Rajon Rondo, Sacramento Kings Have a Lot of Doubters to Silence Next Season

Rajon Rondo has come to Sacramento, headlining a series of summer acquisitions that also includes Marco Belinelli, Kosta Koufos, Caron Butler, Luc Mbah a Moute and rookie Willie Cauley-Stein. All will make important contributions, but Rondo's may be team-defining. He now carries a chip on his shoulder, and that could be good thing.

One way or another, this is going to be interesting. Things in Sacramento are reaching a point of no return where the George Karl experiment will either turn a frustrated franchise around or implode entirely. Either way, you should be paying close attention to the Kings franchise in the coming months—and to one King in particular: Rondo.

"I'm excited that everybody's doubting us," Rondo recently told reporters in Las Vegas. "All the negative things that are going toward Sacramento as far as me coming—and the Cousins and [head coach] George Karl thing—I think there's been a lot of naysayers, a lot of doubters my entire career. And I just love to prove people wrong."

He'll have a chance to do so this season alongside center DeMarcus Cousins, forward Rudy Gay and guard Darren Collison—a solid core that could be one of the season's surprise success stories if all goes according to plan. But the doubters Rondo cites have a point. The Kings have, at times, seemed desperate and dysfunctional this summer, and there's only so much talent can do to fix that.

If anyone's up to the task, though, it might be Rondo.

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

"I've been basically challenged my whole life," the four-time All-Star told media on Tuesday. "It is what it is. A lot of people didn't expect me to come this far in the NBA. I have no doubts about what my talents can do. ... Life is about handling adversity and I've dealt with a little bit of adversity this past season."

In addition to his struggles in Dallas last season, a torn ALC in 2013 derailed the nine-year veteran's career in Boston. The now-healthy Rondo—a champion in 2008—can draw upon that experience to become part of the solution in Sacramento. He's still a formidable player on the floor, and given the right culture, his leadership should translate into tangible results. Karl told reporters on Tuesday:

"

He's going to challenge us as coaches, because I think he knows the game and he'll have some things, we'll probably some give and take on. But this kid's an All-Star, he's a triple-double machine when he's playing well. He likes to lead teams, he leads teams with a spirit that has some toughness to it.

He's a pass-first point guard, which I think is important. In the end, he and Darren (Collison) really excite me. We're going to have two guys who can take control of the team, play together, and keep the pace of the game where we can play with a lot of freedom and creativity, and also play without turnovers.

"

There are always risks with Rondo, but there are also real opportunities. Karl knows that, too.

"It's going to be fun coaching him," Karl added. "I think he wants to lead our team but he also wants to be part of the decision-making. That can be somewhat combustible but it can also work on a high level because I think we're all trying to make the team the best."

Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

The Kings got solid contributions from Collison a season ago, but Rondo is capable of transforming the squad with his selfless approach to floor leadership. The big question is which Rondo will show up. He was never much better than mediocre last season, particularly during his 46 games with the Dallas Mavericks.

After posting a characteristically impressive 10.8 assists per contest in 22 games with the Boston Celtics, that mark fell to 6.5 assists per game with Dallas. Rondo never found a groove under head coach Rick Carlisle, and he's hoping that changes with Karl's system.

Season	PER	USG %	TS %	AST %	Win Shares
2006-07	13.1	16.5	.472	26.3	2.4
2007-08	15.6	18.9	.515	28.2	7.2
2008-09	18.8	19.2	.543	39.7	9.9
2009-10	19.1	20.2	.540	43.7	9.6
2010-11	17.1	18.3	.495	47.1	6.6
2011-12	17.5	20.7	.483	52.5	4.9
2012-13	18.1	21.7	.516	49.3	3.2
2013-14	15.3	21.3	.461	47.7	1.1
2014-15	13.5	19.5	.448	39.3	1.6

Rondo added:

"

I think the point guard is extremely important in George's system. George and I always have to be on the same page, and if we communicate every day, we will be...

Things happen in life, you learn from them, you go on. But to have the opportunity to be somewhere you want to be, and they welcome you as well, I think it's a great fit. So far. We haven't played any games, coach Karl hasn't kicked me out of any practices yet, so we will see how it goes.

"

Rondo is notoriously hard-headed, and that could cut both ways with the Kings. At times, it may try Karl's patience. At others, it may be key to overcoming daily obstacles in a crowded Western Conference. For now, one can only hope Rondo has tuned out the madness surrounding the organization's sometimes bizarre offseason.

In June, ESPN.com reported that, "The Los Angeles Lakers are interested in trading for Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins, as ESPN's Marc Stein has reported, but a source close to the Kings tells ESPN's Chris Broussard that owner Vivek Ranadive will not allow coach George Karl to trade Cousins."

Fallout from that and other reports cast serious doubt about the chemistry between Karl, the front office and ownership. That's not Rondo's problem directly, but it speaks to the kind of distractions he'll have to surmount this season.

It reasons to be a bit of a project for Karl and Cousins, too. They met with each other the first time this summer in Las Vegas, exchanging a handshake, according to the Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones.

"We have a lot of time to get back on the same page," Karl recently told Jones. "Summer talk and summer drama I've always thought is hype, and so much of it is untrue. I'm not going to get into it. But Cuz and I, we have to work together to get that together, and I think we will."

It's a somewhat rosy outlook from the man who reportedly wanted Cousins traded. Perhaps those reports were overblown, but there may still be damage in need of repair. Before Rondo and Co. can earnestly do their jobs, Karl must forge some rapport with his mega-talented big man. The Kings won't go far otherwise, and the last thing they need are ongoing rumors of disaffection or prospective trades.

Now's the time for a little harmony and stability. Sacramento must preserve whatever continuity it can at this juncture, building upon last season's core rather than replacing it entirely. So far, the front office has managed to do just that, tweaking the roster around the margins and adding a potential difference-maker at the point guard spot. Karl would be wise to embrace that roster and see where it leads.

And he'd be even wiser to let Rondo help.

"They're going to get a great leader on and off the court and in the locker room," Rondo told Jones of what he offers the franchise. "I'm still learning myself, but I think if we surround ourselves with positive people, guys like Vlade [Divac], Bobby Jackson coming around, Peja Stojakovic, former players. With the great owner that we have now, I think the sky's the limit."

It's an optimistic assessment, sure, but there's something refreshing about that. Rondo's buy-in is a key precondition to everything else, particularly to averting yet another distraction—something this organization can ill afford as it embarks upon the 2015-16 campaign.