Trade me?  You must be crazy.

This Sunday was definitely a “Fun Day” in the NBA.  Not only were there great matchups though, there were memorable performances.  Deron Williams dropped 57 as he continues to make his ploy for Dwight Howard to join him in Brooklyn (New Jersey heads to Brooklyn next year).  Kobe Bryant put on a heck of a show in which he scored 18 points in the first quarter to set the tone as LA handled Miami 93 to 83.  And of course there was the exceptional performance put on by the Celtics point guard, Rajon Rondo.

I seem to remember heavy gossip about a possible trade of a certain Celtic’s point guard before the March 15^th trade deadline.  Well after watching the show that Rondo put on yesterday against the Knicks, could you really imagine trading this guy?  Three numbers sum everything up.

18, 17, and 20.

Translation:  18 points, 17 rebounds, and 20 assists.  It was Rondo’s second triple-double in his last three games, and his fourth on the season.  No player has recorded a triple-double with at least 17 in all three categories in over 23 years.  Want to know who did it?  Magic Johnson.  Want to know how many guys did this before Magic?  Try one.  He went by the name of Wilt Chamberlain.  I would say that Rondo is in some pretty good company.

So the Celtics are not nearly what they have been over the past five years.  The “Big Three” has turned into the “Slightly Above Average Three.”  In reality, the Celtics have become the “Big One,” led by their star Rajon Rondo.  Sure Paul Pierce will have days like he did yesterday against New York.  But none of the former “Big Three” are mustering up 20 points a night anymore.  Boston has been Rondo’s team for a few years now.  And Sunday, despite the great shooting performance from Pierce, Boston’s future has become much more obvious.  The future is Rajon Rondo.

This year’s Celtics are a solid team.  But title hopes are out of the question.  Probably even Eastern Conference Finals hopes are out of the question to be honest.  Miami and Chicago are head and shoulders above the rest of the pack at this time.  Boston finds itself on the outside looking in these days.  After watching Sunday’s thriller against New York though, Danny Ainge would be making a huge mistake if he let Rondo leave Beantown.  Rondo’s play of late has sent one swift message to Boston ownership.

Trade me?  You must be crazy.

Bad Boeheim

There is trouble in “Boeheim Land” again.  This time, I don’t see how Jim Boeheim can be granted another get out of jail free pass.  When the Bernie Fine fiasco came out, I gave Boeheim the benefit of the doubt and assumed that he had no knowledge (we still don’t know).  I still said that Syracuse needed to fire their fearless leader.  If these recent accusations are true, I can’t see how you possibly do not fire the guy or at least force him out.  Talk about bad timing as the “Madness” is just beginning.

Who is really surprised?

The Peyton Manning gossip has cooled off for at least a few hours.  The new hot topic in the NFL deals with “Bounty Hunting.” And though I am very much against it, who is really surprised?  “Bounty Hunting” has likely been going on for decades at all levels.  Unfortunately for Gregg Williams and New Orleans, they just happened to get caught.

Through the Mask

Famous rapper Kanye West has the well-known song entitled, “Through the Wire.” At this year’s All-Star Game, Dwayne Wade inexplicably broke Kobe Bryant’s nose (by accident).  Ever since, the one many call the “Black Mamba” has been subjected to wearing a face mask.  Many have begun calling it the “Kobe Mask.”  During the three outings with the “Kobe Mask,” the Lakers have reeled off three consecutive victories and Bryant has scored over 30 each game (averaging 34 a game).  So Kanye reeled off one of his biggest hit songs “Through the Wire.”  Kobe is playing some of his best basketball “Through the Mask.”

Player of the Year?

Anthony Davis and Thomas Robinson have turned the College Basketball Player of the Year Award into a two-man race.  And though I feel Davis can affect a game in more ways and has the brighter NBA future, the nod goes to Robinson at this time.  There are three main reasons why Robinson is more likely to receive the prestigious award.  First of all, there are two key statistics that get weighted the heaviest when looking at this award typically.  Those are points and rebounds.  Robinson is averaging four more points and two more rebounds per game than Davis.  This is a fairly large edge.  Secondly, there is the “LeBron Argument.”  Haven’t you started to wonder why LeBron James is not the overwhelming favorite to win the NBA MVP at this time?  He is having an outrageous season where he is putting up video game like numbers on a team that is 28 and 9.  It is because he plays on the same team as Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.  Davis finds himself with the same issue playing on a seemingly unbeatable Kentucky team that has five other future first-rounders on the rosters.  Thirdly, and yes I realize I already talked about Robinson’s edge in terms of points and rebounds.  But when was the last time the College Basketball Player of the Year did not average at least 15 points a game?  Sure the nearly 5 blocks a night are amazing and everything he does on the defensive end is irreplaceable, but 14.4 points a night doesn’t cut it.  At least not for this award.

Just some “Food for Thought.”

Let me hear your thoughts though.  Please comment below with any questions or insights that you may have or shoot me an email at contact@thesportskraze.com.

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

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