Rondo says January return is not realistic, needs to get in game shape

BOSTON.COM

By Baxter Holmes, Globe Staff

INDIANAPOLIS -- Though he has been cleared for full-contact practice and recently scrimmaged with his teammates, Celtics guard Rajon Rondo said he still has a long way to go before he plays his first game after sitting out since last season with a knee injury.

"It might be mid-January, late February, I’m going to come back when the time is right and I get my stamina," Rondo said after the Celtics' 106-79 loss to the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Sunday.

He later, "I’m just listening to my body. If my body told me I was 100 percent, I’d be playing now. I’m not.”

The key issue now, as Rondo pointed out multiple times, is his conditioning.

"My endurance is key for me," he said. "I don’t want to come back and not be fully 100 percent as far as my health and me being in shape as well, because the worst thing is me coming back and not being in shape and have another injury, so I want to make sure I’m in basketball condition."

Rondo is back practicing, but he said there's a huge difference between practicing and being in game shape.

"You can run all the sprints you want, off the court, get on the bike and do that conditioning, but being out for 10, 11 months without playing the game of basketball. It’s not easy to get back in shape by just doing those type of things," he said. "You’ve got to play basketball plays."

But Rondo said he has confidence in his right knee after having surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in February. He even fell a few times during a recent scrimmage with teammates and said he didn't worry at all about his knee.

"The knee is fine," he said. "It’s not about falls. That’s part of my game. I fall. I fell before. The last time I scrimmaged wasn’t the first time I fell. I’m not afraid to hit the floor, it’s just a matter of going up and down the court."

How did he feel after that scrimmage?

"It felt good [to get back out there]," he said. "I got winded very quickly. We only played two pickup games and I was tired by the second one, so it’s just a matter of time. We continue to go as hard as I can in those pickup games and practice time and get some repetitions and get my conditioning up."

Derrick Rose of the Bulls and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers both came back from major injuries this season, and then suffered new injuries that will keep them sidelined, but Rondo said what happened to them doesn't weigh on his mind.

"Those are two big MVP players that have had unfortunate injuries like that, but a lot of guys came back and did fine," Rondo said.

Rondo emphasized that he didn't want to put a timetable on when he might return.

"I just want to practice," he said. "I just want to get as much practice time as possible. I haven’t practiced in 12 months. I just want to get back in the rhythm and flow of things, get my timing back.

"A lot of these guys I haven’t played with, so they don’t know where I am going to throw the ball. They’ve been playing with Jordan [Crawford] and Phil [Pressey], so I don’t want to come back and turn the ball over at a high rate. So just the pickup game I played the other day was good for guys knowing that certain passes they might not think are coming are coming, so I want to continue to get guys rhythm. Guys like [Jared Sullinger], Gerald Wallace back-cutting, Avery [Bradley] back-cutting, I've just got find my personnel and know what we need to do going forward."

Of course, Rondo is eager to get back to playing again.

"It’s what I’ve been doing my entire life," he said. "[I've] never had a time where I had to sit out this much, so it’s a very humbling experience. I just want to play the game."

Are there any more tests that he must pass?

"Nah, I don’t think I have to pass any more tests," he said. "I have to pass tests for myself. I know what I felt like before I hurt my [knee]. When I get back to feeling that ... then I’ll be back."

112288

This could be another Derrick Rose deal...........see ya next season.

112288

I'm not Rondo but I can understand his point.

In high school I ran cross country in the fall, made it to states my junior and senior year and by doing so missed the first week or 2 of basketball season. You would think I would be in shape without missing a beat but basketball practice was an entirely different type of conditioning. Yeah I was probably in better shape than most but still that first week of practice for me was tough, all the stoping starting cutting ect.

Now to be at Rondo's level and not be able to "play" the way he wants to I can understand. With some time to actually get some practicing in now perhaps he'll reconsider things in a couple weeks and feel like he is closer. I certainly hope so. Overcoming this is as much a mental as it is a physical. Once he realizes he can move and cut without issue think he'll be back sooner than later.

Really no rush BUT......

beat

I'll take a shot............after All Star weekend.  This will be a light playing schedule for Rondo as he will get some games in, test the knee, hit the summer and continue rehabing and strengthening the knee and be ready for camp next September.

This year is meaningless ..............the only purpose of Rondo coming back is to gain some playing time with his new teammates and see who sticks or who is traded.

112288

Agree 112288, after the All star break would give him time to mesh in real game situations with whomever we still have or get via trade prior to that.

DA still needs to and will pull a few strings I believe and there is no reason to rush him back even if we somehow manage to grap a low seed. Getting some of these guys a round of playoff experence with Rondo might not be a bad thing either.

beat

Rondo plays closest to a kamikaze that I've ever seen. He takes a terrible beating and hits the floor constantly. To return to anything approximating his peak, he obviously needs more frequent and rigorous recovery steps than the average player. I'm wondering whether, despite his confidence in the knee, Rajon will temper his chaotic approach when he returns. And, if he does, will he be as effective as before? Or could a slightly more controlled approach actually improve his game (reducing turnovers, etc.)?

Sam

sam wrote:Rondo plays closest to a kamikaze that I've ever seen.  He takes a terrible beating and hits the floor constantly.  To return to anything approximating his peak, he obviously needs more frequent and rigorous recovery steps than the average player.  I'm wondering whether, despite his confidence in the knee, Rajon will temper his chaotic approach when he returns.  And, if he does, will he be as effective as before?  Or could a slightly more controlled approach actually improve his game (reducing turnovers, etc.)?

Sam

sam,

For a point guard, I'd have to give that honor to Nate "the skate" Archibald. I've not seen anybody throw themselves into the pack like Tiny did. I always wondered how the hell he'd just get up like nothing.

Rondo's up there, though.


bob


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Bob,

Rondo seems to like doing things the hard way. His favorite shot in penetration is a backhanded right-handed layup from the left side. He falls on the great majority of his drives to the hoop. He complicates simple passes with that behind the back palming thing that pleases fans but is of increasingly questionable value in fooling opponents. He tends to palm the ball on foul shots rather than shooting off his fingertips.

I guess it works for him. But doing things the hard way often predisposes a player to injuries.

Sam