Chris Forsberg, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Healing will dictate if Rondo plays opener

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens was talking Thursday about the ways the team was helping point guard Rajon Rondo stay sharp while rehabbing from a broken hand when Stevens noted how skeleton work and conditioning drills would help "expedite [Rondo] being ready on Wed..."

Then Stevens caught himself. It might have been a simple slip, but Stevens quickly changed what might have been "Wednesday" -- as in Boston's season-opener against the Brooklyn Nets -- to "whenever" while noting that he hoped Rondo's return was, "hopefully sooner rather than later" and that the point guard is "more ready to roll than not."

Rondo is ramping up his contact activities this week and the team has not ruled out the potential that their All-Star point guard could be ready for the start of the 2014-15 season. Ultimately, that call lies with the team's medical staff, who are expected to reevaluate how the bone in Rondo's left hand is healing early next week.

"It's not my call, that’s the way I look at it," said Stevens. "When [team trainer] Ed [Lacerte] tells me that someone is ready to play, that’s the go-ahead to let them play. And I wouldn’t rush it. I would not be up here and say, ‘We really need this person on Tuesday night.’ It’s just the way it goes. I’m the son of a doctor, I get it. I realize I don’t know a lot when it comes to medicine. I let them do their job and they do a great job."

Appearing on Boston sports radio WBZ-FM earlier on Thursday, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge echoed that sentiment noting that Rondo's ability to play on opening night, "all depends on if his hand is healed. If the bone is healed, then he will go."

After Rondo underwent a surgical fixation of a left metacarpal fracture late last month, the Celtics suggested a 6-8 week recovery timeline. Rondo has hinted a desire to return quicker and has worked towards that goal, culminating with his integration into contact activities this week.

Rondo is wearing additional padding over the injury during practice with hopes of minimizing the risk of aggravation. As Stevens joked, "He’s got almost a baseball mitt on there, it’s pretty well padded." The team is going to check with the league on what exactly can be worn when Rondo returns to game play, whether that's Wednesday or a bit further down the road.

But Stevens stressed again that Rondo has positioned himself to jump right into action when cleared physically.

"Now it’s just a matter of getting clearance, really," said Stevens. "Because everything else, from a skill standpoint, from an understanding standpoint -- he’s been running our offense in 5-on-0, up and down the court, for 10 days now. And he picks it up pretty quickly anyways. And we spent some time watching film, whether it’s of the team when he’s not on the floor, or just simple stuff that he’s been able to do in practice to just try to expedite being ready."

Stevens added: "I think he feels great. I think that he’s got good mobility, flexibility, and bends his fingers well and all that other stuff that they make you do when you’re hurt. I don’t know, again, I’m like the wrong guy to ask, unfortunately. I am the son of a doctor and I figured out when I was 8 that I wasn’t going to go that path. I could not sit there and watch those videotapes with Dad."

Stevens noted that, should Rondo be unavailable for the start of the regular season, the Celtics plan to start rookie guard Marcus Smart in his place. That's a bit of a departure after the team utilized Evan Turner as a point guard throughout the preseason and allowed Smart to come off the bench.

"[Smart has] come a long way, but he’s got a long way to go," said Stevens. "I say that with absolute respect for where he is right now. Because he’s really done a great job. And where he can go. I think he can be a very very good player. ... He can make shots, he certainly impacts the game, and we think he’s a big part of us here."

^ Back to Top ^