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Rajon Rondo has gone from one of the most prolific dime enthusiasts to a veteran point guard labeled a “selfish” ball-dsitributor, a ball-stopping, coach-killing, mercurial player that has great intellect, but poor ability to remain content with a team.
While some of his teammates have raved about him and his leadership, some others; most notably Ray Allen in his book From The Outside, have made constant remarks at his mean streak.
“[The negativity] started in Dallas,” Rondo said, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “Things didn’t go great in Dallas. I think I rebounded pretty well from that.”
“I led the league in assists in Sacramento, but people didn’t see that. It’s like it didn’t happen. We had some great players on that team as well, but that’s where I started playing with [Cousins]. We didn’t get to the playoffs like I wanted to. Things folded in the end for us.”
Rondo was benched at times under coach Rick Carlisle, with multiple reports of a serious rift between coach and point guard that saw his exit that very same year — by far the worst of his NBA career.
Yet another hiccup took place in Chicago with the Bulls, as his tiff with coach Fred Hoiberg landed him in purgatory, forced to play at a local high school until he was allowed to rejoin the team and continue playing alongside his teammates.
“Chicago was an up-and-down season,” Rondo said. “There was a different direction once the season started as far as going with a different point guard. I got over that fast. Then before the playoffs came, guys came together, sacrificed and understood that the only thing that mattered was the ‘W.’
“We were able to get a couple wins to get us in the playoffs and go 2-0 over the Celtics. I think my play speaks for itself.”
Rondo seems to have found his niche this time around though, cruising past the Portland Trail Blazers in four games and now in line to defend home court against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals.
