This article is part of our Charlie's NBAngle series.
Mark Cuban tipped off trading season in the NBA in style, acquiring four-time all-star Rajon Rondo from the Celtics. According to at least one report, he finalized the deal from the studio where the final episode if The Colbert Report was being filmed, confirming – yet again – that Mark Cuban is living the freaking LIFE.
But while I yield to no man in admiration for Cuban's lifestyle… I'm taking a wait-and-see approach with regard to his latest basketball move.
By any reasonable standard, Rondo is a major upgrade over Jameer Nelson, even if Dallas only gets the version of Rondo we've seen this season-to-date. And if playing with a team of talented veterans with a chance to make the Finals kicks Rondo into another gear – as many are predicting – he could give the Mavs a fighting chance in the playoffs, when they'll have to deal with a murderer's row of opposition points that could include Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Damien Lillard, Mike Conley and, of course, Tony Parker.
But let's not forget, the Mavs have been the league's most potent offense for much of this season with Nelson at the helm. And there's no guarantee that Rondo will fit their system as well.
Rondo is a truly unique player. He's one of the league's best passers and is lightning-quick with or without the ball. He's a very good finisher in traffic, and he rebounds like a power forward. But he shoots free throws like Shaquille O'Neal, and the less said about his jump shot the better. On the "ubuntu" era Celtics, his shortcomings were masked by his Springfield-bound teammates. Sure, he couldn't hit a three to space the opposing defense, but there was always a chance he'd find Ray Allen coming off a curl, or Paul Pierce setting up at the elbow.
Outside shooting isn't the Mavericks' strength to start with, so adding Rondo to the mix could create some significant spacing issues – at least initially. But the Mavs have plenty of talent overall – and an excellent coach in Rick Carlisle – so any setback on the offensive end should be a temporary problem.
The other concern arising from this trade is depth. Brandan Wright is headed to Boston in the deal, and Wright was Dallas only real backup for Tyson Chandler. Chandler has been playing excellent ball – he's clearly re-energized after his escape from New York. But he's also playing under 30 minutes per game, and given his injury history, asking him for more than that would be risky. Carlisle could attempt to plug Greg Smith or ex-Celtic Dwight Powell into Wright's slot, but Smith has played just 10 minutes since November 22nd, and Powell seems better-suited for the Texas Legends' frontcourt at this stage of his career.
Many observers expect the Mavs to sign a veteran backup for Chandler – with Texas native Jermaine O'Neal a likely candidate.
The loss of Jae Crowder should be easier to offset. Crowder is a good – and improving – wing player, but he was only getting ten minutes per game. Carlisle should be able to offset that with some combination of Al-Farouq Aminu and Richard Jefferson, or by going to a three-guard lineup (Rondo/Ellis/Devin Harris?) for stretches.
The blindingly-obvious "must add" player in the aftermath of this deal is Celtics guard Marcus Smart, who is still available in just over 90 percent of all ESPN.com leagues.
Speaking of the Celtics, I can't help wondering if Danny Ainge will go into tank mode now and attempt to deal Jeff Green and/or Brandon Bass for whatever he can get in return.
And speaking of tank mode, there's increasing buzz that Carmelo Anthony will be shut down to recover from a nagging knee injury. That would make Tim Hardaway Jr. (18.5% owned) an even better investment. Hardaway is worth adding even if Anthony isn't shut down; he's getting a lot of extra run with J.R. Smith (plantar fasciitis) hurting and Iman Shumpert (shoulder) sidelined.
Michael Beasley is lighting things up in the Chinese league to the tune of over 28 points per game. It will be interesting to see if an NBA team gives him a shot when the CBA season ends in late February.
