Rondo's sense of humor sparks uproar, but all's good in Kingsland

Share

The art of sarcasm is quietly fading. In the world of 140 character tweets and strings of three word text messages, we are losing the ability to tell when someone is angry or happy or sad, unless there is an emoji attached that clearly defines a mood.

Rajon Rondo is quickly figuring this out after an off the cuff remark to a young reporter is making it’s way around the internet world. When asked about his relationship with head coach George Karl following Tuesday’s win over the Lakers, Rondo had this to say:

“It’s not been going too well,” Rondo said. “We got into a couple of arguments the last couple of days, but hopefully we continue to talk and get better.”

The instant reaction from coast-to-coast ranged from “I told you so,” to “here we go again.” Rondo has a history that follows him and this played into the idea that he is a malcontent. Karl also has a history and there are a lot of people around the basketball world who were waiting for these two personalities to clash.

But according to Rondo, this is much ado about nothing. He was joking and all is good in Kingsland.

“Anyone that knows me, I have a dry sense of humor, I can keep a straight face when I’m joking,” Rondo told an assembled media. “Nothing between George and I.”

[RELATED: Kings maintain lead, stave off Lakers in Vegas]

His coach voiced a similar sentiment when asked about the latest Kings drama.

“You’re being tricked, you’re being tricked” Karl said following practice. “Rondo is hilarious. My relationship with Rondo is so good, if it gets better, I’d get scared.”

Karl backed his point guard, but at the same time kept some perspective. The veteran coach knows that he and Rondo both have strong personalities, but he’s ready for the challenge.

“Rondo and I are going to have a lot of fights, we’re going to have a lot of discussions,” Karl added. “But it’s never been a problem.”

The 29-year-old former All-Star tried to downplay the video in question. According to Rondo, he wasn’t supposed to do media last night due to a hoarse voice. But he saw a young, green reporter and thought he would play with him a bit.

“He was new and knew I could have some fun with it,” Rondo said.

Once he finished the interview, Rondo said he informed his coach so there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings.

“As soon as the game was over, I told George that I told a reporter that we had four or five arguments last week and he laughed about it,” Rondo said.

The Sacramento Kings spent the summer as the national media’s punching bag. A beef between Karl and DeMarcus Cousins kept writers busy throughout the offseason and the addition of Rondo only fed the narrative.

Through two weeks of training camp and preseason games, there has very little drama behind the scenes to report. And whatever issues that may be going on, the team is doing a better job of keeping under wraps.

“We know what’s going on inside our house and everything’s fine,” Rondo said.

Was it all a joke? We probably have to take Rondo’s word for now. But in the hypersensitive world of the Sacramento Kings, there is little room for nuanced humor. Next time Rondo may want to add an LOL or maybe a smilie face to the end of his deadpanned recorded interviews.

Contact Us