HoopsHype.com Rumors

Rajon Rondo is with the team for the start of the playoffs. Rivers is happy to have him along, noting, "I want him around. He’s a good mind. He’s a great, great mind. And he knows the game. He’s a smart kid. People have no idea his IQ, they really don’t. It’s funny right now, even after our shootaround, he’s into it." Rondo had previously planned to join the team on Friday, but couldn't get out until the manhunt ended around Boston. ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Doc Rivers, Rajon Rondo 

Chris Forsberg: Doc happy to have Rondo along for start of playoffs. Can he help? Rivers: “I always tell if he wasn’t so crazy, he’d be a great coach.” Twitter @ESPNForsberg

Boston Celtics, Doc Rivers, Rajon Rondo 

In his first public comments since undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee, Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo told ESPN's Hannah Storm that it's "frustrating" not to be on the floor with his teammates, but he has come to accept the situation. "I'm in a place now where I am OK with it," Rondo told Storm in a sit-down interview that will air on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET on April 18. "I know this is my main focus, getting healthy." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Injuries 

Rondo tore the ACL on Jan. 25 against the Atlanta Hawks. He didn't think the injury was serious at the time. "I didn't hear a pop. ... I thought I could play through it," he told Storm. ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Injuries 

"When I got out of surgery, for three to four weeks nobody said anything about when I'll be back, or when I'll be able to play. They just wanted me to take it one week at a time and just see how I progress from there," he told Storm. "Everybody's body is different. Everybody plays the game differently. An injury like this varies." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Injuries 

Rajon Rondo On the actual play that resulted in the season-ending injury: I jumped up and made a pass, I didn’t hear a pop. I just thought when I came down, that I came down too early. Thought I hyperextended my leg, thought I could play through it and didn’t think it was a season-ending injury. beyondthebuzzer.com

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Injuries 

On what transpired 30 minutes prior to tip-off with the Heat: I wanted to play against the Heat that day, that Sunday, and I thought I was playing. But until like maybe 30 minutes on the clock, you know, I did my ritual, my routine and I got in the shower and something was telling me this doesn’t feeling right. On leaving from the MRI and hearing the results on the radio: So, on a Sunday the hospital was closed, but I went and got an MRI. And on the way back, I heard on the radio, they were like ‘Rondo may have a torn ACL,’ I’m like, ‘How does he know it…we just got the results, there’s no way possible…’ I had just left the hospital and just got the results. beyondthebuzzer.com

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Injuries 

With a heavy brace on his right knee, Rondo was coy when asked about his recovery. "I'm able to walk," he said. Upon being asked what he is able to do on the basketball court, he replied, "I'm able to walk." CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Injuries 

Rondo is able to do more than just walk, though. He took shots on the parquet before the Celtics game against the Detroit Pistons dressed in a long-sleeve shirt, shorts, and a pair of Nike low tops. The point guard first took one-handed shots with his right hand, jumping just slightly but never putting pressure on his right foot upon landing. He then took two-handed shots without elevating. CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Injuries 

McDonough wasn’t alone in his admiration. Wallace was a fan, as was Ainge, but McDonough remained solidly in Rondo’s corner even as he struggled through a disappointing sophomore season, rating him the second-best prospect in the draft. "While the rest of the world sort of dropped on Rondo, Ryan continued to evaluate him even higher," says Ainge. "Ryan was pushing very, very hard for Rajon. Ryan was very big in us having that strong of a desire for Rajon." SB Nation

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Statistics, Ryan McDonough 

Floated that scenario during a call to Boston sports radio WBZ-FM (98.5 the SportsHub), Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge brushed off the suggestion while stressing how much the team likes the Rondo-Avery Bradley backcourt combination moving forward. "I don’t know what you're insinuating, because Avery is not Rondo and Avery can also play 2 guard with Rondo and those guys have been extremely effective together," said Ainge. "I know that we haven’t had them together much this year and I think that Rajon loves playing with Avery Bradley, for a lot of different reasons. I think that combination last year proved to be spectacular, they just did’t get a chance to get together much this year, so it's a little bit unfair." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Trade, Rajon Rondo, Danny Ainge, Avery Bradley 

Later, Ainge was asked more directly if he'd ponder trading Rondo or Bradley in the offseason given the way his team has performed. "I can’t envision any scenario, no," said Ainge. "I love those guys, where Rondo is right in the prime of his career, and Avery's not even there yet, he's continuing to get better. I think they are a great guard combination and to ever consider doing something like that, it would have to be something significant." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Trade, Rajon Rondo, Danny Ainge, Avery Bradley 

Steve Bulpett: Ainge says Rondo rehabbing twice a day, should be back in Boston in two weeks. Twitter @SteveBHoop

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Injuries 

Few know better than Perkins the road that lies ahead for Rondo, who is out for the season with a torn right ACL injury - the same injury that Perkins' suffered during the 2010 NBA Finals. "My biggest thing with him," Perkins told CSNNE.com, "I'm not worried about whether he'll put the work in to get back on the court. I just don't want him to have a mental breakdown." As Perkins recalls, overcoming the mental hurdles of such a devastating injury is far tougher than the physical regimen needed to recover. He remembers a number of days during his rehabilitation process where he felt like giving in to self-doubt. "It gets to that point, if you don't have somebody in your ear, to encourage you. That's real talk," Perkins said. CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Injuries 

The need to declare that the Celtics were Rondo's team was a curious phenomenon from the start. It was hard to imagine that future Hall of Famers Pierce and Garnett ever completely bought into that, although they were happy to play along for public consumption. "I don't know if they did or not," said Rivers, "but all I know is those two guys are talking more. When Rondo comes back, Paul and Kevin need to continue to lead the way they are now. Because, honestly, I don't buy into the 'Whose team is it?' I think that's the silliest damn stuff. I don't care whose team it is. Just go play together." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Doc Rivers, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett 

It's believed that the Hawks, like many teams over the past few years, had internal questions about how serious Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge really was when it came to surrendering Pierce or Kevin Garnett at the deadline. Although Pierce, Garnett and Rajon Rondo have all been openly mentioned in trade speculation since the Celtics' crushing defeat to the Lakers in Los Angeles in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals, with Ainge known to aggressively call around the league to see what's available in potential deals, there remains considerable skepticism about his willingness to actually go through with dealing with Pierce or KG after those 30-somethings helped end Boston's two- decade championship drought. ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Trade, Rajon Rondo, Danny Ainge, Kevin Garnett 

After the Celtics improved to 14-4 since the season-ending injury to his friend and Celtics teammate Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett faced questions about whether the season has taken on a special feel in recent weeks. “Special?” he asked. The question — a legitimate one given the circumstances — was asked again. “We haven’t given in to the [expletive] critics,” said Garnett, who finished with 17 points and seven boards in the 107-102 overtime win over the Hawks. “We’re working hard. We’re grinding. We’re showing our character. Our coach is a grinder himself, and his team is just that. We’re not looking for any handouts or sympathies or anything like that. We don’t expect anybody to give us nothing. We’re going out, working hard and gaining everything we’re getting. We’re giving ourselves a chance every night. We’re leaning on each other. We’re playing together. “I could probably better answer your question later on in the postseason to see where were at. It’s still early. Everybody’s fighting for positioning. Everybody pretty much has the same road at this point, so it’s kind of early.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett 

For instance: Did you know Rajon Rondo is the Garry Kasparov of Connect Four? Well of course he is. From SI: The Celtics didn't want to change Rondo when he arrived, but they didn't want to him either. So at charity foundations he perched behind a folding table where he could avoid the back-slapping, baby-hugging and other standard forms of celebrity fakery. He just played Connect Four, against anybody who dared, usually two grids at a time and sometimes three. "This has been going on for six years," Matt Meyersohn, the Celtics' director of community relations, said on Dec. 22 during an event at the Blue Hill Boys & Girls Club in Dorchester, Mass. "He's played hundreds of Connect Four games, maybe a thousand. And he's never lost." Later that day Rondo sat behind a table and three girls. Across from him there were more than 100 children he had showered with bikes, Razor scooters and iPod Touches that he bought at Target and distributed from the back of a U-Haul. "I thought he might let us win," said a 12 year- old named Olissa. "But he was so serious." SB Nation

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo 

Rondo doesn’t like game-time decisions. “They just want an excuse if they don’t play well.” Rondo doesn’t like playing grab-ass. “I’m not trying to make friends. We can talk in the summer.” Kevin Garnett: “With Rajon, there ain’t no [expletive]ing around.” Rondo admits, ”A lot of times I’ll be shooting and think, Maybe I should pass.” Jason Kidd once told Rondo: “If you’re going to shoot, you need to have your mind made up that you’re going to do it.” Kevin Wilk, Rondo’s physical therapist: “The [Adrian] Peterson type, the [Derrick] Rose type, the Rondo type, these are perfectionists with a meticulous approach to everything they do. If guys like that are doing 10 reps, and the eighth isn’t right, they’ll start over where someone else will stop. They won’t ever shut it down.” Brian Scalabrine: “There’s no one in the history of our game like him. He’s the the most interesting player I’ve ever known. How does someone who is 6-foot-1 get 18 rebounds? How does someone who doesn’t run fast break get 20 assists? How does someone who never shoots get everybody open? We cannot begin to understand how he does it.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo 

Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge is a good listener, and league executives continue to call Ainge about point guard Rajon Rondo's availability even though Rondo is out for the season with a torn ACL, an NBA executive told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about ongoing negotiations. USA Today Sports

Boston Celtics, Trade, Rajon Rondo, Danny Ainge