I have some concerns with Rondo but his ego, passing and defense aren't anywhere near the top of the list.
It's not surprising that Rondo clashed with Carlisle. He's a very good coach but also the closest modern comparison to Fratello with Popovich's habit of riding all his players hard. He wants to call out a play on pretty much every possession and also can be relentlessly critical of his guys. Given Rondo's attitude I'm not surprised that their relationship didn't work at all.
I think he and Karl will get along fine. BUT the big concern there is Karl's desire to play fast and Rondo's tendency to walk the ball up each time. I think Karl will be fine letting Rondo call plays as long as he gets the rhythm and pace he wants out of him. So that's one concern of mine. The other is obviously his shooting which doesn't help when the Kings were already a poor outside shooting team.
But I think Rondo will get along fine with Cousins & Gay, not to mention WCS, Collison, McLemore, Bellinelli and Casspi, I don't see where the clash would come from. Rondo's biggest skill is passing and finding guys for easy looks. It isn't as if he's a chucker that will alienate his teammates. And defensively if he can't get engaged this year then I think he has to know his value on the market is only going to decrease just as the salary cap is exploding.
No, if his poor shooting doesn't hurt the Kings too much I'm guessing we'll see a very good year out of Rondo. And probably a fair amount of he and Collison on the floor together to close out games.
It's not surprising that Rondo clashed with Carlisle. He's a very good coach but also the closest modern comparison to Fratello with Popovich's habit of riding all his players hard. He wants to call out a play on pretty much every possession and also can be relentlessly critical of his guys. Given Rondo's attitude I'm not surprised that their relationship didn't work at all.
I think he and Karl will get along fine. BUT the big concern there is Karl's desire to play fast and Rondo's tendency to walk the ball up each time. I think Karl will be fine letting Rondo call plays as long as he gets the rhythm and pace he wants out of him. So that's one concern of mine. The other is obviously his shooting which doesn't help when the Kings were already a poor outside shooting team.
But I think Rondo will get along fine with Cousins & Gay, not to mention WCS, Collison, McLemore, Bellinelli and Casspi, I don't see where the clash would come from. Rondo's biggest skill is passing and finding guys for easy looks. It isn't as if he's a chucker that will alienate his teammates. And defensively if he can't get engaged this year then I think he has to know his value on the market is only going to decrease just as the salary cap is exploding.
No, if his poor shooting doesn't hurt the Kings too much I'm guessing we'll see a very good year out of Rondo. And probably a fair amount of he and Collison on the floor together to close out games.