Los Angeles Lakers: Rajon Rondo may have paid a huge price

Will the fight with Chris Paul cost Rajon Rondo his starting spot on the Los Angeles Lakers?

As a Rajon Rondo fan this will be a sad article to write. As a writer for Lake Show Life I have to admit a mistake which is worse. The Los Angeles Lakers made a big mistake in signing Rajon Rondo.

Look I get it, he was signed for a one-year deal to hold some cap space for future deals and to mentor Lonzo Ball. The Lakers were banking on Rajon Rondo’s momentum built on the savage beat down he orchestrated leading the New Orleans Pelicans’ sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers in the playoffs last season. In theory, this was a low risk, high reward signing for the front office of the Los Angeles Lakers…

Over the last few days, I see that this is not going to work. The situation that started on Saturday night will carry over and continue as long as Rondo is in a Lakers uniform.

I’ve seen it throughout his career over too many franchises before and if you haven’t been paying attention like I have, you will see it with the Lakers.

Unless you are a non NBA fan, you are well aware of the fight that broke out between Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul on a nationally televised ESPN game on Saturday night. Brandon Ingram got everything started with a push on James Harden which led to him getting into a referee’s face and sucker punching Chris Paul during the skirmish.

This fight led to a heated debate that went in so many directions on social media and even this website. There was many a discussion in the comments section of the article below…

Los Angeles Lakers: People are missing the point about the fight!

The Los Angeles Lakers lost more than a game last night to the Houston Rockets. They lost their starting point guard and Brandon Ingram!

I can’t say all of the comments were classy, but there was positive dialogue. Check out what was said and weigh in. As we know, this story is not going anywhere. About a month ago I wrote a piece wondering why people were so opposed the the Rondo signing…

Los Angeles Lakers: Rajon Rondo…what did this guy do to you?

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo is an NBA champion. Yes, he is an acquired taste but has the ingredient to a winning formula.

I want to give a shout out to two guys that had strong comments to the signing…

Let’s start with Mr. Ed…

"Some reasons not to like Rondo:1) He has been a “problem child” most of his career. He has battled with teammates, coaches & opposing players.2) He is well past his prime- last time he made the all-star team was 5 years ago.3) He is no longer the defensive stopper he once was.4) He is & always has been a weak shooterHaving said that, he MIGHT be suitable for a back-up PG role, if he follow thru on his pledge to help Lonzo develop (in court management- definitely NOT in shooting).Thankfully he’s on just a 1-year contract & probably won’t be here next year (especially if the Lakers sign another elite FA to a max contract) when things really start to get serious."

and finally Daniel Malchow…

"I know as veterans wind down their careers they do act more mature… but some things are hard to dismiss when your temperament is generally opposing vs. agreeing… I hope he mentors Lonzo and not create a scene… He says he will… but…"

Two things here…One, they are right on and I was dead wrong for not listening! I’ll admit it. It’s not the fight that is my problem with Rondo, it’s how he can’t thank God and quite a few others in the NBA league office and show some remorse. Instead he wants to do the opposite.

Instead of apologizing and sitting around quietly until his criminally short three game suspension is over, he keeps stoking the flames.

Despite the video evidence that shows him spitting at Chris Paul, he just starts badmouthing him…

Here’s his statement courtesy of the Washington Post.

"“Of course, the NBA went with his side because I got three games and he got two,” Rondo, 32, told ESPN. “Everyone wants to believe Chris Paul is a good guy. They don’t know he’s a horrible teammate. They don’t know how he treats people.”"

Hey Rajon Rondo! I say this with all sincerity…WHO CARES! You are right though, I don’t know how Chris Paul treats people. I’ve never been his teammate (But have you?) either, so I’ll give you that as well. The NBA to be honest gave everyone involved a break with the length of suspension that was doled out. The fact that Brandon Ingram only got four games shows everyone got off light!

But the point is this Rajon…the NBA is suspending you because of this!!!!!!

Rajon Rondo on what happened…

"As Rondo explained it to ESPN, “I had a mouthpiece in my mouth and I exasperated because I was about to tell him to ‘get the [expletive] out of here.’ ” It’s possible that, rather than “exasperated,” Rondo meant to say “expectorated,” but his point was that if spittle from his mouth landed on Paul’s face, it was not by design.“Y’all are playing me with these tricks or these mind games, tampering with the evidence,” the 13th-year point guard asserted. “Ain’t no way that I intentionally spit on you with my body language the way it was.“One, if I spit on you, bottom line, there is not going to be no finger-pointing. If you felt that I just spit on you, then all bets are off. Two, look at my body language. If I spit on you on purpose, I’m going to be ready for a man to swing on me. You ain’t going to have my hands on my hip and my head look away at someone if I spit on them.”"

Instead of taking responsibility for what you did for escalating the incident and making it ugly, you come up with a explanation that has nothing to do with what you did. The other two players expressed regret…what’s Rondo’s issue? Shoot, Ingram looked appreciative that the suspension was only four games. He even thought he would get more.

Okay, Chris Paul could be exactly what you say…a bad teammate that could be a complete fraud. There are people all over the world that fits that description. Do we go out and spit on them? This is looking worse and worse for the Lakers who is looking for THIS guy for leadership on a team with a bunch of young players. One for sure, in Brandon Ingram who had a severe lapse in judgement. He reportedly apologized to his teammates. I have not heard about Rondo doing the same as of this writing.

Now the situation has expanded to who is a better teammate and who don’t want to play with who? This is childish and stupid. Instead of trying to get past the embarrassment which the NBA, the two franchises, Ingram and Paul would like to do, Rondo tries to turn it into a popularity contest using the same media he claims is…”playing him”.

Refresh my memory, isn’t this the guy that got suspended for bumrushing the Clippers locker room last year? With Chris Paul? LAPD getting called? The TNT crew about to cry laughing…

Now mark my words…this toxicity will spill over into the Lakers locker room. Think it won’t happen? Since the suspensions, all of a sudden the Lakers look very good. They came two missed free throws and a jumper from LeBron James from beating the Spurs and rode into Phoenix and destroyed the Suns. The lineup changes since Ingram and Rondo have been out have been very, very successful.

One of those changes was putting Lonzo Ball in the lineup as the starting point guard. Since then the offense has been wildly efficient, now the question is, how does Rajon Rondo handle the possibility of going back to the bench?

Chemistry is very important folks! It seems that Luke Walton passed his exam by the skin of his teeth by FINALLY inserting Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart in the starting lineup with Lonzo Ball and now the Lakers look like a NBA team that can go to the playoffs all of a sudden.

Based on Rondo’s past and what you have seen lately…Do you really think he’s going to sacrifice and take one for the team? In his mind he didn’t do anything wrong to Chris Paul who just happens to be LeBron James’ closest friends…

Remember…

Well Rondo will. He will look for somebody to vent his frustrations to. Why? Because Rajon came to Los Angeles to start. I don’t care what he said in the preseason. Remember LeBron James said he would play the four and the five spot. How did that work out?

Based on what has gone on, he will definitely blame Chris Paul for his possible benching. Good luck getting LeBron James to back him on that argument. Everybody knows that LeBron has a short list of people on planet Earth he will stand by. Unfortunately for Rondo, Paul happens to be on that list. If this scenario plays out this way, he will think James sold him out. Is it right? Nope.

But that didn’t stop him from doing the same thing in Chicago and becoming a distraction and getting suspended.

It didn’t stop him from clashing his way out of Boston and getting traded to Dallas.

Do we even have to talk about what happened in Dallas…he was sent home about what 30 days later with a reputation of quitting on his teammates?

New Orleans did not break their necks to offer Rondo a contract according to Rondo. The Pelicans are undefeated right now…coincidence?

Now Lakers fans we get to see three things when Ingram and Rondo comeback from their respective suspensions…

One…Will they get their starting positions back?

Two…Does Luke Walton Really have control of this team?

Finally, if Rondo did lose his starting spot in a contract year, how long will it take for him to implode in the locker room?

The Los Angeles Lakers have started their long journey through the NBA season. Lake Show Life will be there every step of the way. Continue to check in for Lakers news, previews and reviews.