Rondo excited for new start with Kings: 'I just love to prove people wrong'

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Optically speaking, this offseason has been nothing short of disastrous for the Sacramento Kings.

Forget the myriad, well-covered managerial crises that have long been infecting the upper ranks of the organization. Dealing away future draft picks - along with last year's eighth overall selection - for nothing more than cap relief, only to see no fewer than four free-agent targets (including Wesley Matthews and Monta Ellis) spurn them and take less money to play elsewhere, is not a great look.

Nor was filling their newfound cap space by seemingly bidding against themselves alone to lavish disgruntled and diminished point guard Rajon Rondo with an above-market contract.

Ignore the optics, though, and there's reason to believe the Kings will be an improved, possibly even competitive, unit next season. Having a single coach throughout the season rather than three would be a good start. Having Rondo approximate the Rondo of old, rather than the one ignominiously jettisoned from the Dallas Mavericks last season due to his lousy play and lousier attitude, would be even more helpful.

Rondo, naturally, is ready to embrace the challenge.

"I'm excited that everybody's doubting us," he said while attending Kings summer league in Las Vegas with his new teammates. "All the negative things that are going toward Sacramento as far as me coming - and the (DeMarcus) Cousins and George Karl thing - I think there's been a lot of naysayers, a lot of doubters my entire career. And I just love to prove people wrong."

Rondo seems to be in a positive place, even saying several generous things about the Mavericks organization, which proved a poor fit for him essentially from the get-go.

"It was a learning experience," Rondo said of his half-season in Dallas. "It was a great experience I had. I met one of my best friends now in Monta Ellis, I wouldn't have met Monta if I hadn't been traded there. Dirk (Nowitzki) is one of the funniest guys I've met. I gained a lot of great relationships. ...

"I can't say enough about that organization, it was a great organization. (Mark) Cuban from day one was very honest with me."

Karl, the Kings coach brought on at the All-Star break last season to try to steer the team to its first playoff berth in a decade, knows coaching Rondo will occasionally be demanding.

"He's going to challenge us as coaches, because I think he knows the game and he'll have some things, we'll probably (have) some give and take on," Karl said. "But this kid's an All-Star, he's a triple-double machine when he's playing well. He likes to lead teams, he leads teams with a spirit that has some toughness to it. ….

"I think he wants to lead our team, but he also wants to be a part of the decision making. That can be somewhat combustible, but that also can work at a high level."

Rondo may be setting a low bar, but his early assessment of his relationship with Karl sounds promising.

"I think it's a great fit. So far. We haven't played any games, coach Karl hasn't kicked me out of any practices yet, so we will see how it goes."