Slide over Lamar Odom, you’ve got company.
Make room for the latest member into the club of all-time Mavericks’ villains. And get comfortable Rajon Wrongdo, you’re going to be here a while.
I know Rondo didn’t exactly ask to come to Dallas, but the Mavs rolled out the red carpet for him after the December trade. They tweaked their free-flowing offense to allow for his over-dribbling and probing at point guard. And even the stubborn Rick Carlisle turned the other cheek and afforded a second chance after Rondo ignored him and then yelled at him during a game.
But Rondo’s Game 2 preposterous performance warranted an indefinite departure, cloaked in a “back injury.” Rondo’s not hurt, but the damage he’s done to the Mavs is fatal.
Before he got here the Mavs were 19-8 and boasted the highest-scoring offense in the NBA. Since his arrival they are only 31-26 and now face an 0-2 playoff deficit against the Rockets without their starting point guard and star small forward (Chandler Parsons).
In other words, the season is over. And so is Rondo’s time in Dallas.
He’ll leave this summer in free agency without an offer from the Mavs, who back in the Winter considered him the missing piece to their championship-caliber puzzle.
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But now Rondo will only be remembered as a pouting, boorish, over-the-hill prima donna who feuded with his coach and who in Game 2 against the Rockets cared so little that he was consumed with picking a fight with James Harden and walked the ball up the court so slowly he incurred a rare 8-second violation for a turnover.
In other words, good riddance. Rondo’s lousy legacy in Dallas now stacks up against the Mavs’ all-time villains:
10. Shawn Bradley – Don Nelson acquired him in ’97 as a “franchise cornerstone,” but his perceived lack of effort made him a nightly 7-foot-6 bulls-eye.
9. David West/Kenyon Martin – Each had the audacity to disrespect Dirk, West with a touch on the cheek in ‘08 and Martin with a violent shove into the stands in ‘09.
8. Roy Tarpley – So many wasted chances. So much wasted talent.
7. Jason Kidd – Sure he returned and hoisted a championship trophy in ’11, but in ’96 he whined his way out of Dallas via a “me or Jim Jackson” ultimatum to management.
6. Tim Duncan – This one’s actually a compliment, as no player has tormented the Mavs like the Spurs’ Hall-of-Fame forward. Add in his constant whining and complaining about fouls and, well, you get the picture.
5. Rajon Rondo – Traded for as the missing piece, he arrived in Dallas to argue with Rick Carlisle and blatantly not give a rat’s ass during a playoff game against the Rockets. Deemed such a liability, he was sidelined by a mysterious “back injury” the remainder of the series.
4. Derek Fisher – Two months after bailing on the Mavs in ’13 because he missed his family, he signed with the Thunder for a shot at an NBA title.
3. Lamar Odom – Quit on the team so badly in ’12 that owner Mark Cuban ultimately paid him to go away.
2. Kiki Vandeweghe – Mavs’ first draft pick (11th overall in ’80) refused to play in Dallas, was traded to Denver and relentlessly booed at Reunion Arena during his entire 13-year playing career.
1. Dwyane Wade – Flopped his way to ’06 Finals win over Dallas, then mocked Dirk’s cough in ’11 Finals.
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.
