The Dallas Mavericks are not in a very good situation. They traded for Rajon Rondo, they made it to the 7th spot in the Western Conference only to lost in 5 games to the Houston Rockets. Trading for Rajon Rondo hasn’t worked in favour of the Mavs, because they lost their entire bench, while they gained a true point guard, who just didn’t fit in their system.
Things exploded with Rondo and the Mavericks in the second half of Game 2, as Rondo picked up 2 quick fouls and a technical, which sent him to the bench. He was never played again, and the Mavericks said it was due to a back problem that could sideline him for the season. The main reason Rondo didn’t work out in Dallas is the coach Rick Carlisle, likes his team ran a certain way, and Rondo and him did not see eye-to-eye.
According to Tim McMahon of ESPN Dallas, the back injury wasn’t the real reason for Rondo’s absence:
Rondo never really fit with the Mavs, as the concerns about the impact of his poor shooting in coach Rick Carlisle’s flow offense quickly manifested and were never solved. The hope of a “Playoff Rondo” sighting was crushed after his poor Game 1 performance and the appearance he gave up in Game 2.
The Mavs and Rondo made a mutual decision to part ways the next day, sources told ESPNDallas.com, framing the reasoning as a back injury as a favor to try to help the four-time All-Star point guard save face.
The truth was that the Mavs didn’t want Rondo, who was going to be replaced in the starting lineup regardless, pouting and rubbing off on other players, Ellis in particular. Essentially, the Mavs made a drastic move in an attempt to do damage control on a chemistry crisis.
As we all expected, Game 2 of the first round, was Rondo’s last time as a Dallas Maverick. Rondo had been struggling all season and never seemed to get back to ‘playoff Rondo’ mode ever. Rondo is a free agent, and there will definitely be buyers, including the Lakers, which Rondo has connections to and the Knicks. It will definitely be an interesting off season for Dallas, who has a lot of players coming off the books, and Rondo, who will need to find a new home.
