The Dallas Mavericks’ season imploded over the course of 24 hours. On Tuesday night the Mavs dug themselves into an 0-2 hole against the Houston Rockets. On Wednesday afternoon they announced Rajon Rondo would be out indefinitely with a back injury and Chandler Parsons will miss the rest of the season with a right knee injury.
Rondo played a career-low 10 minutes in Game 2 against the Rockets. In the first half, Rondo committed an 8-second violation without facing any pressure in the backcourt. Rick Carlisle benched Rondo after he picked up two fouls and a technical in the first 30 seconds of the third quarter and never put him back in the game. After the game, Rondo refused to speak to reporters.
Confirming an earlier report, Rick Carlisle said he doesn’t expect to see Rondo in a Mavericks uniform again. Rondo will be a free agent this summer and nothing indicates that he’ll be in a Maverick uniform next year. While providing a defensive lift, Rondo has thrown a wrench into the Mavs’ high-powered offense. His poor shooting has been a major issue within the framework of the Maverick offense.
Parsons missed the final six games of the regular season with a right knee injury. He returned for Game 1 against the Rockets, but aggravated the injury after landing awkwardly on a dunk. Doctors have not found anything structurally wrong with Parsons’ knee, but he has been dealing with severe pain for quite sometime.
The Mavs face a steep uphill climb without two of their starters against the Rockets.
