Lakers News and Rumors: Why the Lakers Should Target Rajon Rondo, Not Carmelo Anthony for NBA Trade
To say the Los Angeles Lakers need help these days would be a gross understatement of their situation.
Marred with injuries to key players such as Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, the Lakers are dwindling near the bottom of the Pacific Division with a 14-23 record, which has been further compounded by a four-game losing skid that the team finds itself mired in. And in the aftermath of Dwight Howard trading in Hollywood for the limitless potential found in Houston with James Harden and the young and hungry Rockets, the Lakers' slim championship prospects this year-and probably for the next one to two years-have dwindled to the point where they need to look at rebuilding their aging team via free agency and trades.
Not surprisingly, quite a few rumors have the Lakers settings their sights on one key free agent prize: Carmelo Anthony, who is currently at the forefront of the New York Knicks' turnaround, the Knicks having won five straight games, including a victory over the world champion Miami Heat. Yet, the Knicks--currently with a 15-22 record, second in the Atlantic Division--are still working to dig their way out of a terrible start to their season, which has been plagued with injuries, a slumping offense and poor shooting. It's no secret that Melo desires an NBA championship, perhaps the most significant piece of hardware missing from his resume. And with the Knicks underperforming during his contract year, one should hardly fault Anthony for wanting out of a potentially bad situation.
Yet, is Melo really the right player the Lakers should be targeting this offseason?
On paper, the Lakers have plenty of reasons to want Anthony. Melo is at the peak of his sensational scoring skills, coming off a season which netted him his first league scoring title, the first Knick to do so since Bernard King in 1985. One-on-one, with his 6'8", 235-pound chiseled frame, he's nearly unstoppable to guard. And Anthony's friendship with Lakers star Bryant is well documented, making a pairing between two of the NBA's most feared scorers a combination that would surely strike fear and terror in the hearts of any opposing defense. And with the Lakers having shrewd and savvy management guiding them-unlike the Knicks, whose management woes have become nearly the stuff of legend over the last 10 years-Anthony and Bryant would almost certainly see the right players being assembled around their scoring talents. By the right ones, that means the ones with the right skills to bring the depth and talent needed to hoist yet another NBA title banner to the rafters of the Staples Center.
However, as much good as there is with the idea of Melo and Bryant teaming up and forming their own super team out West, there also comes the bad. For starters, there's the matter of the Lakers' current coach, Mike D'Antoni. Anthony and D'Antoni reportedly butted heads a lot during the coach's tenure in New York, mostly over the offense and the role that Anthony should play in it. And many have pointed the finger at Anthony as the reason why D'Antoni abruptly left the Knicks in the middle of the 2011-12 NBA season.
Anthony has never been a part of a system that doesn't feature him as the premier scorer, and that is exactly the scenario that he will be entering into with the Lakers. Kobe might be Anthony's good friend, but until further notice, the Lakers are still Bryant's team. He is the alpha dog, the main man, the straw that stirs the drink. And the last few times a major star has tried to take the limelight in L.A. with Bryant in town, friction inevitably ensued. Ask Shaquille O'Neal. Ask Howard. Both Anthony and Bryant are big stars with big egos. While some stars have been able to set those egos aside in the name of an NBA title--i.e. Lebron and Dwayne Wade, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce--pairing big scorers together on the same team doesn't always equal success, especially if the chemistry isn't there and the right game plan to maximize both scorers well isn't in place.
Where the Lakers need the most help is their backcourt. Most of their guards are out on injury, while Bryant and Nash are getting older-Nash showing it much more than the dominant Bryant has. And with D'Antoni's offensive system being notoriously guard-oriented, having a truly skilled point guard at the helm alongside Bryant might be the Lakers' best move.
And when it comes to top notch NBA point guards, one name that sticks out amid the sea of trade rumors and potential free agents is Rajon Rondo. With the Boston Celtics currently in rebuilding mode, Rondo--who is returning from ACL surgery--has been floated around in several trade scenarios, which Rondo and the Celtics have publicly denied (though that doesn't necessarily mean that Rondo isn't going anywhere). With Rondo scheduled to come off the books in 2015, the Lakers would be remiss not to think about acquiring one of the NBA's premier point guards. Rondo was instrumental in the Celtics' 2008 title run and helped make the Celtics' Big Three of Pierce, Garnett and Ray Allen that much more potent during the Celtics' competitive years. When he wants to be, he can be a game-changing scorer, while having led the league in assists in the last two years. And more importantly, thanks to the success he's accumulated early in his career, the four-time All-Star is used to winning. Which is why the chaotic state of the 13-26 Celtics may be bothering him more than his positive attitude towards their nine-game losing skid is letting on.
Imagine for a moment what a backcourt featuring Rondo and Kobe in Lakers purple and gold would look like. With an intelligent, savvy player like Rondo around that could break down defenses, create shots for teammates and command respect and fear on the offensive side, pairing him with one of the NBA's premier scorers in Bryant to feed on fast breaks would instantly give the Lakers the most deadly backcourt in the NBA. Assuming the Lakers keep Gasol, that could give the Lakers even more weapons at their disposal. The only real trouble would be seeing how far Rondo has come in his rehabilitation from ACL surgery. If he has the same explosiveness as he did prior to his injury, then he could fit into D'Antoni's quick-moving offensive system just fine. If not--and there have been notable stars that have not been fans of such an intense offense--then the whole arrangement could fall apart.
Of course, there's no better way to determine just how well Rondo has fared in recovering than watching his every move when he returns at some point this season in Boston. If he does look like the Rondo of old, then the Lakers should not hesitate to go after him full throttle.
Join the Conversation