Rick Carlisle thinks Rajon Rondo is done with Mavs
Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle does not expect to see Rajon Rondo suit up in a Mavericks uniform again.
The friction between Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle and embattled point guard Rajon Rondo reached a breaking point last night, when Rondo was benched midway through a playoff loss to the Houston Rockets.
Charles Barkley was roasted on TNT’s Inside the NBA last night for suggesting that Carlisle should not play Rondo anymore, but it turns out the bold statement was quite prophetic.
“He was not engaged whatsoever tonight,” Barkley said. “If he is not going to play, then Rick (Carlisle) has an obligation to the other guys in that locker room. If he is just going to go through the motions, they have to move on.”
Carlisle announced earlier today that Rondo was ruled out for the next game, citing a phantom back injury as the cause. The real reasons behind the point guard’s absence have much more to do with the toxic personality and the lack of effort he has portrayed recently.
The Mavericks coach let his true feelings known shortly after, however, stating that he does not expect to ever see Rondo back in a Dallas uniform.
Do you expect Rajon Rondo to ever wear a Mavericks uniform again? "No, I don't," Rick Carlisle said.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 22, 2015
Carlisle’s statement should put an end to any talk regarding the notion that it is either Rajon Rondo or Rick Carlisle in Dallas. The latter is clearly the man staying in town, and the former is obviously on his way out the door.
Rondo is a tremendous talent, and when playing to his full ability, there is not many players that can create more headaches for opposing coaches. Unfortunately in Dallas, the headaches have belonged to his own head coach.
Carlisle wants his offense run a certain way. It is a way that works. It is the way that brought the Larry O’Brien Trophy to Dallas in 2011.
It is not Rondo’s way, however, and that is all that matters in his mind. Inside the point guard’s head, he thinks he knows what is best for the team, and what kind of offense he wants to run.
This attitude has caused constant conflict with Carlisle, as well as any other coach he has played for. Rondo’s selfish attitude is ironic, because they way he plays the game is the complete opposite.
When he is not pouting, he plays with relentless effort and shares the ball in a way that elevates the level of play of everyone around him. There is a reason why nobody has more triple-doubles than Rondo since 2008, when he helped lead the Boston Celtics to an NBA championship.
He has an incredible level of intelligence, and given the right system, Rondo could absolutely become an elite point guard once again. In order to do so, however, he needs to have a coach that will put up with his baggage and let him run the offense.
That will not be happening in Dallas, however, and the Mavericks can finally rid themselves of the locker room nightmare that is Rajon Rondo.