As an organization, from Marc Cuban on down, the Dallas Mavericks are insistent everyone be on the same page. Even compared to other franchises around the league.
Rick Carlisle and Rajon Rondo were clearly not on the same page Tuesday night. And that’s not the first time Carlisle benched Rondo. Nor was what was caught on camera in-game all of it.
Per sources, Rajon Rondo and Rick Carlisle had another heated exchange in the Mavs' locker room after last night's win.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 25, 2015
All of that led Dallas to suspend Rondo for one game, Wednesday night in Atlanta, the team announced. The official reason is “conduct detrimental to the team.” This is pretty standard for Dallas, an organization big on team discipline.
The bigger question is how does all of this impact Rondo’s thought process about being a free agent this summer? Rondo is unrestricted and when he was first traded to Dallas the team made it clear they planned to re-sign him. Now Rondo may have second thoughts, and he certainly would have plenty of suitors.
In the short term, the Mavs will miss Rondo’s defense on All-Star point guard Jeff Teague of Atlanta. (And yes, the game is taking place despite the frigid weather in Atlanta.)