Report: Rondo didn't receive playoff share from Mavs; back injury was bogus
As if their parting wasn't acrimonious enough, the Dallas Mavericks gave exiled point guard Rajon Rondo a healthy kick in the rear on his way out the door.
The Mavericks were reportedly so unimpressed with Rondo's performance in the two playoff games he appeared in - before being ruled out indefinitely with a "back injury" - they decided to deny him a bonus.
Multiple sources: Rajon Rondo did not receive a playoff share from the Dallas Mavericks.
— Eddie Sefko (@ESefko) April 29, 2015
On top of his lousy body language amid festering tensions with head coach Rick Carlisle, Rondo averaged just 9.5 points and three assists in the two games - both losses - and picked up nearly six fouls per 36 minutes.
Rondo was a poor fit in Dallas from the get-go, but there remained hope that he would somehow come alive in the postseason, as he's been known to do. That just wasn't the case, though.
While it wasn't enough to turn the series back in their favor, the Mavericks' offense took off when Rondo was removed:
| Playoff Mavs | O-Rtg | D-Rtg | Net | AstRatio | TS% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| With "Playoff Rondo" | 92.0 | 126.3 | -34.3 | 13.3 | 48.9% |
| Without "Playoff Rondo" | 108.8 | 105.0 | 3.8 | 15.7 | 54.1% |
Once it became clear that "Playoff Rondo" wasn't going to arrive, the Mavericks and Rondo made a mutual decision to part ways, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, who said the back injury was fabricated to help the former All-Star "save face."
Despite all of this, Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson is standing by the decision to roll the dice on a version of Rondo that had appeared to be in decline for several years. Dallas surrendered useful pieces in Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright and two draft picks, as well as Jameer Nelson, in the deal.
"If we had to do it all over again, we definitely would," Nelson said.
It was a calculated risk for a franchise that felt it needed to make a play for a higher ceiling, one that's cost the Mavericks some assets moving forward and may have cost Rondo some money.
An impending unrestricted free agent, Rondo's reputation has suffered irreparable damage in the span of a few weeks. Even the Los Angeles Lakers, once thought a natural and inevitable landing spot, are no longer sure how they feel about him.
Rondo and his agent were said to be seeking a max deal as recently as November - a month before he was traded to Dallas. It's safe to say that ship has sailed off the face of the earth.