Rajon Rondo will be on the Boston Garden parquet floor on Friday night, but he won’t be wearing green. Rondo will be leading a Dallas Mavericks team that traded for him two weeks ago–a Mavericks team that has to feel Rondo is the player to put them back into the championship conversation.
Rondo is one of the few legitimate “immediate impact” players in the league–he comes to Dallas with a championship ring, eight years experience, very high basketball IQ and plenty to prove. (His final years with Boston were a combination of tantalizing and disappointing, perhaps inevitably given the roster.) Rondo is also playing in a contract year and for validation. But Friday, a proud Rondo won’t need more motivation than a visit to a team–and GM Danny Ainge–who thought they’d be better off without him. Can you say Triple Double? Mavs-Celtics should be a fun one to watch. 7:30 on NBA TV.
