The Rajon Rondo in Dallas experiment was, however you look at it, a failure. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle refused to give Rondo full reigns of the offense, and Rondo did not take kindly to that. The two butted heads and, in short, things did not end well. Well Mavs fans, you can thank Dirk Nowitzki for getting Rondo in Dallas, per Tim MacMahon (transcribed by Sportando):
“The Rondo deal, that’s the one that stands out,” said MacMahon on the Dunc’d On Podcast with Nate Duncan. “Rick Carlisle told them he did not want him. He said he was going to kill the spacing. He said Rondo is going to be a really bad fit. But essentially what happened there, and Rick stood down once he understood this, Dirk wanted the deal done. Dirk has traded for two point guard during his time. He’s traded for Jason Kidd; that one helped deliver a championship here. Got off to a rocky start but certainly ended up with a ring. He made one great deal for a point guard while the Rondo trade was a total disaster.”
There are some undeniable similarities between prime Rondo and Jason Kidd, so you can’t blame Nowitzki for wanting him on board. Both Rondo and Kidd were elite perimeter defenders and incredible passers. Rondo though, was obviously never the same caliber player that prime Kidd was. Nowitzki didn’t play with Kidd in his prime though, so perhaps it’s a fair comparison.
