Some quotes from Danny Ainge from before tonight's game.
Green Street " Danny Ainge: ‘We’re not ready to cave in yet… It’s going to take more than that’
"We're not ready to cave in yet, are you kidding? It's going to take more than that," Ainge said just before Friday's game with the Magic at TD Garden. "We'll just have to win in a different way. Jared's our best rebounder. We don't have to play that way. Last two games, we played without Jared last game and I think our team looked great. The second half and most of the Miami game, we played smaller ball and were able to win. Against New York, they're a small-ball team, we played small against them, had a win against them in New York. "I think we're going to have to win in a different way without Jared and without Rajon. We'll see what we have."
Looks like (so far) he was right . The team looks strong and defiant. Hopefully they can sustain that.
Speaking of the future, Ainge sounds like someone who'd still like to make a deal if he can find the right one.
Quick hits from Ainge - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston
On potential roster moves moving forward: "I don’t know any of that yet. I'm not sure. We have three weeks before the trade deadline ends, and we’re trying to maintain flexibility. By that time, by the trade deadline date, we will have a full [15-man] roster, one way or another."
Rondo and Sullinger still count towards that 15 man roster, so there's still just 2 spots open. But if they strike out on trades, they'll still have the option to add a couple of live bodies as free agents. That might mean guys that get waived from other teams after the deadline or perhaps even dipping into the D-League.
Before that, however, it should be a very interesting 3 weeks.
Update: Don't hold your breath waiting for K-Mart.
Ainge: Injuries may alter short-term plan
One free agent option that remains available is Kenyon Martin. However, league sources indicated on Friday that the C's have not expressed any interest in adding the former all-star recently and even with Sullinger's injury, it appears that's not going to change.