Rajon,
We really don't have time for this crap. We, meaning your teammates, your coaches, and the Mavericks fans, neither have the time nor inclination for any sort of diva act. The Mavericks have their best chance at doing something, anything in the playoffs since the 2010-11 title season. And you're the reason, to a certain extent.
But you are also becoming the reason they might not have a chance.
Tuesday night, the entire basketball world watched as you and Rick Carlisle got into an argument about playcalling during the game against the Toronto Raptors. Then we watched as the Mavericks came back to win with you on the bench. Then we watched Rick Carlisle shoot lasers from his eyes at ESPN Dallas' Tim MacMahon for asking what the problem was. He assured us it was over and that everyone would move on.
Then you went and got yourself suspended by escalating the issue further after the game and after Rick Carlisle went to bat for you with the media.
I can't believe we're even talking about this. Just who in the hell do you think you are? Is getting the last word more important to you than helping your team win games? You won a NBA championship as the fourth banana on a team with three future Hall of Famers...seven years ago. You've been living off your reputation for far too long. Getting suspended for conduct detrimental to the team 25 games into your tenure for a squad that's 18 games above .500 is ridiculous.
Rajon Rondo, simply put -- you are not bigger than the Dallas Mavericks.
I'm sure there are things that have gone on that we fans aren't privy to. I'm sure you have real reasons for being as mad about this as you are. But from our side of things, you're currently acting like a spoiled teenager who is mad at his folks for not letting him stay out past curfew. It's beneath you. It's beneath what you bring to this team and this game.
I'm really tired of fighting for you with friends and fans. I see the numbers, and I know that you're helping the Mavericks. I know that you've given the team the edge they need to potentially contend this season. But this kind of childish temper tantrum -- it makes watching my favorite team a chore. And you know, it's really, extraordinarily hard to make watching basketball with Dirk Nowitzki a chore.
You're losing the fanbase, who wanted -- still want -- so much to believe in you.
We Mavericks fans have been through this brand of hope before. In 2012, we struggled through an entire season of Lamar Odom, who constantly put himself above his teammates. His selfishness was the dark cloud over the season, and you can bet your bottom dollar that after that, Rick, Dirk, Mark Cuban, or any of the other old hats in the Mavericks locker room are not interested in a lost season. Not when the team has this much potential.
I'll tell you something, Rajon -- something you may not be aware of yet. Mavericks basketball in 2015 is a team of underdogs. The roster is littered with players who have been written off as past their primes. Guys who are on their second or third acts and who really want to crash the playoff party come April and May. If you could see that -- if you could wake up from your haze of self-importance -- you could push this team from fringe status to actual contender.
But not if you don't pull back from this path and get it the hell together. Dallas needs you, if the Mavericks want to make any noise in the playoffs. But they can, and will, also find a way without you. That's how this organization works.
Look Rajon, I'm not telling you this because I'm mad at you (though I am) or because I don't care (I really do). I'm writing to let you know that we need you. Sure, there are times where the offense gets mucked up, but there are also times where Dallas can't get into basic sets. The Mavs need a steady hand. They also need your defense, when you're focused enough to play it. The West is too damn hard and we've seen just enough flashes to hope that Rondo the defensive wizard is still within you.
So, what's it going to be: Rajon Rondo or the Dallas Mavericks? The organization was willing to take a risk on you, trading a popular bench anchor for a star point guard. Now, you need to take a risk on them.
Sincerely,
Kirk Henderson
Concerned Fan and MFFL
