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| Rajon Rondo finally joined the Spurs. |
Rajon Rondo's pure competitor spirit, once dubbed the Mamba Mentality by the late Kobe Bryant (1978-2020), has finally aligned with the San Antonio Spurs. With the rise of Alex Caruso in LA, along with the reunion between ex-Cavs Matthew Dellavedova & LeBron James, Rondo stayed at home this summer. The 33 year old former NBA Champion is a stellar play-maker on the court, but a mercurial player that has rubbed some teams the right way and had mini resurgences on others, including the Sacramento Kings.
"I hate to lose. I'm not going
to say there's not many competitors in this game, but there's a certain
kind of way you compete at that level and you have respect for one
another," Rondo once spoke of Bryant. He also predicted the Spurs to defeat former rival Miami Heat years ago, a team then led by LeBron James.
"I had my time in LA. We just lost to these guys too, but you gotta respect this organization and its desire to build a winning culture," Rondo went on to say at the introductory press conference. Coach Popovich took the field of questions next, speaking to Rondo's infamous tantrums, including a thrown towel at an assistant coach, dubbing the former Wildcat as a "problematic talent" in the league. "As long as he promises ahead of time not to throw a towel at me, I'll give this a shot," Gregg said.
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| P.J. Tucker will be tasked with mentoring Trey Lyles. |
"Now, I don't now if he's going to throw a towel [at me] or or not. You know, nobody wants a
headcase. You try your best to bring solid people into your program. If
someone goes awry, you deal with it. Rajon has a warrior's spirit. We're glad to have him." The high-character leader went on to praise Rondo's grasp of the game and his high basketball IQ. "Oh, yeah, [Rondo] is our secret weapon. And now it won't take us 7 games to beat LA this time
," Popovich joked with reporters.
Rondo will slide in perfectly behind Dejounte Murray, definitely capable of leading the second unit but not needing to overburden himself, as previously seen in LA whenever LeBron was off the floor. He will also certainly help French prospect Malcolm Cazalon learn the ways of the league and how to be an effective floor general.
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| Trey Lyles, a versatile forward, is just 24 years old. |
Picking up Trey Lyles, a former lottery pick in 2015, the Spurs needed to boost the scoring column behind its star wing, Brandon Ingram, with sophomore Luka Somanic not quite ready to do too much yet. Lyles, like Rondo, was still in the free agent pool. The 6'9" Canadian forward sports a deep stroke on the rise and being
just 24 years of age, as the Canadian forward looks to fit right in with San Antone. Tucker knows a thing or two about having to reestablish his basketball career after a rocky start to the league, so Lyles will have all the tools to prosper.
