Rajon Rondo has become a relic in the landscape of the modern NBA. Just three short years ago, Rondo looked like the premier point guard in the league when he performed brilliantly against the Heat in the second round of the playoffs. But since Rondo suffered an ACL injury in 2013, the line between brilliance and insanity has blurred.
The Sacramento Kings are kicking the tires on Rondo according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo,and it’ll be interesting if he ends up in purple and white, a far cry from his role less than three years ago.
Rondo received a phone call from Kings president of basketball operations Vlade Divac after the NBA’s free-agent market began at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday. Divac did not offer a contract to Rondo, but did invite him to visit Sacramento for face-to-face talks and a tour, a source said.
To invest in Rondo is to put hope in an NBA market inefficiency. He’s a ball-dominating point guard incapable of knocking down a jumper. The Mavs swung big on Rondo, hoping his intelligence would mask his deficiencies, but the modernity of the NBA swallowed him whole, with defenders daring him to shoot by sucking into the paint and cutting off any driving lanes when he set up that high pick and roll with Dirk Nowitzki.
Rondo wants to play slow and control every aspect of the offense. Ideally, he’s a guy who can get Boogie Cousins the ball in the right spots and create clean looks for Rudy Gay. However, when the ball is not in Rondo’s hands, his defender gravitates to the nearest threat and mucks up all the spacing.
Furthermore, Rondo and George Karl aren’t the coziest fit. Karl wants to play uptempo basketball, which is the same thing Rick Carlisle wanted from Rondo in Dallas. Between Rondo and Boogie, the Kings could have a fully formed mutiny by the time January rolls around.
The Kings have been trying to build a winning basketball team with a blindfold on. A Rajon Rondo signing would do nothing to change that trajectory.
