DALLAS – Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo has a back injury that will keep him out indefinitely, according to the Mavs organization.
When head coach Rick Carlisle was asked Wednesday if he expects Rondo back in a Mavs uniform again, he bluntly said, "No, I don't."
Carlisle said he knew at halftime Tuesday that Rondo's back was bothering him. He said the All-Star guard has played through pain before, but shouldn't have played in the second half of Game 2.
Rondo won't be with the team in the immediate future, Carlisle said.
After Tuesday's game, Carlisle was asked why Rondo didn't see the floor often. Carlisle merely cited a "coach's decision," and never mentioned an injury. The sequence of events has brought varied interpretations of the true motivation behind the Rondo move.
"I like Rondo," Carlisle said. "My relationship with him was professional. We learned a lot going through this, trying to make this thing work. The fact that it manifests now with an injury...is something we didn't want."
He spoke in past tense about his team's point guard, and cut off questions from media about Rondo shortly after making that statement.
According to the team, Rondo is seeking "additional medical opinions."
Rondo played just 10 minutes against the Houston Rockets Tuesday night, and just 36 seconds in the second half. The point guard had four fouls plus a technical foul in his limited playing time, as well as a backcourt violation when he failed to move the ball past half court in eight seconds, despite no defensive pressure from the Rockets.
Carlisle said Wednesday that a bump Rondo took while defending James Harden that knocked him to the floor is what caused the back injury.
The Mavs also announced Wednesday that Chandler Parsons is done for the season, stemming from his right knee injury. The team says Parsons is exploring surgical options to address the injury.
Carlisle said he believes surgery is "a certainty," but that he expects Parsons will make a full recovery.
And, if you're a glass-half-full kind of Mavericks fan, the team says Devin Harris is probable for Game 3 against the Rockets on Friday night.
Rondo is a free agent at the end of the season.
Devin Harris was upgraded to probable for Friday's Game 3.
Hear Rick Carlisle's comments about the Mavericks' injuries in full here:
