It's not necessarily news, but Dallas Mavericks point guard Rajon Rondo and coach Rick Carlisle aren't getting along.
And, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, there's no chance Rondo returns to Dallas next season unless Carlisle is out of the picture.
From Wojnarowski:
Everything's pushing Rondo closer to his inevitable free-agent fleeing to the Lakers this summer. As long as the coach is back, Rondo's gone, sources told Yahoo Sports. The parting could be mutual.
The report comes in the wake of the Mavs' 111-99 loss to the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Tuesday night, in which Rondo played all of 10 minutes - and precisely 34 seconds in the second half - finishing with as many fouls (four) as points.
Rondo, who was even whistled for an eight-second backcourt violation Tuesday, is a combined minus-36 in the first two games of the series.
The eighth-year guard refused to speak to media after Game 2, and Carlisle offered little in regards to his absence from the floor.
"You have to ask him that question," Carlisle told reporters when asked if Rondo was bothered by his benching. "All I know right now is that we need everybody at their competitive best ... this isn't about one guy who did or didn't play."
The worst fears of Dallas fans are coming true this week. The veteran has not transformed into "Playoff Rondo," the archetype who averaged 14.5 points, 9.1 assists and two steals in 92 postseason games prior to this season. Instead, he continues to wreak havoc on the Mavs' spacing.
To make matters worse for Dallas, Chandler Parsons is reportedly finished for the series due to his right knee injury, according to Wojnarowski.
