How Does Rajon Rondo's Injury Affect His Already-Shaky Standing with Celtics?
As if Rajon Rondo's standing with the Boston Celtics wasn't already complicated enough.
While many teams throughout the league were participating in media day Friday, news broke that the All-Star point guard had injured his hand, as first reported by Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe:
Well, this wasn't supposed to happen.
Rondo's health was already a major concern, seeing as he spent the second half of the 2013-14 season trying to play himself back into shape following his rehab from the torn ACL he suffered during the previous campaign.
In 30 games, he averaged 11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 9.8 assists per contest, but he shot only 40.3 percent from the field and 28.9 percent from beyond the arc.
The rebuilding Celtics didn't exactly commit to him in the offseason, either.
Not only did general manager Danny Ainge re-sign Avery Bradley to a surprisingly large deal, ensuring that the defensive ace would remain in Beantown for a while longer, but the C's used their first-round selection in a loaded draft on Marcus Smart, a point guard from Oklahoma State.
All of a sudden, the backcourt was rather crowded, and that became all the impetus for Rondo to find himself back in the rumor mill. Now that he's injured heading into the season, it just furthers the gossip while giving Smart an opportunity to prove his value and simultaneously decrease Rondo's.
The whisperings about a trade began when Boston writer Jackie MacMullan said on ESPN's Around the Horn last month (h/t James Herbert of CBS Sports), "He's told them [the Celtics] he wants out. And no one believes me, but that's the truth."
Some rebuffed that report, but others tacitly supported it, including CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely, who explained that a trade could come down the road:
"Multiple league and team sources agree the most likely scenario has Rondo beginning the season in Boston. Then, depending on how the team does, both sides will mutually agree to either ride it out or part ways sooner rather than later."
And how about what was directly said by the Boston front office?
First, Ainge, speaking with reporters, as relayed by Telegram.com's Bill Doyle, indicated that he intended to keep Rondo, but he also wouldn't rule out any alternatives:
"The truthful answer is I really don't know. I have no intention. I'm not trying to trade Rondo, but because he's a free agent this summer, he assured me that he wants to stay in Boston. We'd love to keep him in Boston.
[...]
The possibility of a trade is not out of the question. Nobody is untradeable, but I don't see that happening.
"
And Boston owner Wyc Grousbeck, courtesy of CSNNE.com:
"Absolutely it's my goal to keep Rondo here. We all want that, and I actually honestly think—he should speak for himself—I think Rajon wants to stay and would be very happy to stay. We'll see how the season goes and how the negotiations go, but he's proud to be a Celtic I know that, and he's proud to win that ring and he deserved it.
"
Maybe I'm reading too far between the lines, but doesn't a goal to keep someone in a certain location imply there's a chance he leaves? And not just any chance, but a greater-than-you-would-find-with-the-typical-player type of chance?
Additionally, we've had speculative pieces about why Boston should move him, like this one from Boston.com's Jeremy Gottlieb.
Then there's Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who has already speculated that the Houston Rockets, now planning to start Patrick Beverley at the point, could attempt to acquire the All-Star floor general.
Most recently—at least most recently prior to the breaking news, injury-related pun intended—Ainge vehemently denied that the Celtics were actively looking to move Rondo, per MassLive.com's Jay King:
"Trade rumors forever shadow Rajon Rondo, and an expiring contract has only added to the speculation about his future.
But at least publicly, Boston Celtics decision-makers continue to agree: They want Rondo around beyond his current contract.
'Are you seriously asking me that again?' president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Tuesday morning. ... 'Yeah, we expect Rajon to be in Boston for the long term. Does that need to be asked anymore by anybody ever again?'
'I expect the best year of his career,' Ainge added. 'He's worked really hard this summer and I think Rondo's going to have the best year of his life. That's what I expect.'
"
It does have to be asked again, largely because Rondo is no longer going to enjoy the best year of his career. Not with a surgically repaired hand that needs to be rested throughout training camp, causing him to miss preseason and forcing him to the sidelines for the start of the regular season.
As Holmes reported, Rondo is now expected to miss between six and eight weeks with that left metacarpal fracture. Six weeks from the initial news puts us at Nov. 7. Eight weeks pushes us all the way back to Nov. 21.
If the former is the case, Rondo would return against the Indiana Pacers' suffocating defense, which leaves him missing the first four games of the regular season.
The more conservative estimate has him playing his first game against the Memphis Grizzlies, once more boasting a devastating defense. In that scenario, he'd be sitting out for the first 10 contests of the year.
Either way, that's not a lot. At least, it wouldn't be if these missed outings were scattered throughout the campaign or coming in a block during the middle of the year.
But the beginning of the season is the worst time to sit out, especially when it involves losing out on those crucial team-building opportunities that come just prior to the first game's opening tipoff.
There are plenty of new faces in Boston, as well as young ones who haven't been able to establish chemistry with Rondo because of previous injuries.
The former All-Star is still such a good facilitator that he's able to rack up the dimes, nonetheless, but it was abundantly clear last season that the Celtics offense wasn't operating at 100 percent, even with him on the floor.
The key behind all of this is Rondo's contract, which has already made his future in Beantown tenuous at best.
It expires at the end of this year, and there will be little reason for a then-29-year-old point guard to return to a rebuilding organization with a promising prospect at the same position.
Loyalty would be the biggest motivating factor, but that didn't keep Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen in town after they hit the open market during the post-ring portion of their careers. Yes, Pierce and Garnett were technically traded, but it's not as though they didn't want to leave.
And that's why Boston has to look into moving Rondo now. If the team was passively answering the phone and hoping for a convincing offer while maintaining that the long-term plans involved keeping Rondo on the roster, it's now time to actively seek out trading partners and deal him while he still has the most value.
Even with an injury, Rondo is an appealing product simply because he's an established commodity. The increasingly fragile nature of his frame is a concern, but what he can do when healthy is just too tempting.
He can recover, then help out a new team down the stretch run, playing himself back into shape on a stronger roster.
Of course, Smart's play is likely going to determine the course of action the Celtics take. With Rondo sitting on the bench, the former Cowboy should take on the starter's role, as John Lucas III and Phil Pressey don't offer nearly as much upside.
Bradley, meanwhile, isn't suited for running the point. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix commented on Smart's forthcoming situation:
If Smart struggles immensely, proving that the NCAA-to-NBA transition is a tough one for him, Rondo has a lot more value to the Celtics. He can serve as a mentor to Smart while keeping the seat warm for his younger teammate.
But if Smart comes out of the gates strong, much like Michael Carter-Williams did last season en route to Rookie of the Year honors, then Rondo becomes exponentially more expendable during the rebuilding process.
As of now, "tenuous" is still the word of choice when describing Rondo's status with the Celtics. The trade rumors are going to pop up incessantly now, but there's still too much uncertainty swirling around the organization for anything to become even remotely definitive.
Until a certain rookie point guard shows what he can do during his first go-round in the Association, the smart decision for every party involved is to hold tight, remain patient and see what develops.
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