It seems like yesterday that the internet was abuzz with unsubstantiated rumors that Rajon Rondo broke his hand while at a trampoline park. But that was over three weeks ago, and the Boston Celtics star apparently has a chance to play in his team’s season-opener on October 29. Time sure does fly when there’s NBA basketball – even exhibition NBA basketball – to watch on a nightly basis.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens recently said that it’s possible that Rondo will be available for Boston’s first game of the regular season. Rondo, though, refused to commit to a timeline for his return despite an increasingly quick recovery from late September surgery.
Via ESPN Boston’s Chris Forsberg:
“[Rondo] had a scan on his hand and he’s progressing great,” Stevens said. “He obviously won’t do any contact before the end of the week, but there’s a chance that he could be cleared to do some stuff by the end of the week.”
Does Stevens think Rondo could play on opening night?
“I think it’s a possibility,” Stevens said…
“I don’t know. I still haven’t had any contact yet,” Rondo said when asked about playing on opening night. “The opener is a little bit over a week away. I don’t want to set goals; I just want to go as my hand heals.”
Rondo also noted that though he’s pain-free when dribbling or shooting, the prospect of landing on his hand or facing contact is still very daunting. He’ll undoubtedly learn more about his status when he resumes contact play in practice later this week.
Despite Stevens’ optimism and the accelerated path of Rondo’s rehabilitation, he surely won’t play until fully healthy. The risk-reward for the Celtics tips too heavily the former direction for him to take the court and re-injure his hand by returning to games before he’s completely ready. Whether Rondo signs the max contract in Boston that he and Danny Ainge reportedly believe he’s worth, he’s too valuable an asset for the re-building Celtics to expose to further harm.
Boston isn’t going anywhere this season anyway, and has further reason to slow-play Rondo’s availability due to the presence of lottery pick Marcus Smart. Getting the rookie reps while his mentor is sidelined will prove beneficial in the long-run, and the last thing the Celtics need is for Rondo to underperform – diminishing his trade value in the process – upon playing again.
It’s certainly encouraging that Rondo is feeling well enough to deem the original six-to-eight week timeline for his recovery irrelevant. But there’s just no reason to push it too hard from both individual and team perspectives.
What do you think?
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