Cuban downplays incident and insists everything is fine…
Dallas Mavericks point guard Rajon Rondo has been suspended for one game after his altercation with coach Rick Carlisle on Tuesday night.
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The Mavs have put it down to “conduct detrimental to the team” after Rondo exchanged words with Carlisle during Tuesday’s win over the Toronto Raptors before being benched for the final 20 minutes of the games.
The 29-year-old travelled with the team to the Atlanta Hawks game on Wednesday, but he didn’t feature in the 104-87 loss.
“The events of last night are now in the past, and we’ve got to move forward,” Carlisle said to open his pregame media availability Wednesday, according to ESPN.
“I need to say this very clearly: He is an extremely important part of our team. Our efforts to get to the highest possible level largely hinge on him playing and playing well with him. He needs to play well with us, and we need to play well with him. It’s a two-way street.
Carlisle insisted that both men put it down to a breakdown in communication and that given the critical stage of the season, they both agreed that they need to put the situation behind them and move forward with the team’s best interests in mind.
It comes after media reports that Rondo and Carlisle were involved in a second emotionally charged dispute in the locker room after the game which was swiftly followed by the announcement that the former had been suspended for a game.
Rondo has averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 assists and 2.9 turnovers in 25 games with the Mavs this season after securing a move in a trade deal with the Boston Celtics in January.
While he does have a history, owner Mark Cuban insists that it is nothing new as he has seen similar issues numerous times in his 15 years of being involved in the NBA. Cuban is confident that the pair will move on from their dispute and help the team compete for a championship this year.
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