Rajon Rondo was traded to the Mavericks last season in hope that he can help make a push during the playoffs, that experiment was a total failure. Rondo and Carlisle were not on the same page when it came to running the plays and they got into it couple times in the locker room and even on live television, Rondo was suspended for it and eventually left the squad during the playoffs blaming a back injury but a lot of people speculated that he didn’t want to play anymore and the Mavs didn’t want him back neither.
Rondo’s value decreased during the free-agency period due to his failed stint in Dallas but he was able to sign a one year deal with Sacramento and he has found his rhythm back. He is playing extremely well and looks like the Rondo we knew during his Boston days. The Kings are playing tonight in Dallas and Rondo will make his first return to Dallas since he left but the Kings’ point guard insists there is no ill feelings towards the Mavs despite how it ended.
“No doubt about it. I had a tough three, four months in Dallas. It hurt, but it helped as well. I’m in a great situation. I have no regrets about what happened in Dallas. Everything happens for a reason; I’m a big believer in that. And I’ve got great relationships with those guys [with the Mavs], especially on the staff. Guys like Casey Smith, Mike Procopio, my man [Darrell Armstrong], [Mike] Shedd, the equipment managers Al [Whitley] and Craig [Metcalfe], all those guys. They’re all good people. They treated me really well. I have nothing but love for that organization. Mark Cuban’s a great guy. I don’t have any regrets. I went through what I went through.”
You will notice he didn’t mention Rick Carlisle with whom he had the toughest time as a Mavs’ player but Rondo is trying to put everything behind him by saying it was just a bad fit and they both tried to make it work.
“Yeah, that’s all. We tried. I tried my best, he tried his best and it didn’t work.”
I believe Rondo has turned the page and he has no issue with the Mavs as an organization but as a competitor he will play tonight with some extra motivation to prove to the fans that issue was with Carlisle and not with him. The Kings are coming from a good game last night against the Thunder even though it was without Kevin Durant and they will look to add the George Karl’s winning record after he passed Phil Jackson in the record book with the win in OKC.
