When the Portland Trail Blazers acquired Jrue Holiday this summer, the response was tepid. Fans wondered (fairly) why the Blazers, in the midst of a rebuild, would take on a 35 year-old point guard with three years left on his contract whose production had declined sharply in recent years.
The perception of the trade deteriorated further when rumors sprouted about Holiday's interest (or lack thereof) in being a Blazer. The idea of taking cool fit pictures with Jerami Grant and playing video games with Yang Hansen didn't sell him, apparently.
But any misgivings about this trade quickly dissipated when the season actually started; through four games, Holiday has looked spry on the court, providing the steadying presence that has made him such a vaunted teammate throughout his career.