Mavs Point Guard Rajon Rondo Out Indefinitely Following Back Injury

Rajon Rondo may not be wearing the Dallas Mavericks jersey next season.

After it was confirmed that the team is ruling out Rondo indefinitely because of his back injury, coach Rick Carlisle admitted that the soon-to-be free agent Rondo is not expected to be on the team next season.

ESPN said that during the Game 2 loss of Dallas versus the Houston Rockets, Rondo only played for 34 seconds during the second half after he was returned to the bench for picking up two fouls.

Last week, Rondo reportedly hurt his back but did not inform his team about it until Game 2 when his defense against Harden seemed to have made his injury worse.

"He sustained a back injury basically at the 11-minute mark of the first quarter last night. He attempted to take a charge on James Harden, hit the ground and from that point going forward probably should not have played any more, but he did. He wasn't able to play his game or play as well as he can play. Today, it's not good, so he is going to seek additional opinions. That's where things are at with him," added Carlisle in the ESPN report.

The coach added that Rondo will not play for the remaining games of the Mavs this season since he will be seeking medical attention for his injury.

When Carlisle was asked if he still wanted Rondo to play for the team, he directed the question to the player himself.

"All I know right now is that we need everybody at their competitive best. This isn't about one guy who did or didn't play. This is about everybody pulling in the same direction for the organization. That's what it's about," he added.

Boston Globe added that the coach and Rondo had a "shouting match" which led to the point guard's suspension in February. He then missed six games after he broke a bone near his left eye.

But Carlisle explained that no matter how the public perceive the team's decision, the Mavs will move forward and work harder for Game 3 on Friday in Dallas.

''I understand that the announcement that's been made is going to have different interpretations. I am giving you our interpretation of it, and this is fact. From here, we're moving forward. We've got a series to win and we've got to win Game 3 with the guys that are available," he added in the Boston Globe report.