Musical Chairs: Rondo Withdraws from World Championships

Who would have thought our WBF video of Rajon Rondo finding himself without a seat would have been so prophetic. Yesterday Rondo announced that he will be withdrawing from competition in the FIBA World Championships, an obvious face-saving move for the man who was a starter just a week ago. A man who as a starter, was doing this:

The team has cited his lack of three-point range as the deciding factor in his ousting from the team. While the international game is obviously different from the NBA, it would seem obvious to want to keep a player with Rondo's defensive skills on your roster. Cutting Rajon will certainly cut down substantially on the number of eye-popping plays Team USA pulls off at the international tournament, surely to be replaced by a million Eric Gordon three-pointers and Derrick Rose turnovers.

As a wise man once said, woof.

Still, this snub could mean great things for Rondo's upcoming season. You know, the season that he is paid to perform in, and the season where his game will actually be judged. Becoming the man left without a seat on the bench this summer is sure to add a significant amount of timber to the already gargantuan chip in Rondo's shoulder. For months now Rondo has been laboring to prove that he is a truly elite basketballer. At every turn he is questioned, criticized, and now flat-out cut.

Your ball, Rondo. Bring the rage.