The Dallas Mavericks made a bold move to upgrade their backcourt, an indication that they expect to challenge for the NBA title this season, though its not a move without risk. Authentic Ben McLemore Jersey . Numbers Game breaks down the Rajon Rondo trade. The Mavericks Get: PG Rajon Rondo and PF Dwight Powell. Rondo, 28, is a pass-first point guard who has averaged a league-leading 11.0 assists per game since the start of the 2010-2011 season and leads the league this season with 10.8 assists (and 76.1 total passes) per game. As a shooter, Rondo is abysmal. He can penetrate and get to the rim, though he has not been as effective driving the ball to the basket this season, averging 6.6 drives per game, compared to 9.5 per game last season. Rondos inability to hit jump shots makes it easy for defenders to give him more room on the perimeter and his horrific free-throw shooting -- hes hitting a career-low 33.3% from the line this year -- doesnt offer much reason to do anything but get physical with him when he attempts to get near the basket. At his best, Rondo can be a tenacious defender, with long arms which help him steal the ball and hes an exceptional rebounder, averaging a career-high 7.5 rebounds per game this season, but hes also run into injury problems, playing 143 of a possible 252 games since the start of the 2011-2012 season. In Dallas, a healthy Rondo should be an asset. He doesnt need to shoot often, as the Mavericks have Dirk Nowitzki, Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons ready and willing to fire away, and Rondos other skills -- most notably ball distribution and rebounding -- will be clear upgrades for the Mavericks. Rondo makes a little less than $12-million this season and will be a free agent at seasons end. Powell is 23-year-old rookie from Toronto, who played four years at Stanford and was a second-round pick by Charlotte in the summer; he has since been traded to Cleveland, Boston and now Dallas. Thats a lot of different franchises in a short period of time as a pro, and hes only played nine minutes in the NBA this season, but the athletic 6-foot-11 forward did put up 21.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in four games in the D-League. It might be a stretch to imagine Powell playing any kind of role for a contending Mavericks team this season, but they are a little thin in the frontcourt, so its not out of the question that Powell could see some action. Powells contract runs through next season, and pays $507,336 this season then $845,059 next season. The Celtics Get: PF/C Brandan Wright, PG Jameer Nelson, SF Jae Crowder, a conditional first-round pick in 2015 and second-round pick in 2016. Wright, 27, had found a niche as an extremely efficient big off the bench for Dallas, shooting a league-best 69.7% from the field since the start of last season. The 6-foot-9 power forward shoots such a high percentage because he rarely bothers to shoot from beyond 15 feet, and does most of his damage close to the basket. In Boston, Wright should fit into the Celtics big-man rotation with Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger. Making $5-million this season, Wright will be a free agent at seasons end. Nelson is a 32-year-old point guard that had trouble adjusting to Dallas, scoring a career-low 7.3 points per game while shooting a career-low 37.4% from the field. Earlier in his career, Nelson could penetrate and get close to the basket more regularly but, whether its age, his role in the Mavericks offence or some combination of the two, Nelson was rarely getting to the rim and his shooting percentage suffered as a result. In the first year of a two-year, $5.5-million deal, Nelson can fit into the Celtics rotation, but it does appear that hes in decline, so not much more than a stopgap solution for a team that hopes to get better. 24-year-old Crowder has been a back-of-the-rotation player, playing 10 minutes per game this season, averaging 3.6 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, shooting 43.4% from the field and 34.2% on threes. Hes making $915,243 this season and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, but can fill a role as an inexpensive wing defender. Boston also received a conditional first-round pick in 2015 and a second-round pick in 2016. Any pick from the Mavericks is likely to fall in the bottom third of the round; looking at picks 21-30 from 2004 through 2013, there were an average of just under two picks per year in that range that turned into NBA starters, but about six in 10 were multi-year rotation players, so there is some value to a late first-round pick, but hitting a home run (like Rondo, Kyle Lowry or Kenneth Faried) is rare. On top of all that, the Celtics have a $12.9-million trade exception available to them when looking to make further moves. Verdict: The Mavericks have an opportunity to compete for a championship this season and Rondo gives them a guard that can go head-to-head with the other quality point guards in the Western Conference. If, for whatever reason, it doesnt work, the cost wasnt really prohibitive -- some pieces that can be helpful, but no shooting stars going the other way. Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca Authentic Vlade Divac Jersey . The biggest shock of this seasons competition was on when Watford took a 2-0 lead after 30 minutes at Etihad Stadium, only for a remarkable Aguero-led comeback by City in the final half-hour. The Argentina striker produced clinical finishes in the 60th and 79th minutes to level the score before Aleksandar Kolarov put City in front in the 87th. Authentic Mitch Richmond Jersey . Tokarski, a somewhat controversial choice -- with his 10 games of NHL experience and all -- to replace an injured Carey Price in Game Two had a night to remember, turning back a Rangers team that was dominating play from the get-go, outshooting the Canadiens 14-4 in the first period and 37-25 overall. http://www.cheapnbakingsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-demarcus-cousins-jersey . The question all fans want to know heading into this light heavyweight affair is will Rua display his true potential. Working with UFC welterweight fighter Demian Maias team in Sao Paulo Brazil and having training partners such as fellow UFC stand outs Fabio Maldonado and Daniel Sarafian, the 32-year old feels very well prepared for Friday nights encounter.GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Instead of getting ready for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals, in what would surely have been a rocking Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers quietly packed up their lockers and headed toward summer vacation. The pain and disappointment of Friday nights season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Kings was still palpable Monday as players went through exit interviews at the teams suburban practice facility, but one by one they took positive looks back on their unexpected post-season. After all, it had been 20 years since the Rangers played with the Cup on the line. "Its a little early," star goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. "I am proud of the team and what we did and how we overcame different challenges -- not only in the past couple of months but throughout the entire season. "We have a lot to be happy about, but right now youre still disappointed about not winning." Had they been able to score in overtime on Friday or in either of the first two games of the finals in Los Angeles -- which were both decided in overtime -- New York would have hosted Game 6 on Monday night. The series would have been 3-2, one way or the other, and Rangers fans would have been firmly behind their club as it moved closer to a championship. "The last two or three days have been even worse than today," forward Carl Hagelin said. "Now its kind of faded off. Its enough crying now. You cant cry much more. "It couldve been a game tonight, but were going to have to live another day." The Rangers have reached the conference finals in two of the past three seasons, and now have taken it a step further. Only a few veterans in their room, such as Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis, had gotten to the finals before this run. The collective experience they now share as a group could bode well. "Its hard to swallow right now, but give it a couple of weeks," forward Derek Stepan said. "I think well look back and well see how much fun we had as a group and be able to look at it and say, Hey, we played some really good hockey. "Weve got a good balance of guys. The organization did a good job of building this team, getting the young guys andd getting the old guys. Discount Kings Jerseys. Weve got a good blend." As is always the case at the end of the season, changes will be made before the team gets back together for training camp in about three months. One player who likely wont be there is Richards, who has become a prime candidate to have his contract bought out by the Rangers to give the club much needed salary cap relief. New York has one remaining amnesty buyout available, and it must be used by July 1. The cap room that would be saved by getting Richards contract off the books could go a long way to signing potential free agents the Rangers have and others who could come in from other teams. "Were going to work on putting a good team on the ice, but every year is different," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "Next years team is going to be different, and youve got to go through the same process. Its going to be a challenge to make the playoffs, and then you take it one series at a time." Richards took on a bigger leadership role after captain Ryan Callahan was traded to Tampa Bay for St. Louis in March. His voiced carried in the room even as his play declined as the playoff run got deeper. Vigneault limited his ice time to fourth-line minutes in the final two games against Los Angeles. "If you look at Brads overall season he had a real good year," Vigneault said. "In the final series, I dont know if it was a combination of some other guys might have been playing a little bit better than he was, but we had some decisions to make in Game 4 and Game 5." No decision on Richards status had been made by Monday afternoon, and he didnt speak to reporters to discuss what might lie ahead for him, either. Vigneault excelled in his first season as coach, after he replaced the fiery John Tortorella, and he will also be looking to win that elusive championship. The Rangers havent hoisted the Cup since their last finals experience in 1994. Vigneault took the Vancouver Canucks to the final step, too, only to fall to Boston in 2011. "Each year you play, your drive gets bigger and bigger," Stepan said. "This group has been close, and certainly that drive is going to be there for next year." 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