Boston Celtics Players' Plans During the NBA Lockout

News continues to come in about players' plans for playing overseas during the NBA lockout. The Boston Celtics do not have many players under contract for next year, but here is an update on what the players who are signed and free agents who will possibly return are doing while the lockout goes on.

The players under contract:

1. Rajon Rondo

Rondo's elbow seems to have recovered at this point as he is engaging in more intense basketball activities. He has full range of motion and the swelling has gone down. He participated in the Kentucky Pros vs. The Dominican Republic basketball games and seemed to have no limitations on his elbow, while his teammates praised his leadership on the court. 

He plans to attend school to get his degree from Kentucky, while continuing his Red Bull campaign with the one-on-one tournament finishing at Alcatraz for the King of the Rock Finals. Rondo has set a October 1st deadline to make a decision on playing overseas.

2.  Kevin Garnett

Garnett is currently spending his time in China as part of his multi-city tour with Anta, his major Chinese sponsorship. He spent some time dunking for his fans overseas and even participated in a few games of table tennis. As for overseas play, Garnett says that at this point he is not considering such a move at the moment, but when contract offers start coming in, he may reevaluate based on the status of the lockout.

3. Ray Allen

Ray has spent most of his time preparing for the upcoming season while hosting charitable events like his annual charity golf tournament that took place last week. He has stated that if the lockout continues, he plans to host any of his teammates at UConn for some team training prior to the upcoming season. He has also stated that he has no desire to play overseas and would rather focus on preparing himself and his team for the season to come.

4. Paul Pierce

Like his other two veteran teammates, Paul Pierce has been keeping himself busy preparing for the upcoming season and participating in many of his sponsors' programs. He played in the World Series of Poker and helped to renovate the locker room at his former high school in Inglewood, California. He has not expressed any desire or plan to play overseas, but if the lockout continues, the possibility still lingers.

5. Jermaine O'Neal

The only real news that has come out about O'Neal is that he is going to return next season and that he decided to skip the surgery on his injured left wrist. He is undergoing rehab and should be ready for the 2011 season whenever it starts, but he didn't want the surgery due to the longer rehab necessary to recover. He will most likely not go overseas no matter how long the lockout continues.

6. Avery Bradley

Bradley has spent the summer training with Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson and Aaron Brooks. He is looking to play overseas but I haven't come across any real news of any offers for him to play.

Players who have a high likelihood of returning (or joining for the rookies):

1. Jeff Green

Like Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green has also returned to college in hopes of finishing his degree at Georgetown during the lockout. He has been participating in various summer leagues and charitable events to keep himself ready for the upcoming season. As for overseas play, he has made it clear he is not even looking and unless the season is taken away entirely, he won't consider it.

2. Delonte West

Delonte has been keeping his name in the headlines over his recent decision to apply for a job at Home Depot. He has work at the moment and with the court ruling that he cannot play overseas due to his past legal issues, West has found himself searching for a humble means of making money. He is training for next year, but he will not get the opportunity to make money overseas this year.

3. Von Wafer

Von Wafer made some waves with a huge dunk he had playing in a game in the Tournament of the Stars. He has been doing some playing in various leagues, but the big news is Von Wafer was able to make a deal to play for the Italian team Vanoli Cremona. He has an opt-out clause in place that will allow him to return to the NBA when the lockout has ended.

4. JaJuan Johnson

Johnson has been spending his entire summer attempting to better himself in order to be an immediate contributor for the Celtics when the season starts. He has been working with Tim Grover to put on the weight that he will need to be able to play physical at an NBA level. He has expressed no desire to go overseas at this time as he continues to play in the Indy Pro Am league and works on bringing his game to the next level.

5. E'Twaun Moore

Unlike Johnson, E'Twaun Moore jumped on the chance to play overseas and signed a one-year, $200,000 contract with Benetton Treviso. The contract includes the opt-out clause necessary to return to the states when the lockout ends.

6. Glen Davis

Big Baby has gone back and forth on whether he wants to return to the Celtics next season. His most recent decision was that he would love to return to Boston and is his No. 1 priority. It seems the man has no idea what he really wants, but he has stated that he is interested in playing overseas during the lockout. There is no real news of actual offers, but he has been playing basketball in various games and tournaments.

He appears to have also lost some weight and worked himself into better shape over the last few months, all good signs for next season if he returns to Boston.

Most of the Celtics seem to be fine staying put in the States and training for next year while the lockout keeps them from playing in the NBA. The team is getting in the work they need and soon we could see them coming together to hold training camp under the veterans, but until then they seem to be taking the necessary steps to stay on top of their game and be at their best when they return to the team next season.