Die Chilluminati » fill a role as an inexpensive wing defender. Boston al

Arlington, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Mark Sanchez threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score as the Philadelphia Eagles seized sole possession of first place in the NFC East with a 33-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Sanchez had 217 yards on 20-of-29 passing, and LeSean McCoy posted 159 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries for the Eagles (9-3), who raced out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back on their way to improving to 6-0 on Thanksgiving. The only thing preventing the score from being even more lopsided was Philadelphias inefficiency in the red zone. The Eagles scored a touchdown only once and settled for four Cody Parkey field goals in five trips, but it didnt come back to haunt them because of a strong defensive effort. The Eagles ended Tony Romos consecutive games streak with a touchdown pass at 38 and held league rushing leader DeMarco Murray to below 100 yards. Romo completed 18-of-29 passes for 199 yards and threw two interceptions as Dallas (8-4) dropped its third straight home game. Murray failed to reach the century mark for only the second time in 2014. He finished with a season-low 73 yards on 20 carries against the Eagles. The teams will meet again at Philadelphia on Dec. 14. 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. 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.dddddddddddd 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 ' ' '