The Chicago Bulls-induced suspension of guard Rajon Rondo has not helped with his already poor reputation as a mercurial locker room guy.
The 6-foot-1 point guard was suspended for Monday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers following a “heated” verbal exchange with an assistant coach, following a 107-82 blowout loss to the bottom-dwelling Dallas Mavericks.
Despite having apologized for the incident since, it's a rare occasion that a player gets a suspension because of verbal altercations with either teammates, coaching staff or front office personnel. So odd in fact, that it's rare for it to happen more than once.
That would not be the case for Rondo, as he has had a history of verbal wars with former coaches Doc Rivers and Rick Carlisle — the latter earned him a special place in the doghouse, at which point he found himself the odd man out during his short stint as a Maverick.
“Me as a point guard, I have to handle the situation better,” Rondo told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “But when I feel a certain way, I'm going to speak on it. My whole things is always for the betterment of the team.”
“If it comes off the wrong way or things of that nature, I'm trying to work on that. But for the most part, I'm not a selfish individual. I try to do what's best for the team. I try to watch film with other teammates to help them as well. That's just part of the game.”
The suspension hasn't seemed to have an ulterior influence on the players, as stars Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler have been more than willing to move past the incident.
“I addressed the team and coaching staff,” Rondo assured. “Without a doubt (they were receptive). I have a good relationship with my team.”
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