Boston Celtics star Rajon Rondo is nearing his return to the hard court and could play with the Maine Red Claws in the NBA Development League to complete his rehabilitation from ACL surgery.
"I'm better than last week when I talked to you guys," he told the Boston Globe, referring to his media session last December 22. "I'm still getting my endurance but I'm getting pretty close, feeling good, feeling better."
The star point guard said he is not rushing his return, and would consider playing in the D-League for practice time. "I don't want to go out there and get fatigued and cause another injury," he said. "I want to make sure I'm ready to go and I'm in shape."
He continued on potentially playing in the D-League: "That's an idea, definitely. That's more game-like speed with our schedule, the Celtics, we don't get a chance to play a lot of pickup, so that might be a possibility. You just never know, I might just pop up and play. You guys won't get the memo. You just have to catch me on YouTube or something. Each week I'm getting better so I just want to give it a test when I have a chance."
Rondo said he has talked with Lou Williams of the Atlanta Hawks, who underwent a similar surgery and returned to action last November. "Basically what stuck out to me was he said there's going to be some good days and bad days," he said. "Especially for the first 18 months of the recovery. Lou Williams is out there with no brace. He's playing well. It's a matter of getting his rhythm back."
Playing in the weak Eastern Conference has given the Celtics a shot at making the playoffs despite a 13-18 record, but Rondo said their record will not give him motivation to hurry his return. "I'm pretty motivated regardless of our team's record," he said. "I told myself before the season I wasn't going to base it off our record. It's based off how I feel.
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