Things didn’t work out between Rajon Rondo and the Dallas Mavericks last season.
But we had no idea they were the head-coach-tried-to-tow-your-car bad.
Head coach Rick Carlisle and Rondo, now of the Sacramento Kings, clearly had their issues with one another during their short time together. Carlisle likes to have control over what’s happening on the court, and Rondo is the same way. The two clashed, and even though Rondo was dismissed from the team in the middle of the playoffs, we’ll likely never know just how bad their partnership was.
What we now know is that Carlisle once tried to have Rondo’s car towed, per ESPN.com’s Tim MacMahon:
Story I forgot to tell yesterday: Rick Carlisle got heated when someone parked in his AAC spot last year. Wanted car towed. It was Rondo.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 1, 2015
Was this the root of every issue ever between Carlisle and Rondo?
Sure, Rick Carlisle didn’t seem to know it was Rondo who dared steal his spot. But he tried to have it forcibly removed, and ignorance, in Rondo’s eyes, doesn’t make this any less of an act of war. Rondo likely saw it as a power move by Carlisle and then decided to give him hell.*
(*There’s no way this true.)
On another note: Couldn’t you totally picture Rick Carlisle going berserk over something as ostensibly meaningless as a parking spot? I’d love to see the security footage of him rolling up and seeing that his beloved space was occupied. A screen shot of his initial facial expression at the very least would be a delight.
Anyway…Let this be a lesson to us all: Don’t take Carlisle’s parking spot, otherwise you’ll end up in Sacramento playing for the Kings.
