The only possible hope that the Mavs can really have is that Rondo would somehow step-up and have monster games in the playoffs like he did a few years ago for the Celtics ("Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion" and all). I suppose it's still possible, but sure doesn't look very likely right now. Rondo will still have good games now and then, but the overall package has been underwhelming.
and he is presumably getting frustrated because he needs to put up the stats to get his contract next year. and if he isnt getting his high assists totals people will start to wonder what he actually brings to the team, after never improving his shooting.
I disagree with you. Rondo will bring his "A" game to the playoffs because that's what he does on national TV (plus his pending free agency). He's not a dummy. Rondo's problem isn't smarts. He's proven over and over in Boston he just cannot control himself.
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on...-unlikely-to-stay-in-dallas-after-this-season Dallas Mavericks point guard Rajon Rondo had a bit of a blow-up with head coach Rick Carlisle and was suspended for Wednesday's game after another argument in the locker room. This was an example of an organization standing behind its coach, and while Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler both have suggested that this could bring the group closer together, ESPN's Tim McMahon reported that there's not much of a chance that Rondo -- an unrestricted free agent this coming summer -- will remain a Maverick long-term: The root of the Rondo-Carlisle crisis is a simmering disagreement about whether the Mavs were best off with the genius former Coach of the Year or brilliant four-time All-Star point guard calling the majority of the plays. Rondo, a nine-year veteran with one of the highest basketball IQs in the league, believes that's a big part of his job 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. This has deteriorated rather quickly. Dallas acquired Rondo in December, and owner Mark Cuban said publicly that the plan wasn't to make him a rental. The starting five of Rondo, Monta Ellis, Chandler Parsons, Nowitzki and Chandler were supposed to keep the Mavs contenders for the next few seasons. They gave up a first-round pick, a second-round pick and three role players for him. Carlisle reiterated to reporters that Rondo is a significant part of what Dallas is trying to do, and he said it's on him to utilize his point guard's skills properly. From ESPN: "I need to say this very clearly: He is an extremely important part of our team," Carlisle said. "Our efforts to get to the highest possible level largely hinge on him playing and playing well with him. He needs to play well with us, and we need to play well with him. It's a two-way street. "The incident last night was born in large part out of poor communication between him and I. That's on both of us. We had a long talk about the situation today, and we both agreed that we need to communicate more frequently. "We need to work on the solution for making his stint as a Dallas Maverick the most successful one possible. We're looking at 23 games here. Right now, this is a critical time for us." His "stint" with the team? That particular choice of words might have been unintentional, but in the context of what McMahon is reporting, it doesn't sound great. To be clear: Rondo hasn't been a disaster for the Mavericks. He's helped their defense tremendously, while the offense has suffered. The issue, in as simple terms as possible: Dallas, with its pristine ball movement and spacing, generally performs better when Carlisle isn't making calls from the sideline. It's harder to run a flow offense with a non-shooter like Rondo, though. This means Carlisle is trying to exert more control when he's on the court, which doesn't necessarily sit well with the former All-Star who has famously clashed with coaches before. In Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins' 2013 Rondo profile, Celtics president Danny Ainge calls him the smartest and most stubborn man in the room. It's also revealed that Rondo will sometimes run a play for an easy basket early in a game, then refuse to use it again until the fourth quarter because he's "saving that one." To watch him is to know that he's a unique basketball mind and sees things others don't, which can be a beautiful thing. It can also be a frustrating thing if you're a coach. There should still be time to salvage this situation. The Mavs are fifth in the West, and both sides must be motivated to figure things out. Rondo has historically elevated his game in the playoffs, so that'll be when we can really judge the trade. What happens in the postseason will also go a long way toward determining whether or not this partnership has a future.
i don't understand why carlisle didn't just call a timeout and sub in for rondo, instead of getting uber-animated walking onto the court and then chewing out his player in front of everyone while that player was already calmly walking to the bench anyways. he only has himself to blame for magnifying this issue in everyone's eyes now (including rondo) all because of his own pride when he felt disrespected his play wasn't getting run.
The chance of Dwight come back with his prime performance in this years playoff > the chance of Rondo doing the same.
Its not like you can "bring your A game" whatever time you wanted. Face the truth, he is an over the hill player, just like Dwight. The only difference is their attitudes, at least Dwight for now has not causing any conflicts or issues. Put a fork on Rondo, he is done.
That's really disappointing. Was hoping Rondo would re-up to a 5 year max. That would have been beautiful.
Lmao, This. Cuban gave up his bench for Rondo. I always knew his "chemistry" comment would come back t bite him.
Earlier this season Rondo admitted he hadn't played defense in a couple of years. Do you really want this type of player running your team? I hope most teams are smart enough to not chase him this off season, but I must admit I would like to see Rondo and Kobe playing under Byron Scott.
Seconded. Was hoping the same thing, but at a minimum, it cost them a first round pick and an important rotation piece in Wright.
Not saying that Rondo won't be motivated in the playoffs or he isn't smart. The question is what his "A" game is nowadays. I don't think, for example, that shooting something like 30% from the FT line is a deliberate strategy to pace himself until the playoffs. It's just him struggling with the act of shooting FTs. He also had a serious knee injury, which can cause guys become worse on the court (D.Rose, for one).
I completely agree with you. Rondo didn't run the coach's play. Okay. Nobody in the arena really knows that. Talk about it on the bench. By throwing a coachy tantrum on the court, EVERYONE knows Rondo did something wrong, like a rookie or something. I'm wondering if Rondo's beef was less about a conflict on plays and more about treating him like that in front the entire league. Will be interesting to watch.
That's because it wasn't the first time Rondo ignored Carlisle in a game. I am betting Carlisle let it go the last few weeks but the Raptors game was one too many times for him and he felt he had to light into Rondo in front of everyone as soon as it happened. Carlisle wouldn't rank in my top 5 of the most hot headed coaches in the game right now. I would bet Carlisle getting pissed and chewing out Rondo was an accumulation of various times Rondo ignored him over multiple games and Carlisle had enough.
Seems like the constant here is Rick Carlisle. Kidd, Terry, Rondo, etc... Yeah, Rondo is a douche, but so is Carlisle. They have similar personalities and we them both clash out in the open finally
In terms of "reining him in" if Rondo ever crossed the line, I doubt McHale would be able to handle Rondo like Carlisle. In terms of being able to relinquish control to Rondo and letting him call and run the plays he(Rondo) want's while on the court? I think it would have gone excellently. McHale isn't exactly a whiz at drawing up and calling quality offensive sets for his team to run like Carlisle is. Carlisle has the desire to control each possession as much as possible and it would take some serious talking (a la Carlisle and Jason Kidd) in order for him to trust his PG to run the right plays on the court at the right time. I feel McHale would've let Rondo do his thing (as long as Harden gets the ball). Doesn't matter anyway since Rondo still can't shoot for nothing and I'm not sure he would have been any better on the Rox.
