The Rajon Rondo experiment in Dallas is off to a very rough start, and there’s talk now that the soon-to-be free agent won’t be back next season.
Following a highly-publicized shouting match with head coach Rick Carlisle, the Mavericks suspended Rondo for “conduct detrimental to the team” Wednesday night, and there’s reportedly little desire on their end to re-sign the four-time All-Star point guard.
Per ESPN:
The one sure thing: The passive-aggressive dynamic is done. All the cards are on the table after an expletive-laced shouting match for the basketball world to see and another behind closed doors that sources say was even more explosive.
Rondo, a nine-year veteran with one of the highest basketball IQs in the league, believes that’s a big part of his job (calling plays) as a point guard. Carlisle, one of the NBA’s best offensive minds, doesn’t want to hand the keys of his sports car over to a guy he just met. […] It’s similar to the friction between Carlisle and future Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd during their first season together, except they never had “SportsCenter”-leading shouting matches. Carlisle ceded control to Kidd in midseason, and that duo played prominent roles in the Mavs’ title run a few years later.
Could history repeat itself? Don’t hold your breath. The reality is Rondo’s run with the Mavs is extremely unlikely to extend past this season. […] The question is whether Carlisle and Rondo can find the common ground necessary to work together the rest of the season and provide the Mavs any hope of making a playoff run.
