Former all-star Rajon Rondo was only a Maverick for 46 games, but during that short time frame, the 6-foot-1 point guard dealt with tons of issues on and off the court, mainly with head coach Rick Carlisle.
“I’ve been faced with challenges my whole life,” said Rondo, 29. “A lot of people didn’t expect me to come this far in the NBA. I have no doubts about what my talents can do and what I can bring to the team and I’m looking forward to putting my work in and getting the job done.”
As Rondo prepares to turn to the next chapter of his career, he’s excited for the challenge at hand.
“I’m excited that everybody is doubting us. Everybody doubting,’’ he said. “All of the negative energy that’s going toward Sacramento as far as me coming, playing with [DeMarcus] Cousins, the George Karl thing. It’s been blown out of proportion .
“There’s been a lot of naysayers, a lot of doubters my entire career, even the day I got drafted. So I love proving people wrong.”
Rondo wants to take on the leadership role.
“We haven’t played any games. George hasn’t thrown me out of any practices yet, so we’ll see how that goes,” he said. “They are going to get a great leader on and off the court and in the locker room, and a guy that’s going to push guys every day, teach them how to be men. I’m still learning myself but I think if we can surround ourselves around positive people, the sky’s the limit.”
First things first, George Karl and DeMarcus Cousins must hash things out if Sacramento expects to have any immediate success.
