The professionalism filter in Rajon Rondo's brain finally broke.
Meeting with Chicago media for the first time in a while, the veteran point guard gave some blatantly honest answers regarding his diminished role on the Bulls. Fred Hoiberg, whose roster is seriously shorthanded tonight, did say that
Rondo will be the first man off the bench against the Washington Wizards. Apparently that news wasn't enough for Rondo to maintain the professionalism that Hoiberg and his teammates have praised during his benching.
The Q&A with the media started with some friendly banter. Rondo offered up a joke about playing pickup games to pass the time and stay in shape. K.C. Johnson of the
Chicago Tribune:
https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/818955513190813696
Rondo went on to
reiterate a point he made in his most recent interview, saying this benching is the most confused he's ever been in his career.
https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/818956124246462464
When asked about his meeting with front office bosses Gar Forman and John Paxson, Rondo said, "It really wasn't a clear-cut message." So I guess that hasn't changed since last week.
Perhaps fearing that Rondo was about to go off at the mouth, a Bulls PR representative tried to cut the interview short. But Rondo said no.
https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/818956421895225348
Sounds like Rondo really wanted to speak his mind about all this. To that end, he let the media know exactly what he thought about the explanation he was given for the benching:
https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/818956832110690304
Who exactly made those comments to Rondo? He wouldn't name names.
https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/818960802971602944
That kind of phrasing came as quite a surprise to Rondo.
https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/818961823164665856
What exactly did this mystery staff member mean by "save him from himself"? It's a fair question on Rondo's part. He may not have communicated his opinion of their reasoning with the utmost professionalism, but it's understandable that the guy is frustrated. He's making $14 million this season, he's a former champion with several All Star appearances, and he's not playing.
As for his relationship with Hoiberg? Well, I guess the honeymoon after their shared film session last summer was short lived.
https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/818960401819992065
Rajon managed to side-step the potential for more vulgarity in that answer, but it's still very clear that he isn't happy with the lack of communication with the coach who benched him.
January 10th, Bulls fans. Mark it on your calendar as the day the Rajon Rondo Experiment finally blew up in Chicago. It should be very interesting to see what he does coming off the bench against the Wizards tonight, and what more he has to say in the locker room after the game.