Carlisle and Rondo Look For Common Ground

It is widely known how difficult it is for an NBA coach, to coach Rajon Rondo. Rick Carlisle the Dallas Mavericks coach has had plenty of run ins with former and current players.

It therefore cannot be too much of a surprise that the two have combined to create the most explosive fireworks between coach and player in the NBA this season.

The big question is what happens now. Rondo was suspended for Dallas’ game on Wednesday by the team. The Mavericks lost to Atlanta and now must move forward or the entire season could become a huge mess for Dallas.

Everyone has seen the explosiveness. The two had a shouting match that was expletive laced for all the basketball world to witness and then another behind closed doors that per sources was more explosive than the first.

Tyson Chandler the Mavericks center and leader in the locker room said the incident should make the club stronger, following the loss to Atlanta.

Chandler said that clearing the air would likely help the team and help the two understand that they both want to win.

The root of the problem is the disagreement about whether Dallas is better off with the former Coach of the Year or the point guard who has played in four All-Star games calling the plays most of the time.

Rondo has played nine seasons in the league, has one of the league’s best basketball IQs and believes calling the plays is one of the biggest parts of his role as point guard.

Carlisle has one of the best minds in the NBA for offense and does not want to hand the responsibility of play calling off to Rondo.

The same type of friction took place the first year Carlisle coached Jason Kidd, except shouting matches between those two never appeared on television and both were hugely important in Dallas’ title run just a few seasons afterward.

Most feel the same will not happen in Dallas as most have the opinion Rondo will not be with Mavericks beyond this season.

The big question is if Rondo and Carlisle have found common ground that is necessary for the team and them to work together and provide Dallas with the opportunity to go deep into the NBA postseason.

Dirk Nowitzki the veteran forward for Dallas said that everyone would have to wait and see what happened going forward. The veteran did not sound as positive as teammate Chandler did about the situation.

Carlisle said that Rondo was extremely important to the team and the team’s success will hinge on how well he plays and how well the team plays with him. Carlisle called it a two way street. The Dallas coach said the incident was due to poor communication between both and that was the fault of both. He said he and Rondo talked at length about it on Wednesday and both have agreed to communicate more often.