Rajon Rondo says he's not very close to game shape

Rajon Rondo looks great in a suit on the bench, but he looks even better in his jersey playing on the court. Unfortunately for the Boston Celtics, Rondo says he's not close to returning to the court.

#Celtics Rajon Rondo said there's no timetable for his return. "I've had one practice and a pick-up game. That's about it."

— A. Sherrod Blakely (@SherrodbCSN) December 23, 2013

Rondo: "I have confidence in my knee." Then said it might be mid-to-late January, maybe later.

— Jay King (@ByJayKing) December 23, 2013

Rondo: I'm going to come back until the time is right. (He doesn't give timeline. Says he's not on game shape yet.)

— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) December 23, 2013

When asked if January was realistic for his return, Rondo said, "no." #Celticstalk

— A. Sherrod Blakely (@SherrodbCSN) December 23, 2013

Is January realistic for Rondo to return? He says no. He later mentions late January & early February as possibilities.

— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) December 23, 2013

Rondo stressed he's not very close to game shape, needs to do a lot more to feel ready.

— Jay King (@ByJayKing) December 23, 2013

When you see how often players returning from major leg injuries are hurting another part of their leg (Kobe, Rose), you can't blame Rondo for waiting until he's really 100 percent recovered from his torn-ACL. So, instead of playing the tiresome and tedious game of "will he or won't he return," I think it's just best we wait until an announcement comes out that he is close to returning to the court. Until then, Brad Stevens and the Celtics will have to do all they can to pick up wins without their star point guard.

Follow @KevinOConnorNBA