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Rajon Rondo started scrimmaging with the rest of the Celtics in halfcourt 5-on-5 games, though in a limited fashion. He's wearing the brace and there's no timetable for his return, but it sure seems like a positive sign. The team has previously mentioned mid-December as a target but obviously they'll take their time and be cautious with it.
Amid rumors, Rajon Rajon livens up practice | Boston Herald
"He did a little bit more today, just putting himself in and out. He didn’t practice the entire time, but he did a lot of things, which was good," said coach Brad Stevens. "He did a little bit, but he didn’t do it all," he added when asked about the contact. "But you can clearly see, even if you come before the game, that he’s making progress. What that means (as far as a) timetable, I have not been told nor has it really been discussed. So I can’t imagine it’s any time very, very soon. . . . I can’t worry too much about it. I can’t really think too much about it. I just have to be ready for when it does happen, and hopefully by that time we’ll have been given a little bit of a heads-up that it’s going to happen shortly. But we’re not there yet."
Rondo has been in the news a lot lately because of the rumor mill, but if you believe Danny Ainge, there's no basis in reality there.
"Rondo is coming off an injury and I think people know how much we love Rondo, so I don’t expect anybody to inquire, quite honestly," Ainge said. "People know that Rondo is a big part of our future and that we’re not going to trade him." Ainge called Rondo, a four-time All-Star, "the centerpiece of our future."
High price of Rajon Rondo | Boston Herald
As of yesterday, Danny Ainge had still not taken leave of his senses — which is another way of saying he’s not considering dealing a great player for a selection of nice ones. In fact, as of that conversation, the subject hadn’t even reached his desk in anything other than media wrapping. "No," said Ainge when asked if anyone was trying to do such a deal. "I haven’t talked to any teams about Rajon Rondo." On the off chance he was playing semantic games — "Words with Non-Friends," if you will — we asked if any other clubs had made an overture that was cut off before he could talk to any team about Rajon Rondo. Again, Ainge replied with a flat, "No."
Bulpett also got some perfect quotes from an opposing GM that indicated that the Celtics aren't moving Rondo for anything less than another superstar, and rightly so.
Again, the Celtics are open to making a trade where they discard a veteran with a long term contract, and Ainge went as far as to say he's having "discussions." But I wouldn't hold my breath too much before the February timeframe when trades really heat up.
Of course Ainge can deny the Rondo rumors all he wants, and there's probably no truth to them, but that doesn't mean it is the last we've heard of them. All it takes is some report of a team "interested in" Rondo (and really, there's probably 20 or more teams that fit that description) and the cycle starts up again.