Other than trashing their present and diluting their future, the Mavs’ trade for Rajon Rondo has become a complete disaster.
And Tuesday night’s inconceivable, illogical and ineffective performance in a Game 2 loss in Houston will go down in Mavericks’ lore as one of the worst individual playoff performance in franchise history.
- Derek Harper mistakenly dribbling out the clock in a tied playoff game against L.A. in ’84.
- Mark Aguirre leaving Game 7 against the Lakers with a jammed finger in ‘88.
- Michael Finley going 1 of 17 in an elimination game against the Spurs in ‘01.
- Dirk Nowitzki front-rimming a free throw with three seconds left in Game 3 of the NBA Finals in ’06.
- MVP Dirk producing more turnovers (3) than baskets (2) as the No. 1 seed Mavs were eliminated by the Warriors in Game 6 in ’07.
And, now, Rajon Wrongdo.
Seriously, he’s tip-toeing toward Lamar Odom territory. And unless he changes his body language and his box score, he’ll be booed on his own home court in Friday night’s Game 3.
Why?
Because last night in Houston Rondo was such a liability that head coach Rick Carlisle sat him on the bench for all except for the first 44 seconds of the second half of a competitive playoff game.
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“All I know right now is that we need everybody at their competitive best,” Carlisle groaned to the media after the game. “This isn’t about one guy who did or didn’t play. This is about everybody pulling in the same direction for the organization. That’s what it’s all about.”
Not only is Rondo not rowing the Mavs’ boat, he’s punching holes in it.
This is Rajon Rondo, owner of a championship ring, two trips to the NBA Finals and 10 playoff triple-doubles on his resume. But, honestly, the guy on the court wearing No. 9 for Dallas was far from Rajon Rondo.
That disinterred imposter so lackadaisically walked the ball up the court in the first quarter that he was called for an 8-second violation. He later only meandered toward an open Jason Terry for a Rockets’ 3-pointer. And then he really freaked out, so seemingly intent on pestering James Harden rather than winning the game that he engaged the Rockets’ star in a couple of shoving altercations. One possession into the third quarter Rondo committed a silly foul, shoved Harden away, received a technical foul … and was benched.
With Devin Harris out with an injured toe and Rondo planted firmly on Planet Me, the Mavs had to play Houston with J.J. Barea and Raymond Felton, better known as their third- and fourth-string point guards. Not surprisingly, they head back to Dallas down 0-2.
Rondo, adding insult to impotence, responded to the benching by sitting on the floor away from Dallas’ bench in some sort of mini-protest. But the only thing worse than his persona has been his production. In the 37 minutes he’s been on the floor this series, the Mavs been outscored by 36 points.
Back in December the Mavs were 19-8 with the NBA’s highest-scoring offense when they decided to give up Brandan Wright and Jae Crowder for Rondo. It’s now apparent that Rondo will leave – or be pushed out – in free agency and leave Dallas with nothing for the trade except a wasted season.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
