Inside Blitz: Rajon Rondo - Rick Carlisle Feud Paves Way for Rondo's Move to the Lakers
By Jason McIntyre
The idea for a sports/media/gambling column was hatched last summer and you can look for it every Wednesday. If you want to yell at me about something that appeared here – because let’s face it, on the Internet, it’s outrage or nothing: Jmcintyre at thebiglead dot com.
Rajon Rondo blatantly ignored his coach Tuesday night at home, and then on his way back to the sideline, the two had a nasty verbal exchange and an assistant coach had to step in before it got really ugly. The look on JJ Barea’s face in the screen grab below says it all – oh, man. Rondo sat out the final 20 minutes, and once again, coach Rick Carlisle is clashing with a talented point guard. The last time that happened, Carlisle and Jason Kidd were able to eventually get along and win a championship in Dallas.
Don’t expect Rajon Rondo to stick around.
He’s chummy with Kobe Bryant. He’s got friends on the West Coast. The Rajon Rondo-to-the-Lakers rumors have been perculating for as long as the Kevin Love-t0-LA scuttlebutt has been kicking around.
Salary cap-wise, the Lakers only have one significant number on the books: Kobe Bryant’s $25 million. They could let Jordan Hill walk, and then Nick Young and Julius Randle only cost them $8.3 million.
Now, the really good news: The cap for this season is $63 million, but that massive TV deal the NBA has agreed to will result in a major cap increase in the coming years. To avoid a potential cap leap from $63 million to $88 million, the NBA could split the difference and bump it somewhere in the low $70s next season.
Lakers win.
Where it really gets interesting – the 2015 NBA draft. The Lakers have to finish in the bottom five to keep the pick. Right now, the order is New York (10-45), Philadelphia (12-44), Minnesota (12-43) and the Lakers (14-41). The gap between the Lakers and the team with the 5th worst record is significant (Orlando 19-39).
Jahlil Okafor would be a lovely parting gift for Kobe, continuing the the long line of great centers the franchise has had – Wilt, Jabbar, Shaq, Gasol. And Karl Anthony Towns/Julius Randle isn’t a bad 1-2 punch at all. D’Angelo Russell, the Ohio State point guard, looks like a future star.
After the draft, the Lakers could afford a couple free agents (Rondo and Love? Rondo and Greg Monroe? Draymond Green & Robin Lopez?) and presto, you’ve got a dynamite starting five.
Looking deeper into the West, we could see a shakeup elsewhere: The Spurs are tired and aging, and Duncan/Ginobili/Green could retire/sign elsewhere. Who knows what will happen with Marc Gasol (probably staying, but you never know), LaMarcus Aldridge (probably staying, but you never know), and DeAndre Jordan (ditto).
It might require a perfect storm, but draft + free agency + a wild July elsewhere in the West, and the Lakers could give Kobe one last playoff run in 2015-2016.
NCAA TOURNAMENT: ANY LONGSHOTS TO WIN THE TITLE?
As we inch closer to the NCAA Tournament, I’ll be offering some “non-Big 3” teams (that’s Duke, Wisconsin and Kentucky) to win the NCAA Championship. If you’re sitting on Duke (+800) and North Carolina (+1500) to win it all – ahem – you may have a chance, though the Tar Heels could be bounced in the 1st round because they’re so damn unpredictable. Two teams this week – Maryland (150-1) and Utah (25-1).
Reasons to not like Maryland: Played their best at home, only 46th in defensive efficiency. Reasons to not like Utah: Puzzling road loses to non-tourney teams Oregon and UCLA, scoring outside of star Delon Wright can be hard to come by.
If either are in the bracket where Virginia or Villanova are the No. 1 seed, the Terps/Utes could have a shot to reach the Final Four.
EAGLES TRADE SHADY MCCOY TO RAIDERS TO DRAFT MARIOTA?
The best storyline for the NFL Draft – nine weeks away! – is what will happen to Marcus Mariota, the Oregon QB. After a strong performance on and off the field at the Combine in Indianapolis, it sounds like teams are willing to overlook the system he played in at Oregon, and that he took just five snaps under center (!) all season in 2014 to move up and get him.
Which could be bad news for the Jets, who are drafting 6th and desperately need a new QB.
You’ll read tons of trade scenarios involving the Eagles – remember the Foles silliness? – but this one, from Pat Kirwan at CBS Sports, is actually logical: Eagles send LeSean McCoy, and their 2015 & 2016 #1 picks to the Raiders in exchange for the 4th pick.
For this to happen, the first three teams drafting – Tampa, Tennessee and Jacksonville – would have to not trade their picks (or draft Mariota, though none will). But a few things are at play for the Raiders that make this enticing: 1) They’re likely to cut Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew, 2) The Raiders have spent so little the last couple years, they need to spend money to meet the new cap requirements, 3) McCoy would be a terrific compliment to new QB Derek Carr.
McCoy had a slightly down 2014 compared to his monster 2013 campaign, but he only turns 27 this summer, and while he’s expensive the next two years, they could cut him loose in 2017 without penalty. What’s not to love? McCoy mentoring promising Latavius Murray would also be a victory. The Raiders could acquire a receiver with the 20th pick, or bolster the improving defense.
Chip Kelly bailed on DeSean Jackson and the team still won 10 games with the Foles/Sanchez QB combo. Philadelphia fans may bemoan the loss of one of the league’s top running backs, but they still have Darren Sproles and Chris Polk (who got the goal line carries anyway), and in that offense, running backs are interchangeable.
Be very afraid, NFL.
And Jets … might be time to start thinking about a counter move.
MEDIA ODDS & ENDS:
If I told you the big name at ESPN who is supposedly coveted by MSNBC for one of its nighttime slots, you wouldn’t believe me … … Shocker! The old curmudgeon sports writers aren’t fans of new young voices … one woman who was not bothered by the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue … who else is excited for the women’s World Cup this summer?