The Houston Rockets Should Go After Matthew Dellavedova

When Australia-native Matthew Dellavedova arrived at Saint Mary’s College of California at age 19, LeBron James had already been to the NBA Finals once and was just about to get ousted by the overachieving Orlando Magic in the 2009 Western Conference Finals.

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And even though they’re six years and 9,177 miles apart, it looks like LeBron James and Matthew Dellavedova might’ve come across each others’ paths at precisely the right time.

After going unnoticed for most of the 2014-15 season — in which he averaged a mere 4.8 points in 20.6 minutes per game — Matthew Dellavedova has become the second player in NBA history to score 20-plus points in an NBA Finals game after averaging less than five points per game during the regular season.

The other guy? 2004 NBA Champion Elden Campbell!

Ever since All-Star point-guard Kyrie Irving came down with a broken kneecap in Overtime of Game 1 — and in true Cleveland Cavaliers‘ “next man up” fashion — back up point-guard Matthew Dellavedova has had to step up just when the light shines the brightest.

Three games into the NBA Finals, the legend of Matthew Dellavedova lives on.

So far, on defense Matthew Dellavedova has delivered time and time again regardless of who/what the once unbeatable Golden State Warriors threw at him. During the last two games of the NBA Finals, Delly has held the otherworldly 2014-15 NBA’s Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry to a minuscule 14 points.

Of course, Curry’s offensive struggles are not entirely Matthew Dellavedova’s fault as it has been a collective effort from every single player within the Cleveland Cavaliers to try and make any other Warrior beat them — except Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. However, compared to how the rest of the league fared against the most prolific shooter of all-time, Delly’s done one hell of a job.

(Note: The Warriors led the league in fast break points per game during the season, consequently, they’re at their best when they’re spreading the offense and controlling the game’s pace. The Cavaliers’ success against them comes from (1) taking over the game’s pace; and, (2) slowing down the Warriors’ fast-break offense.)

And in a Championship series featuring the likes of four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, Klay Thompson, and current NBA MVP Stephen Curry, it’s been Matthew Dellavedova who’s had the highest plus/minus for the las two games of the series. As he continues his journey to become one of the most compelling stories of the NBA Finals by joining Stephen Curry and LeBron James as probably one of the five most impactful players of the series.

The Houston Rockets not only have the means (read: cap space and money) to lure Dellavedova, they also have a dire need to reinforce one of the thinnest defensive backcourts in the league.

Imagine how disruptive, borderline devastating, would a defensive backcourt made up by Patrick Beverley, a quasi two-dimensional James Harden and 2014-15 Finals MVP hopeful Matthew Dellavedova would be?

Dellavedova’s addition would not only give the Houston Rockets one of the most passionate players on the court at all times, but also the second, or third-best defensive backcourt within the Western Conference — behind the Memphis Grizzlies and maybe the Golden State Warriors — and one of the top-5 defensive backcourts in the NBA (at worst).

With Matthew Dellavedova hitting free-agency in the offseason, teams will most likely be gunning for the Cavaliers’ sophomore to join their ranks.

And if I were Daryl Morey and the Houston Rockets, I’d be too.

Next: Rockets' Offseason Challenge: Free Agency

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