Rajon Rondo discusses rehab and his new outlook on life

It's a must read.  Here's a snippet to whet your appetite:

Rondo made his season debut on Jan. 17, 2014, close to one year after he was delivered the life-changing news. His minutes are restricted -- he will have to work his way back to the almost 38 he averaged last season -- and the brace he wears each game serves as a physical reminder of the work that still lies ahead. He doesn't always move as daringly as he did before the injury, that will come with time, and he is taking a cautious approach to his game. The flash will follow after the fundamentals. He admits at the time of his injury, he didn't think he would be this reflective when he returned. But as he spoke with his right knee wrapped in ice, he said that each time he has the ball in his hands is meaningful to him.

"You appreciate life more. You appreciate the game more," Rondo said. "You don't take the game for granted every day that you wake up and get to play this game and step on the court. It's a blessing. It's not guaranteed. Any moment, any play, any time in the game, your life could change. So every game that I do get to play, I'm very blessed and fortunate."

Rondo's injury put so many things in motion.  It derailed last season's run with a revamped roster.  It lead to an early exit from the playoffs.  It forced Danny Ainge to take a hard look at his team, consider rebuilding, eventually trading away Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, and letting Doc Rivers walk.  It's not all because of a torn ACL, but that was the straw that broke the Big Three's back in the end.

We've seen flashes of Rondouble-double-double in his return (in the Camerato piece, he mentions that he "felt like (he) mastered a triple-double") and he'll finally come into form by season's end when the team will probably be looking more towards the draft than a playoff spot.  By game 82, the hope is that Rondo will be back at 100%, but the team will still be undergoing a rehab of its own.  Many will consider this season a lost year, an inconsequential brick of the rebuild, but it does have its silver linings.  Rondo was named the 15th captain in the history of the Boston Celtics and in a calendar year where he's only spent a few precious seconds on the parquet floor, his maturation off the court might be the biggest development of the season.