Rajon Rondo Reaches Rock Bottom with Mavs

[MWes11]

If you follow the NBA at all, or keep tabs on our Cats, you could clearly see that it was only a matter of time until this marriage ended extremely nasty. Well, with Rondo only playing 9 minutes last night against the Rockets, it appears the marriage is over. I have always been a huge fan of Rondo's game on the court. Clear to see that he has issues getting along with teammates and coaches. Where will he end up next year? Lakers with Kobe and Julius?

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25158397

 

[KYDave32]

I thought he would be a good fit with Dallas but clearly that's not been the case.. I bet he is a Laker next season.. Kobe wants him there..

 

[3rex]

If you follow the NBA at all, or keep tabs on our Cats, you could clearly see that it was only a matter of time until this marriage ended extremely nasty. Well, with Rondo only playing 9 minutes last night against the Rockets, it appears the marriage is over. I have always been a huge fan of Rondo's game on the court. Clear to see that he has issues getting along with teammates and coaches. Where will he end up next year? Lakers with Kobe and Julius?

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25158397

As a longtime Lakers fan, let me be the first to say, "NOOOOOOOOO!!! Please NOOOOO!!!"

 

[Brock28]

Agree 100%

 

[spotter34]

I don't think the Lakers will take the risk. Rondo had the opportunity to show he could be a good teammate and help the Mavs win but all he's done is show that his reputation of being a malcontent is justified. I love his game but when you don't have a consistent jumper you need to be thankful for every second you have in the league. I hope he can go somewhere that he's motivated to be productive and revive his career. Otherwise, he may become a journeyman who gets moved around to create cap space.

 

[OHIO COLONEL]

I wonder how many options are gone based on his reputation and some of his antics this year. Time will tell but there's always a GM that will take talent over risk and coaches who think that they have the answers to 'straighten out' someone like RR.

 

[AnarchoNeoLuddite]

Rondo can ball just needs the right situation and a more grind it out eastern conference style.

 

[mj2k10]

I didn't see the entire game last night, but I did see the first quarter. Anyone who saw that can understand why Rondo hit the pine. The Rockets came out hot, the Mavericks came out like they were stuck in 1st gear, and the bulk of that has to be put at Rondo's feet. He missed 2 shots, backed off James Harden for some unknown reason, leaving him with a wide open 3, and then tried a trick pass that ended up a TO while the Mavs were down 7-0. He capped it off by getting an 8 second backcourt violation for absolutely no reason other than seeming laziness. The Mavs pulled Rondo, put JJ Barea in, and they were actually ahead by the end of the 1st quarter.

Rondo has always seemed to have the attitude of "I'm smart, leave me alone, let me do what I do", and there have been times where that's worked out great for his team. But when he single-handedly digs his team a hole, in a game that could define their season, he needs to start looking in the mirror.

 

[LordEgg]

i don't follow the NBA...is he a dbag or what?

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

It was a horrible fit all along. Rondo kills their spacing because he can't shoot and Monta Ellis isn't a shooter either. Along with Dirk well into the downswing of his career, they can't afford to be putting a bunch of people on the floor that can't beat you from outside. When your best three-point threat is Chandler Parsons, that isn't going to work over the long haul, and he isn't even playing now.

Rondo can't shoot, his defense is mediocre these days. Frankly, when Rondo isn't bringing his A game, JJ Barea gives them a much better chance to win because he brings a scorer's mentality that can break down the defense off the dribble and shoot, but he's also a willing passer. He may not bring much defensively, but when Rondo isn't either, might as well roll out the best offensive option.

 

[FtWorthCat]

Rondo sucks. His performance last night, in only 10 minutes (which was about 9 more than I would have left his sorry ass out there), was a total embarrassment to professionals everywhere, not just athletes. He is getting paid millions of dollars to at least show up and act like he is interested. Instead, he gets an 8 second call for walking the ball up the court with no defensive pressure whatsoever, makes a couple of passes that were so bad that it almost looked like he was intentionally trying to play bad. His act was old by the time he left UK, and it has been old for several years now in the NBA.

 

[dmpatp]

I would love to see him in New Orleans with Anthony Davis, but I don't see him giving coach Monty the respect he would deserve. RR needs to be under a Popavich type coach.

 

[Pope John Wall II]

I would love to see him in New Orleans with Anthony Davis, but I don't see him giving coach Monty the respect he would deserve. RR needs to be under a Popavich type coach.

I can't think of a less compatible coach with Rondo than Pop.

 

[westerncat]

If you follow the NBA at all, or keep tabs on our Cats, you could clearly see that it was only a matter of time until this marriage ended extremely nasty. Well, with Rondo only playing 9 minutes last night against the Rockets, it appears the marriage is over. I have always been a huge fan of Rondo's game on the court. Clear to see that he has issues getting along with teammates and coaches. Where will he end up next year? Lakers with Kobe and Julius?

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25158397

Was watching Mike & Mike this morning and they said he has been taking to Lakers players so from the way they talked Rondo will be a playing for the Lakers next season.

 

[ThroughBlue]

Rondo comes to work. Same with the Mamba. I think they would mesh

 

[weBEhanginBANNERS]

Hes a great talent and amazing pg when he wants to be, the problem is he doesn't play well with others. We all saw how he can be when he was here and I remember hearing things like he was banned from the KBA in high school for throwing a basketball at a refs head. Watching him play last night was embarrassing, I missed a lot of the first half and his 8 sec call but right when the 2nd half started he picked up a foul, got a technical for pushing Hardin and then picked up another foul in the first 40 seconds of the 2nd half. You can tell he just doesn't care, I don't know if since hes won a championship and then got the recognition he wanted he just doesn't care anymore or just cant get along with anybody.

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

Rondo would do well with the Lakers IMO. He does well with other personalities like his own. He and Kevin Garnett are still good friends. If he's on a team with another alpha dog, extreme competitor, take no crap kind of personality like Kobe has, he'll be ok. I actually would like to see it happen.

He worked out in Boston because he had great to elite shooters surrounding him. Lakers don't even one one elite shooter, Dallas has one in Dirk, maybe two if you want to count Parsons but that's iffy.

 

[dmpatp]

I can't think of a less compatible coach with Rondo than Pop.

Rondo respects intelligent people and Popavich is a basketball genius. I understand that you're looking at it from a ego stand point, but Pop has established himself as one of the most respectable coaching minds this league has ever seen. I think he could help Rondo change is mindset and help him buy into a system. IMO.

 

[GonzoCat90]

As a Lakers fan, I'd rather be bad again and continue building toward the future than be mediocre with Rondo and Love.

Also, Rondo would quite literally cut Nick Young's head off, so that's fun.

 

[Blueworld_3.0]

Without Rondo, Boston wouldn't have won the Championship in 08. They wouldn't have been contenders in numerous seasons after that either.
It's obvious to anyone with half a brain that RR won't be in Dallas after this season. He's finished with them and I think they're ready to see him go too. He probably will end up in LA.
The guy that said "Rondo sucks." is a complete idiot. RR averaged a double-double in Boston forever. This isn't your church rec league. It's the freakin' NBA and he averaged a double-double at only 6'. He's had a ton of triple-doubles too.
He obviously needs strong personalities around him. Kobe would be someone with that type attitude. I don't know if LA is a good fit but, we're probably going to find out.
I've never understood why UK fans have all this ill will toward Rajon. Maybe he was smarter than their precious OTS? Who knows what their problem is but, he's a former Cat and I always thought that meant something.

 

[MWes11]

haha it would be pure comedy to see Rondo and Swaggy P play together.

 

[UKcats1988]

As a Lakers fan, I'd rather be bad again and continue building toward the future than be mediocre with Rondo and Love.

Also, Rondo would quite literally cut Nick Young's head off, so that's fun.

Yea I'm sure most Laker fans who follow the league closely feel the same way. Rondo isn't a game changer anymore, hasn't been for a few years.

 

[UK90]

Anyone who watched that game knows why Rondo got benched. He was awful, and in a weird way. Making inexcusably dumb mistakes (at one point had an 8 second violation with nobody guarding him simply because he was lollygagging), throwing horrible passes away, and getting real chippy with Harden for some reason. And looking pissed off and pouty the whole time. An embarrassing display by him last night.

On paper, his trade to the Mavs looked like a perfect match when it happened, giving the Mavs exactly the type of point they needed, and giving Rondo the chance to play on a contender again. But instead it's been a complete disaster.

Seems like Rondo's biggest obstacle is his own personality. Uniquely and wondefully talented player, but everywhere he goes he ends up rubbing his teammates and coaches the wrong way.

 

[bthaunert]

The Celtics were 9-14 with Rondo and 31-28 without him.
The Mavs were 31-24 with Rondo and 19-8 without him.

Pretty telling stat.

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

the Lakers will go after several people in free agency this year. If they want a shooter, they'll get a shooter.

If Kobe is still playing they aren't just going to be able to pick whoever they please to add to the roster.

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

The Celtics were 9-14 with Rondo and 31-28 without him.
The Mavs were 31-24 with Rondo and 19-8 without him.

Pretty telling stat.

And the Celtics were like the second winningest team in the East after the trade deadline, or something like that.

 

[deuces r wild]

Anyone who watched that game knows why Rondo got benched. He was awful, and in a weird way. Making inexcusably dumb mistakes (at one point had an 8 second violation with nobody guarding him simply because he was lollygagging), throwing horrible passes away, and getting real chippy with Harden for some reason. And looking pissed off and pouty the whole time. And embarrassing display by him last night.

On paper, his trade to the Mavs looked like a perfect match when it happened, giving the Mavs exactly the type of point they needed, and giving Rondo the chance to play on a contender again. But instead it's been a complete disaster.

Seems like Rondo's biggest obstacle is his own personality. Uniquely and wondefully talented player, but everywhere he goes he ends up rubbing his teammates and coaches the wrong way.

Rondo is still an excellent player, but can be very moody at time. He respects excellence and would probably look at a move to the Lakers as a very positive thing. Watching Inside the NBA on TNT, they were commenting on how this was a bad marriage from the beginning. Kenny Smith and Shaq were expressing how Carlisle liked tp control every possesion and that Rondo needed freedom to create based on what he saw on the floor. They pointed out that Rondo got the 8 second violation, because Carlisle got Rondo's attention and was barking out instructions and Rondo was more consumed with what Carlisle was saying than paying attention to the clock.

At this rate this marriage will be over in no more than a week and both sides will be better because of it.

 

[YouKay]

Man that was sad to watch. The guys at halftime spent almost the entire segment trashing Rondo. He is basically on strike and letting the Mavs know he is gone after this season. He must already know where he's going, because otherwise he could be doing tremendous damage to his career with this Mavs strike. I hate the Lakers but I would put my money on them as his destination.

 

[IL Wildcat]

I love our former Wildcat Rondo, but I fear he's a bit of a prima dona. I could be reading the situation incorrectly, though. It seems he needs to THE MAN in order to perform at peak efficiency.

 

[YouKay]

I love our former Wildcat Rondo, but I fear he's a bit of a prima dona. I could be reading the situation incorrectly, though. It seems he needs to THE MAN in order to perform at peak efficiency.

I just think he did not want to be traded from Boston to begin with and doesn't like the team or coaches in Dallas at all. He is being a brat about it, but hey, he's a top-5 PG and doesn't appreciate being treated like a has-been. He's never been about being THE MAN, if that were true he would not have gotten along so well with Garnett and Pierce in Boston. If anything I think he shied away from that after those two were traded. He doesn't want a team to be built around him. He does want to be appreciated for his own ability to run plays and find guys open.

He is also extremely intelligent, probably one of the highest IQ players in the NBA. That's why he and Garnett are so close, Garnett is really intelligent too. He does not suffer fools, and I'm guessing there are quite a few of them on that Dallas team and in the coaching ranks. There's a reason Rick Carlisle has been fired by two other teams; some players just cannot stand him.

 

[Joneslab]

Almost everybody who's ever spent time around Rajon Rondo has at one point or another wanted to murder him.

Was told by someone at UK once that Rondo was an absolute nightmare to deal with. Matt May once posted on the HOB that Rondo was the most difficult player he ever had to cover. Has had trouble literally everywhere he's been going back to his days in Louisville.

Weird guy. Iversonesque.

 

[akers65]

I loved watching him destroy another team's press when his was at UK. He just dribbled through it like it wasn't there. Simply the best ball handling guard UK has had in many many yrs. He wasn't as fast as Wall, but his handle was better. Made it look so easy and effortless to split
double teams, and his defense was pretty good as well. He just didn't fit Tubby's offense.

He has no jump shot and a huge ego which hurts him terrible. As his Celtic coach once told him
"your teammates think you are an a$$hole". Rondo is and has been his own worse enemy.

 

[FtWorthCat]

I think the Mavs might be wise to take a chance on Andrew Harrison in the second round. He's a big PG without the need to occupy the ball all the time. They need a big PG for defensive purposes, since Monta Ellis is a small 2. I'm done with Rondo. He should be out of the league after that display last night. Someone else will get burned by overpaying his lazy ass though. He is probably my least favorite UK player ever.

 

[UK90]

I love our former Wildcat Rondo, but I fear he's a bit of a prima dona. I could be reading the situation incorrectly, though.

You don't need to qualify that statement, at this point it's rather indisputable that Rondo obviously has some personality issues.

I mean, it's not like this began in Dallas, instead it's a label that's followed him EVERYWHERE he's been his entire career. Even back when he was a high school prospect the big knock you heard on him were "attitude/personality" concerns, at UK we heard all the rumors about his teammates hating him, the Celtics at various points were reportedly shopping him because of Rivers finding him uncoachable and issues with teammates (been reported that the reason Ray Allen left Boston was to get away from Rondo), it's been reported that Coach K and Colangelo essentially blackballed him from the Team USA program because of issues with his behavior at the 2010 World Cup team tryouts, and now the same sort of problems with Mavericks. Suffice to say, there's a clear pattern going on here.

But the difference is in the past Rondo was so good that teams were willing to put up with the headaches, but NOW that's not so clear anymore: He no longer plays like an elite point, the Celtics got much better after getting rid of him, and the Mavs got much worse after adding him. Some posters here are talking about him going to a team like the Lakers or Spurs, but I have to wonder: Are those teams really gonna be that interested in chasing after a declining point who no longer seems to make his teams better, has a piss poor jump shot, can barely even hit 40 percent of his FREE THROWS, and has a reputation for causing locker room issues everywhere he goes?

 

[3rex]

I just think he did not want to be traded from Boston to begin with and doesn't like the team or coaches in Dallas at all. He is being a brat about it, but hey, he's a top-5 PG and doesn't appreciate being treated like a has-been. QUOTE]

no, he's not. not even close.
Point guards who are better...Westbrook, Paul, Curry, Wall, Irving, Parker, Lowery, Lilliard...and good cases can be made for Conley, Teague and Dragic & even Bledsoe as well.
Rajon is not even a top 10 point guard at this point in his career.

 

[UKcats1988]

I just think he did not want to be traded from Boston to begin with and doesn't like the team or coaches in Dallas at all. He is being a brat about it, but hey, he's a top-5 PG and doesn't appreciate being treated like a has-been.

He's not a top 10 point guard, he isn't close to being top 5.

 

[akers65]

a "shooter" doesn't have to be someone that requires a 15M salary.

like Kerr was with the Bulls years ago

 

[RondoBaller21]

I always thought it was a weird fit. He needs to be on a team that is a solid contender. Winning cures everything.

 

[Nubb16]

As a longtime Lakers fan, let me be the first to say, "NOOOOOOOOO!!! Please NOOOOO!!!"

How did I know I would see you in this thread.

 

[YouKay]

I always thought it was a weird fit. He needs to be on a team that is a solid contender. Winning cures everything.

Well Dallas is in the playoffs, thought not necessarily a contender. They need a guard who can defend James Harden, Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, etc. Elite guards in the Western conference now. Rondo needs to get back in the East, I think he got used to the style there and isn't comfortable in the West, especially given his poor shooting ability.

The Celtics are better without him mostly because they now have a set of three PGs who can all shoot well. They also follow directions. ;-)