Rajon Rondo recently got in a heated argument with coach Rick Carlisle, creating speculation that the superstar point guard will not re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks and move to Los Angeles Lakers or New York Knicks when he hits free agency in the offseason.
However, in an interview with ESPN Dallas, Rondo sounded like he has already moved on and is ready to continue helping the Mavericks reach their goal not only this year, but in seasons to come.
"I'm going to do what's best for the team and play my heart out for these next 22, 23 games that we have left and make a run in the playoffs," Rondo said. "I think we have a great chance to win a championship. That's my main focus. I'm going to continue to work to get better and do what's best to lead this team."
Rondo, who was acquired by the Mavericks in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Celtics earlier in the season, had a shouting match against Carlisle during their loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.
Carlisle was reportedly irked with Rondo after ignoring a play-call from the bench. Sources also indicated that the two had a more heated discussion in the locker room after the game. But after the incident, Rondo confirmed that he has already talked to Carlisle several times to clear the air.
"I just got built-up frustration," Rondo said of the well-publicized heated exchange with Carlisle. "I take a lot of the blame for what I've been doing on the court, but just a little frustrated. The most important thing is communication with Coach. I've talked to a lot of the coaches, I've talked to a lot of staff members."
Rondo declined to reveal, though, if he was given more freedom to call plays for the team. The All-Star point guard was reportedly frustrated with the way Carlisle is calling majority of their plays, unlike in Boston, where he was trusted to call plays most of the time.
Rondo, who averaged 9.0 points to go along with 6.2 assists and 4.5 rebounds in his first 25 games in Dallas, has had the reputation of being hard to coach. Previous reports indicated that the former Kentucky standout also had run-ins with coach Doc River when both of them were still with the Celtics.
