by Andrew Hardison
Rajon Rondo (Celtics)-12 PTS, 9.5 AST, 4.1 REB, 2.5 STL
What more is there left to say? Rondo spells A-L-L –S-T-A-R and continually sees his name in the Top-5 of several statistical categories in the NBA. Rondo is currently averaging 9.5 assists on the season good for 4th in the NBA, is 1st in steals, and does a pretty darn good job in the rebounding department for point guards, averaging 4.1 per game, 7th best for his position. The Celtics have won 11 straight games and Rondo has played an integral role in all of them. Sure, the Celtics are the best team in the NBA and have a plethora of talented players, but their success largely hinges on Rondo.
He had three straight games of double-digit assist totals and has proved he can keep his scoring average above the 12 points he currently puts up in a night. The one question mark at this point is definitely Rondo’s free throw percentage which has been fairly solid through the last five games, just at 70%. Another red flag could also be the minutes Rondo will need to play for the Celtics to continue to win. He’s young and has plenty of years left in his tank, but players do wear down throughout the season. If we know anything about Rondo however, it’s that he’s equally as durable as the Energizer Bunny; logged minutes shouldn’t be a problem. Game of the Week: 10-20 FG, 21 PTS, 11 AST, 3 REB in 38 minutes of action. The Celtics barely slipped by the Washington Wizards for a 104-102 victory last Thursday.
Jodie Meeks (Bucks)-4.6 PTS, 0.5 AST, 31.8% 3P
O’ where, O’ where has my Jodie Meeks gone? As the season couldn’t get any odder for the Bucks, Meeks’ role with the team has been inconsistent at best. After a four game losing streak, Milwaukee has gotten back on track as of late with two wins in a row. Meeks’ role however, continues to go undefined by Bucks head coach Scott Skiles. One night he’ll use the rookie out of UK and the next, Meeks can’t even sniff a minute of playing time. That’s been the case for five consecutive games. The simple question is, how can Meeks be effective if his playing time is so botched? Well, he has to continue to show he can do the little things for the Bucks.
At this point in his NBA career, Meeks doesn’t have the ability to blow people away. Mostly a spot-up shooter, he hasn’t developed the one-on-one moves necessary to get those extra points that are closer to the basket (problem) versus those that are far away from the basket (not a problem). Meeks was a prolific scorer at times in college and can do the same in the NBA, but he must bide his time. Skiles and the Bucks are five games back of the Cavs in the Central Division and are looking playoffs for the first time in a while. If Skiles continues to get better play out of his veteran supporting cast, Meeks will continue to see sporadic time. Game of the Week: Meeks garnered some minutes in a 117-95 win over the Raptors last Wednesday which saw him grab two rebounds and dish out two assists.
Chuck Hayes (Rockets)-5 PTS, 6.6 REB,
Although not your typical center, Hayes gives it his all every night out. Recently receiving some praise for being the shortest known player recorded to every play a game in the NBA, Hayes stands out more for his size than what he does for the Houston Rockets. Hayes doesn’t blow opponents away with his size, scoring, or rebounding, but it’s the little things he does that help the Rockets win. He leaves those other stats up to teammates like Luis Scola, Carl Landry, Trevor Ariza, and Aaron Brooks. It’s hard enough to worry about scoring night-in and night-out when you have to go up against the league’s best big men every time you play. That’s Hayes’ revelation and he’s perfectly content with it.
One game that saw Hayes play most effectively was against the Cavs last week. As said before, Hayes won’t blow you away with statistics but that’s beside the point. The Cavs boast one of the larger front-courts in the NBA and Hayes had to deal with all 21’3” of it in centers Shaquille O’Neal, Anderson Varejao, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Despite being the smallest center ever to play in the NBA, Hayes gets it done with body position and above average strength for a guy whose only 6’6”. Hayes will continue to do what he’s been doing, as the Rockets look to solidify their positioning in the Western Conference. Game of the Week: As the Rockets played host to LeBron James and the Cavs, Hayes scored had 5 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST in a 95-85 victory last Wednesday.
Jamaal Magloire (Heat)-2.8 PTS, 2.5 REB, 0.3 BLK
With the Heat only playing two games this past week, it would be hard for Magloire to catch any headlines let alone any NBA player whose last name isn’t Wade or Bryant. Magloire finds himself in a similar position as early in the season. Not playing a lot. He did pick up five minutes of play in a blowout loss to the Grizzlies of all teams, but hey, they’ve got some good young talent right?
Expect Magloire to see this kind of production for the rest of the season. His career is winding down and doesn’t have much left in the tank despite one or two good showings this season. Looks like the Heat are trying to get younger not pre-historically older.
Nazr Mohammed (Bobcats)-7.4 PTS, 4.4 REB, 0.8 BLK
Mohammed, although reaching pre-historic age, is a stark counterpart to his old teammate from Kentucky. Mohammed, unlike Magloire, is actually seeing meaningful minutes and is producing for the Bobcats this season. Despite the production from previous weeks, Mohammed and the Bobcats aren’t doing so well this week after suffering a two game losing streak. He didn’t see a ton of minutes in either game, but that is fairly typical because he’s only averaging 14-15 minutes per game.
If Mohammed were to get double that, you’d have to think like in many instances, that’d his production in games would double as well or come close to it. Mohammed would then be averaging 14.8 PTS, 8.8 REB, and 1.6 BLK a game, which would be very solid numbers for a center on a (9-13) basketball team. As said earlier, Mohammed may not get 30 minutes a game, but the 15 or so minutes he does get, he makes the best of it and usually is able to give some bench help and leadership to a struggling Bobcats team.
Keith Bogans (Spurs)-4.6 PTS, 1.2 AST, 33% 3P
Bogans and the Spurs have been on a bit of a hot streak rece
ntly, having won three straight games with Bogans producing in all of them. The good thing for the Spurs is that the wins have come against three of the lesser teams in the NBA, allowing the team to gain some momentum and confidence. Bogans has benefitted from these games and has been able to put up some fairly decent numbers because of it. He’s averaging 8.3 PTS, 3.7 AST, and 4.0 REB in the team’s last three games an added bonus due to the injury of regular Michael Finley who hasn’t played in the past four games.
Bogans production and minutes will largely be affected by those around him. If teammates continue to get injured, step in Bogans. If they come back from health and return to form, Bogans begins to see more of the bench than the basketball court once again. Game of the Week: Bogans and the Spurs outdueled the Bobcats which saw him score 8 points, dish out 3 assists, grab 6 rebounds, and swipe 3 steals in a 104-85 victory last Friday.
Randolph Morris (Hawks)-2.6 PTS, 1.6 REB, 0.2 BLK
Morris has been the beneficiary of the Hawks blowing out their opponents the last three games. Starting with the Bulls last Wednesday, Morris is averaging 3.3 PTS and 1.7 REB in six minutes of action. Now realize, these numbers are nowhere near staggering and will never be, but for a player like Morris these numbers are encouraging. The Hawks are one of the NBA’s best teams so getting any playing time is good for Morris and a confidence booster in the near future. It also gives head coach Mike Woodson the added benefit of having a big man capable of coming off the bench in case of an injury. Morris won’t get time during pivotal games, but can get some things done if the eight minutes or so that he does get. Game of the Week: Morris scored 7 points and grabbed 3 rebounds in a 130-107 blowout of the New Jersey Nets Sunday night.
Kelenna Azubuike (Warriors)-injured/Tayshaun Prince (Pistons)-injured
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