by Andrew Hardison
Rajon Rondo (Celtics)-13.2 PTS, 9.7 AST, 2.7 STL
Rondo and the Celtics had been winners of three straight prior to their two-game slide, losing to two of the NBA’s worst teams (Clippers/Warriors). That hasn’t stopped former UK standout Rajon Rondo from producing. Rondo’s scoring output has gone up by a point in the last couple of weeks, as he’s picked up the scoring load lost due to the Paul Pierce injury. In his past five games, Rondo’s scoring totals have gone up in each game as he scored a season-high 30 points to go along with his 15 assists.
Despite two road losses, Rondo has done everything he can to make up for the loss of teammate Pierce but also to keep his team in the running as the East’s best team. It was a matchup of two of the league’s premier teams squared off on Christmas day, where Rondo once again showed why he’s one of the NBA’s best point guards. His stat line doesn’t usually appear next to point guard’s names as Rondo scored 17 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and dished out 8 assists. He was the star of the game as the Celtics went on to beat the Magic 86-77.
Rondo has made a name for himself in the NBA with electrifying point guard play that has led the Celtics to the top of the Eastern Conference standings ever since he came in the league. Even with the past two losses, Boston still holds the best record in the East. Rondo will continue to do everything he can to keep the Celtics in that position as the team goes for its second NBA Championship in three years. Game of the Week: Rondo was the star on Christmas day as the Celtics out-dueled the Magic winning 86-77. Rondo had quite an impressive stat line (17 PTS, 13 REB, 8 AST), as he pushes toward an NBA All-Star bid.
Jodie Meeks (Bucks)-4.6 PTS, 0.7 AST, 32.7 3P%
The Bucks aren’t doing incredible and neither was Meeks before this past week. He had seen a lot of time on the bench, but due to the lack of hustle and hard-work from fellow teammates, Meeks is in a position to get more playing time in the near future. Monday’s game was an indication of this as regulars Michael Redd and Carlos Delfino were benched by head coach Scott Skiles.
Meeks was the beneficiary of these actions, as he’s gotten 28 and 26 minutes in Milwaukee’s last two games. Both have been losses, but Meeks is starting to display why the Bucks drafted him in the first place. Much like in college, Meeks’ game is going to be streakier than anything else. His shooting stroke wasn’t their Monday night, as he went 1-7 from the field and only scored six points. If Meeks wants to keep a position in the starting lineup or have an increased role with the Bucks, he’ll have to improve upon what he’s already done this season.
Meeks’ game resembles that of Detroit Pistons guard Ben Gordon. They have a similar frame and are tremendous shooters when they are on point. The problem with Meeks is that he isn’t as ferocious as Gordon is at this point in their careers. Meeks could increase his chances of keeping his role in the rotation if he were to get to the free throw line more. Whatever the verdict is Meeks and fellow teammate and rookie Brandon Jennings could provide the Bucks with a promising backcourt future. Game of the Week: In a game where Meeks saw more action, he lived up to the billing by shooting 5-8 from the field, 3-4 from beyond the arc for 15 points, 1 assist, and 1 steal. The Bucks lost however, 112-97 to the San Antonio Spurs.
Chuck Hayes (Rockets)-5 PTS, 6.3 REB, 0.4 BLK
The Rockets continue to be one of the better teams in the NBA with an 18-13 record, due in large part to the play of Hayes. As of Monday, the Rockets are 8th in ESPN.com’s Marc Stein’s NBA Power Rankings. What is even better is that Rockets forward Shane Battier had this to say about his team, as he explains the experts reactions to the makeup of this year’s team in saying, “We have a collection of guys who [were] told they’re too ‘something’ to play in the NBA. Too small, too short, too dumb, can’t shoot, unathletic.”
Not too long ago, Hayes was making headlines for being ‘too short’ to be an effective NBA center. That hasn’t stopped Hayes from producing while stepping in for start Yao Ming who is out for the season due to injury. Hayes stat lines weren’t overwhelming this past week, but they don’t need to be when other teammates are getting the job done in the scoring department.
Hayes will be looked to for hustle, rebounding, and hard-nosed defense. Despite being the shortest NBA center to ever play the game, Hayes does an effective job on defense guarding some of the Western Conference best post players. He’ll get around 20 minutes a game, but will stay down low in the post and bang around with all the other big men out there in the league when he’s in. Don’t expect huge scoring or rebounding numbers, but when he needs to pick it up, Hayes is more than capable of doing so. Game of the Week: 8 PTS, 3 REB during 20 minutes of play in a 102-87 loss to Orlando last Wednesday.
Keith Bogans (Spurs)-4.9 PTS, 1.3 AST, 36.1 3P%
Bogans has filled in nicely since Michael Finley was sidelined due to an injury. Bogans, along with Roger Mason Jr. have stepped in and produced while Finley is out, with Bogans averaging around 20 minutes a game. He had gotten some time as a starter last week, but his minutes are starting to go down recently.
His scoring isn’t making as many headlines as it did last week when he had several games in double-digits, helping the Spurs push their record to 17-11 on the year. Bogans scored 11 points on 4-6 shooting in 23 minutes of play in a 103-87 victory over the Clippers last Monday, but his scoring has gone down substantially over the past three games since that point. This shouldn’t diminish his role with the Spurs however.
Bogans will continue to be solid in a reserve role for the Spurs, but if Finley comes back healthy and is ready to contribute it could be quite a log jam at the shooting guard position with Bogans, Mason Jr., Finley, and sixth man Manu Ginobili all vying for playing time. Game of the Week: 11 PTS, 1 REB, 1 STL in 103-87 victory last Monday over the Clippers.
Nazr Mohammed (Bobcats)-7.3 PTS, 4.3 REB, 0.8 BLK
Mohammed hasn’t seen a ton of time the past two weeks, but when he does get significant minutes he’s able to produce at a fairly high rate. Many of those opportunities come when starting center Tyson Chandler is out due to injury.
Saturday was much of the same for Mohammed as he stepped in for the injured Chandler who was out due to an ankle injury. In 27 minutes of play, Mohammed put up his second hig
hest point total on the season by scoring 16 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. The game before that, Mohammed had 12 points and 6 rebounds in 18 minutes of playing time. As you can see, if he gets ample time, he can produce at a solid rate for the Bobcats who continue to push towards a playoff berth.
What is ironic about Larry Brown and his playing rotation is that despite Mohammed playing an above-average game on Saturday, Brown kept Mohammed’s minutes down in the next game, as he only saw 12 minutes of playing time. You have to question Brown’s decision based on the fact that Mohammed had such good production the game before. Whatever the case, it looks like the inconsistent playing time will plague Mohammed for the rest of the season. Game of the Week: Mohammed scored 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in 27 minutes of action during a 98-91 loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday night.
Jamaal Magloire (Heat)-2.2 PTS, 2.2 REB, 0.2 BLK
The Heat have been playing well as of late, but Magloire hasn’t really been a part of it. His status with the team remains as a reserve role player and will stay that way for the remainder of the season unless one of the team’s post-players is injured.
He did get nine minutes of play on Sunday, but that came due to the fact that the Heat were in blowout mode, beating the Pacers 114-80. Magloire made the most of his time scoring two points and grabbing three rebounds. His numbers are far from overwhelming, but what can you expect from the 11th year veteran. Expect his status with the team to stay the same throughout the regular season and into the playoffs if the Heat are to make it that far.
Tayshaun Prince (Pistons)-11.5 PTS, 4.5 REB, 2.5 AST
After missing 26 games due to a back injury, Prince made his appearance once again on Sunday when he played 27 minutes in a loss to the Raptors.
The Pistons have lost their last five games, so the reemergence of Prince is a must for this team to get back on track. It’d be wise to use him sparingly in the early goings of bringing him back, but that didn’t seem to be the case on Sunday as he was used in the same fashion as his former self. It will take some time to get back to normal for Prince but once he does, expect solid numbers (12-14 PTS, 5-7 REB, 3-5 AST) for the rest of the season as long as he stays healthy. Game of the Week: Prince scored 9 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists in his first action in 26 games, during a 102-95 loss to the Raptors Sunday night.
Randolph Morris (Hawks)-2.7 PTS, 1.4 REB, 0.2 BLK
Morris, like much of the season already, gets his playing time during the Hawks blowout games. This week was no different as Morris got some playing time in two wins and one loss for Atlanta. He isn’t scoring at a huge clip, but one notable this past week was his ability to foul out in only 10 minutes of play. Not a great stat to have next to your name, but at least he’s doing something with his time on the court.
The Hawks are in the thick of the early playoff race and Morris will see his time on the court during those out-of-hand times for the rest of the season.
Kelenna Azubuike (Warriors)-injured
Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans