Rajon Rondo and Josh Smith are hooked up with new teams heading into the 2015-16 NBA season but one can’t help but notice that the two are not the same stars that they were some years back.
Rondo, for example, was best known for his years as the Boston Celtics’ star point guard, someone who did almost about anything ranging from scoring, rebounding, assissting and of course playmaking.
He was the sole remnant of the Celts’ championship team back in 2008, a quintet that had the likes of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the fold.
When the stars of the 2008 Boston Celtic team started to go, Rondo saw himself all alone and even had to weather an injury that kept him in cold storage.
Hopes were high that Rondo would revive his career with the Dallas Mavericks. But as everyone knows, things didn’t turn out really rosy for Rondo over there and he eventually packed up and left after the 2014-15 season.
Now he finds himself with the Sacramento Kings and under the guidance of a veteran NBA coach, George Karl. It remains to be seen if Rondo will get along with Karl though the long-time coach has bared that he intends to let Rondo do pretty much what he wants on the floor.
Aside from Karl, all eyes will be on Rondo and resident temperamental star DeMarcus Cousins. Will they get on the same page or will their egos get the best of them?
The good news is that Rondo will get to test himself for just a year with the Kings. But the thing is, he is no longer the top dog these days and such is expected to continue over at Sacramento.
Josh Smith was a surprise story in the offseason. After seemingly hitting it off with the Rockets last season, the All Star forward has been struggling to recall his old form. He had his best days with the Atlanta Hawks but ever since his transfer to the Detroit Pistons, Smith has simply disappeared.
He showed some shades of brilliance with the Rockets, seemingly a sign that Smith is getting back to his old self. But with the sudden announcement that he was moving to the Los Angeles Clippers in what he calls the best team in the Western Conference, he finds himself starting over yet again.
With the Clippers, Smith is not expected to be the focus if you think about his time with the Hawks. He is likely to play behind Blake Griffin or maybe get some time in the middle or small forward, depending on the call of head coach Doc Rivers.
Like Rondo, Smith is no longer the top dog of an NBA team. Both players seem not to mind such as long as they experience success with their respective teams. Besides they already had their moments of fame so right now it may be about copping an NBA ring, especially on the part of Josh Smith who has yet to get one.