No time to rest, you have to work straight away to find a solution. This is how Koby Altman and the management of the Cavs acted upon learning of Ricky Rubio’s injury and his absence for the rest of the season, since a transfer was apparently made between Cleveland and the Lakers: it is Rajon Rondo, posed at Los Angeles, who will be Darius Garland’s right-hand man in Ohio.
Rajon Rondo is the man for the job chosen by the Cavs to try to keep the back court intact in Cleveland.
Good choice, or bad choice? The question is real, because as we will develop it below, it is difficult to know which Rondo arrives when a team signs it. Before that, let’s get back to the facts. In the match at the start of the week in New Orleans, Ricky Rubio seriously injured his knee and had to leave his family in the midst of money-time. If the Cavs lose this match at the finish, they lose much more the next day when they learn the worst news: rupture of the cruciate ligaments for the Spaniard, season ended. It was therefore necessary to accept the pain in the management of Cleveland, then act quickly. Because at the top of the Eastern Conference and with tough competition, it was inconceivable to keep our arms folded while watching the highlights of Ricky since the start of the season. So, fairly quickly, Altman and his assistants set out in search of a leader with the same profile as Rubio. Experience, vista, a little defense, creation and knowledge of great moments. Is Rajon Rondo the perfect profile to replace the Spaniard? No, but he’s getting closer to Ricky on paper. It did not take more for Adrian Wojnarowski to announce the news this Thursday evening: transfer between Cavs and Lakers which will be formalized this Friday, the two franchises agree on the details but one thing is certain, Rondo will be fine in Cleveland.
Present in the NBA since 2006 (at the time we paid a stick in ecus), Rondo has crossed many teams over the past decade and tried somehow to maintain the All-Star image he had in Boston. . Disappointing in Dallas, opportunist in Sacramento, correct in New Orleans, average in Chicago and very important in the Lakers’ playoff run of 2020, we did not quite know where to turn regarding Rajon. So much so that, every summer, the same question comes up on the table: which Rondo will emerge this year? Will there be a Playoffs Rondo ? And if so, will he play properly before that during the regular season? The Clippers will tell you yes, the Hawks quite the opposite. Heads or tails, wherever the veteran leader goes, we do not know which player we will fall on. And it is on this possibility that JB Bickerstaff and his staff will have to play in the weeks to come, by passing many responsibilities to Rajon. If he gets along well with the veterans in place and brings the young people together, who knows? It’s entirely possible. But it is also entirely possible that he no longer defends at all, and that his impact is strikingly irregular, which the Cavs do not need at all given their ambitions and their current situation at the lead. .
As part of this transfer, Cleveland will have to release a spot from its squad and therefore probably transfer a player (or cut a light contract), which will allow Rondo to integrate the squad quickly once he leaves the health protocol of the NBA. And on the Lakers side? Well the logic is quite simple. Already, Rajon’s usefulness was sufficiently clear at the start of the season, with the bad side of the veteran coming back to the fore. However, during this time, the Los Angeles franchise got to experience and appreciate the efforts of Stanley Johnson on both sides of the field. Rondo’s departure will release a spot that, factually, should translate into a Stanley Johnson signing with the Lakers. The young winger’s defense and his ability to do the dirty work have been important elements in California’s recent performances, which while not punctuated by victories have nonetheless shown that there is potential around. Stanley. While waiting to see if there are second rounds of Draft in the balance and some parts accompanying the global deal, it is a matter which seems relevant for both camps. The Lakers really wanted to sign Johnson and needed to part ways with a player to create a place in the squad, while the Cavs were extremely keen to find a veteran point guard who could take over Rubio’s job. Fingers crossed, once again, to get the right version of Rondo to land in Cleveland.
Which Rajon Rondo will come to produce on the back lines of the Cavs? Ideally, it’s that of the regular season last… to the Clippers and not to the Hawks, then that of the Playoffs of the season before… to the Lakers and not to the Clippers. Quite a puzzle, but when you have few options you have to do with what you have. At work, Double-R.
Source : ESPN
