Rajon Rondo: All-Star Game Snub Will Be Good Thing for Celtics Star

Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics need to thank the powers that be for keeping the star point guard off of the Eastern Conference All-Star team. If you're looking at the NBA All-Star Game reserves and don't see Rondo's name, thank the same people.

Remember, before returning to action on Friday, Rondo had missed eight consecutive games with an injury. 

While he may be back now, the time that would have been spent playing in the game will now be used to heal. This is going to be far more important for Rondo and his team than playing in a third All-Star Game would ever be. 

The Celtics are an old team. Rondo is their only good player that hasn't hit his 30th birthday. In a season where teams are playing a compacted schedule, old players are going to have a hard time at the end of the year. So, when the Celtics are battling late in the year and in the playoffs, they can't expect vintage performances from Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. 

In those games, Boston will need Rondo to run the show, helping the team through the spurts of time when the Big Three are struggling, or on the bench.

If that is going to happen, Rondo will need to be 100 percent healthy. This soon after an injury, that is far from a guarantee. The last thing that Rondo or the Celtics want would be for Rondo to hurt himself in an exhibition game.  

It always seems like an honor to be selected to the All-Star Game, but actually playing in it is a real gamble, especially for a player less than a month removed from an injury. 

Getting snubbed from the All-Star Game is rarely a bad thing. The rest is far more important to any player than getting a chance to showcase your talents with the league's other top players.

This is especially true in a year like this one. In a compacted season when you're a part of an old team, being healthy for the final part of the season and into the playoffs is far more important. Given Rondo's recent injury history, he's certainly a player that will benefit from the extra rest. 

Rondo may or may not belong in the game based on pure achievements, but missing it will be a good thing for the player and team. If you're a Celtics fan, consider yourself lucky right now.

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