A Royal Pain
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Rajon Rondo To Serve Questionable One-Game Suspension

By Rafe Wong

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Rajon Rondo has been a big surprise for the Sacramento Kings this season, as he has become a major component to how the Kings offense functions.

The Kings are currently ranked 4th in the league in points per game (104.9), as well as ranked 5th in the league in assists (24.3 a game). Rondo deserves a lot of credit for this.

Taking big man DeMarcus Cousins out of the conversation, Rondo may be the most important player on the Kings roster, as his ability to direct the offense has greatly contributed to the team’s success. But unfortunately the Kings will be without their orchestrator Tuesday night when they face the Houston Rockets.

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Yesterday afternoon it was reported that Rondo would face a one-game suspension due to his ejection against the Boston Celtics in Mexico City. For Kings fans it was tough and confusing news to handle not only because of how impactful Rondo is on the court, but also why he is even being suspended.

Based on the video it seemed before Rondo received his second technical foul that all he did was stare at the referee and walked away (video here). But it has been reported that Rondo perhaps aimed an offensive remark back at the referee who eventually ejected him, and also Rondo departing the court in a defiant way contributed to the NBA’s decision as well (per ESPN). Even if this was the case (although video doesn’t show it), it still seems extreme of the NBA to serve Rondo this punishment.

First of all, why now? Rondo’s ejection took place 9 days ago and the Kings have played 4 games since. It seemed like the issue was put to bed once Rondo left the court that night, and if the NBA wanted to take further action on the issue it should have been dealt with a lot earlier than now.

Also, it was questioned why Rondo was even being ejected in the first place. To be fair he did argue with the referee beforehand which lead to the first technical foul, but the second time around was ludicrous as it seemed a simple stare at the ref was enough to trigger his ejection. It’s almost as absurd as when Joey Crawford ejected Tim Duncan for laughing on the bench (video here).

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Overall, it’s just puzzling why Rondo is serving this suspension. The ejection seemed harsh enough at the time, and now knowing that it lead to a suspension is just ridiculous. Most likely when Tuesday night comes around Darren Collison will be slotted as the starter to replace Rondo. Also expect Seth Curry get some minutes as well.

The Kings have been unsuccessful so far in beating the Rockets, as they have lost twice to them already this season. With this ruling of the NBA, the absence of Rondo will not make things any easier for the purple and white.

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