Rajon Rondo Wipes Floor with Chalmers, Proves Miami Needs PG

The Miami Heat’s Big 3 needs help. Sometimes they do not equally assist each other in the goal of victory, but more times than not, it’s the team’s non-stars that cause the most trouble in the win-column.

Players like Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers, those often not named when Miami accelerates their seasonal performances, are normally the cause of whether or not they collapse in the face of an able opponent. That able opponent on Sunday was Rajon Rondo and crushed by his nationally televised execution was Mario Chalmers.

Rondo may have exposed Miami and some may even stretch to say he was uncharacteristically good. However, two things are factual about the Celtics-Heat meeting Sunday afternoon.

• Rajon Rondo never disappoints on the big stage. He always plays with a something to prove mentality in front of huge crowds. It’s kind of a “you doubt me, you’ll regret it” mentality that spoils everyone else’s chances at shining.
• This isn’t Rondo’s first rodeo with a triple-double. It was surprising at first, but it has simply become the nucleus of common knowledge. Rondo is athletic and he makes every single one of his teammates the better for it. Check the stats.

With those circumstances being recognized, we turn our attention to Mario Chalmers, the Heat guard of the future. He has been on the mental chopping block of NBA fans’ minds for a while because of his inconsistencies. Chalmers has a height of potential that may never be met and it is solely due to his own efforts and halted growth.

Against Rondo, or any elite point guard in the league for that matter, Chalmers is exposed for a lack of athleticism, agility and general skill. Not to say that Chalmers cannot excel in the Miami organization, but the starting point guard battling up against players like Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, etc. needs to be able to at least keep up.

• Against OKC Thunder:  3.0 PTS, 2.0 AST, 2.0 REBS
• Chicago Bulls:  4.5 PTS, 2.5 AST, 3.0 REBS
• Boston Celtics: 4.0 PTS, 3.0 AST, 2.0 REBS
• New Jersey Nets: 7.5 PTS, 7.0 AST, 4.5 REBS
• LA Clippers: 18.0 PTS, 5.0 AST, 4.0 REBS

Those statistics show that not only is he wildly inconsistent against solid franchises with exceptional guards at the point (i.e. Westbrook, Rose, Rondo), but Chalmers needs to be on the watch list. He will be under the scope of not only the viewers but his teammates as more than often, LeBron James hustles over to Chalmers’ man for a little or a lot of help defense. Who can say they did not see this slaughter coming from a mile away, however?

It should have deeply worried the organization when only after a single stark performance against the Boston Celtics earlier in the season, rookie Norris Cole threatened Chalmers’ starting spot, at least from the outside looking in.

He was more versatile in that game, quicker, more influential, clutch and fed the pace of the game when it mattered. Now, coach Erik Spoelstra may not have allowed the roster battle to become more than public speculation but it signified that Chalmers has yet to do enough to earn the trust of the audience, Miami fans included.

It may be time for Miami to begin looking elsewhere for their point guard of the future. Or maybe in this year’s free agency, they can make a strong push for a point guard that has continued to accentuate his franchise from the past. Steve Nash isn’t looking too bad, now is he?

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2 Comments

1. 

   Mandii B (@FullCourtPUMPS) (@FullCourtPUMPS)

   April 2, 2012 at 12:01 am

   FCP Post:: Rajon Rondo Wipes Floor with Chalmers, Proves Miami Needs PG http://t.co/pXTKhaQL

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2. 

   J. Smith (@FreddyCalhoun)

   April 2, 2012 at 1:32 am

   #Twittersports RT @FullCourtPUMPS FCP Post:: Rajon Rondo Wipes Floor with Chalmers, Proves Miami Needs PG http://t.co/HlTkU907

   Reply