rondo cleared for practice.

so, two Weeks till we see him?



KJ

A little elaboration.

http://fansided.com/2013/12/02/boston-celtics-pg-rajon-rondo-cleared-practice-return-looming/

Sam

I'd have posted an article with it but i was out of the house .


KJ

I would not be surprised if we see him in 2 weeks.

No urgency to rush him back.

Dboss

12/5/13.




Rajon Rondo injury update: Boston Celtics guard 'not close' and still has a slight limp, says Danny Ainge


Print Jay King, MassLive.com By Jay King, MassLive.com
on December 05, 2013 at 10:05 AM, updated December 05, 2013 at 10:15 AM



Despite several optimistic reports lately, injured Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo is "not close" to a return, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told 98.5 The Sports Hub Thursday morning.

"I don't think he's close, meaning I don't think it's going to happen for the next few weeks," Ainge said during an appearance on Toucher & Rich. "We're not on pins and needles about it. We're being very cautious with Rondo, and I think he still has a little bit of a limp. His strength is still not quite there. He is making progress but we're not close."

According to the Boston Globe, Rondo is scheduled for an appointment with Dr. James Andrews in a week-and-a-half or two weeks. There has been speculation Rondo might gain full clearance for practices then, but Ainge told the Globe the meeting is "not like a final straw or anything." Thursday, he continued to preach patience and suggest the guard isn't close to being ready.

"He's just not himself yet, but he's getting there and he's pushing himself to get there," Ainge said. "Listen, we're going to be very cautious with him and make sure he's right before he comes back. There's just a little bit of a limp still, and he's got to get that strength in his knee back to 100 percent before we'll let him back out on the court."

Regardless of when Rondo expects or hopes to come back, Ainge should probably say exactly what he's saying. Think about when the Chicago Bulls admitted Derrick Rose had been cleared, but the guard still feel physically ready to return until the following season. Rose felt backlash from the fans and media that would not have been there if the Bulls had handled things differently.

By stating that Rondo isn't close, Ainge is lowering expectations. If Rondo doesn't return for a long time, well, that's fine. He wasn't expected to. The Celtics are rebuilding anyway and there's no need to rush him back. And if he returns relatively quickly, he'll probably receive credit for hastening his recovery.

Though Rondo and the Celtics have always preached patience, Ainge said the guard badly wants to come back.

"Yes, no question," said Ainge. "(Wednesday) he was playing in a 2-on-2 game, and he was really competing and having fun. He was playing with (Phil) Pressey and Courtney Lee and MarShon Brooks, and the four of them were having a very competitive battle. Rondo didn't win one of the games and he was very upset. But they were having fun and he was trying."




bob
MY NOTE: See you in January, Rajon.

.

Here's hoping, Bob. He's the Celtics' missing domino. But, in his case, it's not as though the Celtics can just go out and buy another domino, so both the progress of the entire team and the ability to evaluate that process will be hampered until his return. Nonetheless, they're doing exactly the right thing in being extremely conservative, and Rondo seems to know his body quite well and is staying within reasonable limits in his recovery. I guess his "reasonable limits" involve taking only small risks when he's about to go crazy otherwise.

I wonder whether Lee or Brooks was on Rondo's team. Just wondering. Maybe we should run a poll asking how much board members would have paid just to watch those 2-on-2 games. Of course, it would have to be via television because hearing the roar of a crowd would probably have made the ultra-competitive Rondo go ballistic.

I haven't hesitated to post criticisms when I objectively felt Rondo deserved them. But he continues to be my favorite Celtic of the "Garnett+" era. And I'd still pay good money to watch him and Bob Cousy discuss their respective approaches to the strategies and psychology of the game, including dealing with injuries and how to motivate teammates. Unfortunately, The Cooz is in a far worse place than Rondo right now—still in virtual seclusion as of a couple of weeks ago since the death of Missy on September 20th.

Sam