When will Rondo return?

When will Rondo return to game action?


  • Total voters
    61

HomeRunBaker

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I'm torn between "Sometime in December" and "Derrick Rose-style"........my gut says mid-January when we are 14-31 to show teams he's healthy prior to being dangled at the Trade Deadline. 
 
Vote!
 
 
 

ALiveH

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Latest I heard is he'll miss a month.  No reason to rush him.  I voted December, but I think that's at the earliest.  Could easily push back to January or later.
 

Plympton91

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Where's the option for: "I don't watch or think about teams that aren't trying to win games" type people?
 

HomeRunBaker

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Plympton91 said:
Where's the option for: "I don't watch or think about teams that aren't trying to win games" type people?
 
Next poll is "Who is the opening night starter at PG?"
 
a) Avery Bradley
b) Will Blaylock
c) Phil Pressey
 
Hint: It won't be b or c.
 

knucklecup

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Jun 26, 2006
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Bradley will absolutely get a chance to start at the point and play heavy minutes. I think it will be good for him.

I think Rondo will be out a month but I wouldn't at all be shocked to see him out there on opening night.
 

cardiacs

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knucklecup said:
Bradley will absolutely get a chance to start at the point and play heavy minutes. I think it will be good for him.
 
 
Why? He never looked good at PG. I don't think his skillset suits him playing there. 
He's better playing defensive-minded SG with a distributor at PG. 
 

HomeRunBaker

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cardiacs said:
 
Why? He never looked good at PG. I don't think his skillset suits him playing there. 
He's better playing defensive-minded SG with a distributor at PG. 
 
Right now he's our opening night starting PG out of necessity.  We don't have another NBA point guard on the roster and just paid another team to take Melo's contract for us to get below the tax threshold.  I don't disagree with your premise but there are no other options if Rondo isn't ready Opening Night. 
 

wutang112878

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I voted after Jan 1st,  there isnt much to gain from rushing Rondo back
 
 
 
knucklecup said:
Bradley will absolutely get a chance to start at the point and play heavy minutes. I think it will be good for him.

I think Rondo will be out a month but I wouldn't at all be shocked to see him out there on opening night.
 
Why do you think it will be good for him?  When he has been asked to play that role our offense stagnated and his play dropped off.  Playing the point and distributing the basketball doesnt seem to come easy to him, and it seems to be one of the skills that you really cant teach a player if it doesnt come naturally to some degree.
 
More generally, I want Bradley at the 2 as much as possible, its where he looks the best and where his value will be the highest which will be ideal for his trade value
 

HomeRunBaker

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wutang112878 said:
I voted after Jan 1st,  there isnt much to gain from rushing Rondo back
 
 
 
 
Why do you think it will be good for him?  When he has been asked to play that role our offense stagnated and his play dropped off.  Playing the point and distributing the basketball doesnt seem to come easy to him, and it seems to be one of the skills that you really cant teach a player if it doesnt come naturally to some degree.
 
More generally, I want Bradley at the 2 as much as possible, its where he looks the best and where his value will be the highest which will be ideal for his trade value
 
The more i think about it....well, more than the prior 8 seconds i had already thought about it....Bradley won't play the traditional PG role but more of the old "2 combo guards splitting responsibilities" with Courtney Lee in the starting lineup. Brooks/Crawford are best suited to get shots off with a second unit and without another NBA PG on the roster the only backcourt that you can really see with Rondo out is Bradley and Lee.  Good god, this is going to be one horrible NBA team.
 

Koufax

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HomeRunBaker said:
 
Good god, this is going to be one horrible NBA team.
 
Amen, brother.  And the draft class looks good.
 

wutang112878

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HomeRunBaker said:
 
The more i think about it....well, more than the prior 8 seconds i had already thought about it....Bradley won't play the traditional PG role but more of the old "2 combo guards splitting responsibilities" with Courtney Lee in the starting lineup. Brooks/Crawford are best suited to get shots off with a second unit and without another NBA PG on the roster the only backcourt that you can really see with Rondo out is Bradley and Lee.  Good god, this is going to be one horrible NBA team.
 
I agree with your assessment of Bradley's capabilities, but let me propose a different offensive scenario.  We could try to ask one or two of our mistfits in the Lee, Bradley, Crawford, Brooks and Bogans group to try to facilitate the basketball, but that is not a skill any of them have demonstrated they possess.  In the hopes of increasing players value, why not center the offense around Green?  Have someone in the backcourt simply bring the ball up, give the ball to Green at the top of the key and allow him to initiate the offense or let him operate with the ball in his hands.  If Green played the 4 and had a 4 guarding him at the top of the key to start a play, the opponents defense would be out of place and it might compensate, in a small way, for our lack of quality bigs.  Imagine going with an undersized lineup with Green at the 4 and Olynyk at the 5 and running a pick and roll with those two, the opponents offense would be a mess.  I dont think we can win any meaningful basketball games with that type of lineup and offensive approach, but I do think we could put up some hollow offensive stats and make players appear to be valuable.
 

HomeRunBaker

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wutang112878 said:
 
I agree with your assessment of Bradley's capabilities, but let me propose a different offensive scenario.  We could try to ask one or two of our mistfits in the Lee, Bradley, Crawford, Brooks and Bogans group to try to facilitate the basketball, but that is not a skill any of them have demonstrated they possess.  In the hopes of increasing players value, why not center the offense around Green?  Have someone in the backcourt simply bring the ball up, give the ball to Green at the top of the key and allow him to initiate the offense or let him operate with the ball in his hands.  If Green played the 4 and had a 4 guarding him at the top of the key to start a play, the opponents defense would be out of place and it might compensate, in a small way, for our lack of quality bigs.  Imagine going with an undersized lineup with Green at the 4 and Olynyk at the 5 and running a pick and roll with those two, the opponents offense would be a mess.  I dont think we can win any meaningful basketball games with that type of lineup and offensive approach, but I do think we could put up some hollow offensive stats and make players appear to be valuable.
 
I think that will be a primary set we run using Green in Pierce's old role during our Championship Season where Rondo brought the ball over halfcourt, dumped it to Pierce prior to hanging out on the weakside while The Big Three ran their offense. Of course Green is not Pierce, Olynyk is not KG, and Crawford isn't Ray Allen.......but he should put up some big numbers on this team.
 
The problem.....well, one of the problems, with this team is that Green isn't going to be playing much 4 (we have no other 3's but plenty of 4's) where he is at his best taking advantage of his quickness and penetrating ability. When he is matched up against 3's all of those advantages are negated and he's an easier defend.
 

Captaincoop

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Bradley probably will be the starting PG, just because of a lack of other options.  There is a glut of 2 guards on the roster, and the path of least resistance is going to involve using Bradley at the point and letting him AND another one of the SGs play a lot of minutes and accumulate counting stats in the hope that they can be trade chips down the road.
 
That's sad, though, because Bradley Is not an NBA point guard.  He doesn't have the handle, he doesn't have the court vision, and he doesn't have the instincts.  Basically he's a guy they will throw out there at the point because he happens to be undersized as a shooting guard, so he makes slightly more sense at the point than Lee, et. al. 
 
If the Celtics cared one bit about winning games this year, they would have already brought in a veteran PG to back up Rondo and begin the year as the starter.  But they don't, so I would rather they throw Pressey to the wolves and see what happens.  Maybe he grows up fast and we have a viable (and cheap) backup moving forward.  Maybe he doesn't, and we get a nice start on ping pong.  Either way, that's a great result.
 

Blacken

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Plympton91 said:
Where's the option for: "I don't watch or think about teams that aren't trying to win games" type people?
Leaving and never posting, anywhere, ever again.
 

wutang112878

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HomeRunBaker said:
 
I think that will be a primary set we run using Green in Pierce's old role during our Championship Season where Rondo brought the ball over halfcourt, dumped it to Pierce prior to hanging out on the weakside while The Big Three ran their offense. Of course Green is not Pierce, Olynyk is not KG, and Crawford isn't Ray Allen.......but he should put up some big numbers on this team.
 
The problem.....well, one of the problems, with this team is that Green isn't going to be playing much 4 (we have no other 3's but plenty of 4's) where he is at his best taking advantage of his quickness and penetrating ability. When he is matched up against 3's all of those advantages are negated and he's an easier defend.
 
Its a minor thing, but while Rondo wasnt at the peak of his powers yet, he did a little more than just bring the ball up.  He averaged 10ppg while shooting ~50% and got about 6 assists per game, and most importantly he was a threat to drive to the hoop which allowed Pierce to do a little less of that.  His numbers werent great, but he was playing with the Big3 at the height of their powers.
 
Back to the current team and our 3s and 4s, I think we can just permanently go small.  Have Olynyk and Sully play the 5, Green at the 4 and pretend that Wallace is an NBA caliber player who can play the 3.  That lineup can probably make Green and Wallace look as good as they can and then maybe Wallace becomes movable for a bad not albatross contract?  That lineup is still going to play some putrid basketball, but its probably one of the better offensive options we have.  Considering the lack of talent we have, the black hole at PG and the absence of any outside shooting, the more traditional of a lineup we try to put out there the worse we are probably going to be offensively.  Thats why I think it might be time to play a Nellie style of completely unorthodox small ball.
 

HomeRunBaker

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wutang112878 said:
 
Its a minor thing, but while Rondo wasnt at the peak of his powers yet, he did a little more than just bring the ball up.  He averaged 10ppg while shooting ~50% and got about 6 assists per game, and most importantly he was a threat to drive to the hoop which allowed Pierce to do a little less of that.  His numbers werent great, but he was playing with the Big3 at the height of their powers.
 
Back to the current team and our 3s and 4s, I think we can just permanently go small.  Have Olynyk and Sully play the 5, Green at the 4 and pretend that Wallace is an NBA caliber player who can play the 3.  That lineup can probably make Green and Wallace look as good as they can and then maybe Wallace becomes movable for a bad not albatross contract?  That lineup is still going to play some putrid basketball, but its probably one of the better offensive options we have.  Considering the lack of talent we have, the black hole at PG and the absence of any outside shooting, the more traditional of a lineup we try to put out there the worse we are probably going to be offensively.  Thats why I think it might be time to play a Nellie style of completely unorthodox small ball.
 
You have to watch one of those games from back then to truly appreciate how we played 4-on-5 offensively that year. Rondo was still being credited with assists for dumping the ball to Pierce and Garnett while avg 4.6 made FG/g while not being defended at all.
 
I was including Wallace in that forward lineup where opponents would surely defend him with their 4 since he isn't a perimeter or even an offensive threat.
 

Devizier

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HomeRunBaker said:
I'm torn between "Sometime in December" and "Derrick Rose-style"........my gut says mid-January when we are 14-31 to show teams he's healthy prior to being dangled at the Trade Deadline. 
 
Vote!
 
 
Your win projection is optimistic.
 

Major Offense

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wutang112878 said:
 
Back to the current team and our 3s and 4s, I think we can just permanently go small...
 
That lineup is still going to play some putrid basketball, but its probably one of the better offensive options we have.  Considering the lack of talent we have, the black hole at PG and the absence of any outside shooting, the more traditional of a lineup we try to put out there the worse we are probably going to be offensively.
 
This.  Especially given Stevens's love of combos and lineup comparisons, I could definitely see this getting some run, at least early in the season.  And that's not to say it will be good offensively, just that it may be one of the better of a bunch of not great options.
 
Also, on the Rondo topic, I still think opening day.  Given his reputation for toughness (and potential desire to maintain it) and that both he (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/08/report-rajon-rondo-may-return-sooner-than-expected/) and Ainge (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1711841-celtics-gm-danny-ainge-eyeing-opening-night-for-rajon-rondos-return) have pointed to a quick recovery, I just think there's a good chance he guts out the rehab and makes it back without missing a game.  Not ideal for the team's lottery chances, but they probably don't have a choice...unless they don't mind pissing off Rondo in the name of an abundance of caution
 

ifmanis5

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Rotten Apple

Major Offense

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Yeah, um, about that being ready for the start of the season thing...I was way off (and a bit late acknowledging it).

http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/9750298/rajon-rondo-boston-celtics-not-setting-sights-miracle-return

Speaking to reporters for one of the first times since his mid-February surgery, Rondo said he'll be back this season but is taking the process slowly and making sure he's mentally ready first.

He is now participating in basketball-related activities, and will do such when the team opens training camp on Tuesday in Newport, R.I., but he has not been cleared for contact.

One week after Ainge suggested a potential December return for Rondo -- then quickly backed off any timeline talk -- Rondo coyly hinted at a similar December target.
 

moly99

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I expect Bradley to start but not be the primary ball handler. Either Jeff Green shows that he can be a star when he gets to be the top 1 or 2 option in the offense and play his natural position at small forward or we are looking at a top 4 pick. I am OK with it either way.
 

nighthob

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Nine months is the normal minimum and 10-12 months more common. So I'm still expecting a holiday return and showcase for trade.
 

ifmanis5

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Still weeks away according to Ainge.
 
 
"I don't think he's close," Ainge said. "I don't think it's gonna happen in the next few weeks. We're not on pins and needles about it. We're being very cautious with Rondo. He's still got a little bit of a limp. He needs to get his strength back." 
 
 
 

nighthob

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Well, generally speaking when the brace comes off it generally means they have another 4-6 weeks of rehab
 

knucklecup

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JJ: Are you confident that he'll be just as good, if not better, coming off of the ACL tear?
SS: No, I think he should be fine. He took a long time off and he's rehabbed the right way. Whether he stays in Boston or not who knows. I know, talking to Melo (Carmelo Anthony), he's recruiting Rajon to come to New York. Melo thinks he'll come too. You never know about that stuff though. I think either way, Rajon will be fine.

http://socialhub.usatodayhss.com/blogs-main/staffblogs/item/1194-athlete-look-back-at-rajon-rondo

Steve Smith is Rondo's HS coach.
 

knucklecup

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I don't know where this should go but I found it interesting when I came across it just now.  Bonzi Wells tore his ACL on 4/6/2001 and started the following season on 10/30/01, scoring 33 points on the 31st of that year, and 30, 26, 21 and 24 points over his next four games.
 
Pretty remarkable.
 

Brickowski

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Dr. Andrews has just cleared him for full contact practice, so I would expect him back the first or second week in January.
 

Koufax

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Well one thing is for sure.  The team's passing will be crisper with him on the floor.  Right now, too many passes are causing the recipient to go off-balance to catch the ball.
 

mcaqua

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NBCSN basketball analyst Donny Marshall, however, says the Celtics have a major deal in the works that will eventually send Rondo to the Kings. In a discussion with Dave Briggs (@davebriggstv) on SportsDash, Marshall cited "the people [he talks] to" and said that the four-time All-Star point guard - along with multiple Celtics teammates - will be headed out west in a blockbuster.
 
Not sure what to make of this report, but I figured I'd post it here to get the reactions of folks who know a hell of a lot more about basketball than myself.
 
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nbc-yahoo-sports/sportsdash-donny-marshall-says-rajon-rondo-headed-kings-183508292--ocid.yahoo.html
 

scottyno

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mcaqua said:
 
Not sure what to make of this report, but I figured I'd post it here to get the reactions of folks who know a hell of a lot more about basketball than myself.
 
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nbc-yahoo-sports/sportsdash-donny-marshall-says-rajon-rondo-headed-kings-183508292--ocid.yahoo.html
the kings can't trade future first round picks until 2019, despite the fact that a similar rumor to this one today had the Cs getting multiple first round picks, doesn't make much sense for the Cs
 

nighthob

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scottyno said:
the kings can't trade future first round picks until 2019, despite the fact that a similar rumor to this one today had the Cs getting multiple first round picks, doesn't make much sense for the Cs
Yes they can. They just can't do multiple ones at the moment unless it's a three team deal with someone like Thornton going to Cleveland to erase the vaporware first.
 

Jer

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Ainge: Rondo's idea to work with Claws
 

So desperate to participate in 5-on-5 action, Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo invaded the Celtics' managerial offices last month trying to recruit bodies to help test his knee in a game-like environment. 
 
According to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, Rondo failed in that quest, which in part led to him initiating discussions about joining the Maine Red Claws of the D-League in order to gain practice reps.
...
That would suggest that Rondo might not head north with the D-League until some time after Jan. 11 if he ultimately elects to pursue that option. 
 
It remains uncertain whether Rondo would participate in game action for Maine, something that has never really happened with an established NBA player on a rehab assignment 
 
Thoughts...
- It'd be great if NBA players used the D-league like baseball uses AAA. I would think playoff teams would be the biggest fans of this tactic because having a squad close to 100% peak performance would be so desirable. I don't think we'd ever see the back-and-forth that we see in baseball just because practice time/teamwork is much much more important in basketball.
- You've got to think that an unspoken element of this is that both Danny and Rondo are motivated for his NBA performance to be at a high level right out of the gate. It increases his value in trades and will play into his next contract negotiation.
 
 
Here's a merged schedule of the two teams...


Fri, 03-Jan Celtics          New Orleans
Sat, 04-Jan Red Claws  Springfield 
Sun, 05-Jan Red Claws  Tulsa 
Sun, 05-Jan Celtics         @ Oklahoma City
Tue, 07-Jan Red Claws  @ Austin  
Tue, 07-Jan Celtics         @ Denver
Wed, 08-Jan Red Claws @ Rio Grande Valley , Reno, NV
Wed, 08-Jan Celtics         @ Los Angeles
Fri, 10-Jan Red Claws  @ Santa Cruz  
Fri, 10-Jan Celtics          @ Golden State
Sat, 11-Jan Red Claws  @ Bakersfield  
Sat, 11-Jan Celtics          @ Portland
Mon, 13-Jan Red Claws  @ Los Angeles  
Mon, 13-Jan Celtics          Houston
Wed, 15-Jan Celtics         Toronto
Fri, 17-Jan Celtics         Los Angeles
Sat, 18-Jan Red Claws  Erie 



It's interesting that they've somewhat aligned road trips.
 

wutang112878

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If they dont want him participating in 5 on 5 at the regular practices that can be monitored and controlled, why in the world would they want him playing in a live game action situation?  That makes no sense whatsoever.  That said, its great that Rondo seems to care that much