Just a few short weeks ago, it appeared that Rajon Rondo’s stay with the Dallas Mavericks was all but certain to be a very brief one. Rondo, who is a free agent after the season, was suspended for a game following a heated exchange with head coach Rick Carlisle. But now, it seems the two may be moving in the right direction.
Rondo tallied 13 assists — his highest total since Jan. 5 — in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night. According to Mavericks reporter Earl K. Sneed, Carlisle has been quizzing Rondo and the two are now on the same page.
Rajon Rondo says Rick Carlisle called him into the coach's office before the game and quizzed him on the offense. Rondo passed the test.
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) March 17, 2015
Rondo adds that he and Carlisle are so in sync now that Rondo calls the same plays Carlisle thinks before calling them himself. #DALvsOKC
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) March 17, 2015
After the Mavs’ 119-115 win, Carlisle told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he and Rondo have been “spending a lot of time together” and it is paying off.
“The thing is I want to make sure he’s keeping pace in the game, because he has the ability to keep pace in the game and to mix in play-calling, not just call plays every time,” Carlisle explained. “He’s getting really good with the play-calling, but our mission is to defend and rebound better, keep pace in the game and then run the right stuff. He’s doing a great job.”
Last month, MacMahon reported that Rondo is “extremely unlikely” to re-sign with Dallas after the season. He also noted how Carlisle and Jason Kidd — who now uses Carlisle’s quiz strategy with his own team — butted heads at first but went on to win an NBA Championship together. If the Mavs continue to improve, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Rondo sticking around.
