Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo is forever an enigma. The four-time All-Star has peerless court vision but often appears to seek out the toughest plays possible, can get any shot he wants but can't shoot, has all the prerequisites of a leader but doesn't seem to relish the role, etc. ad infinitum. His future in Boston appears in doubt, especially following his iffy 30-game return from an ACL tear last season. It certainly didn't help when Rondo broke his hand in late September, apparently during one of the many showers he takes every day.
Rondo has had an eye on returning from that injury by the season opener, which takes place on Wednesday night at TD Garden vs. the visiting Brooklyn Nets. Like many injured players, Rondo is not revealing his status just yet. True to form, though, his criteria for assessing his ability to play is a bit different. From Chris Forsberg for ESPNBoston.com (via Deadspin):
A playful Rondo didn't like the idea of being dubbed a game-time decision for the start of the 2014-15 regular season and suggested he won't finalize his game status until he wakes up from his typical game-day nap.
"When I wake up from my nap, I'll let [reporters] know. Around 4:30," Rondo said. "If I sleep really, really well tonight, and [Wednesday] afternoon with my nap, I'll let you know how I'm feeling."
On the eve of the start of the new season, Rondo was coy about whether his broken hand is ready for the typical game-caliber contact. On Monday, Rondo suggested he was 79 percent likely to play in the opener and, through coach Brad Stevens, he upgraded that number before Tuesday's practice.
"[Rondo] has one more imaging [test on his hand] after practice [Tuesday] and then they'll go from there," Stevens said. "I think it's more about his comfort level right now. I think [the trainers] feel like he's progressed well and healed appropriately. I just asked him what he wants me to say and he said, 'Tell [the media] I'm 83 percent.' I said I'll just tell them you're five-sixths of the way there." [...]
Deadpanned Canadian Kelly Olynyk: "I don't know how [Rondo's] metric system works over here."
Rondo is pretty clearly messing with all of us, because there is no way to note a four-percent improvement in game readiness. But these comments are really just as arbitrary as the standard media-approved criteria for deciding if a player can take part in a game. A nap is just as logical a determinant as someone's status an hour before game time. It might even make more sense if only because the team then has a bit more time to prepare for his inclusion in the lineup.
The entire incident is vintage Rondo. Sure, he's being unnecessarily difficult in the way that compelled Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck to wonder out loud if his star is particularly coachable. But Rondo also manages to touch on the absurdity of these "game-time decision" discussions whenever they take place. Plus, he manages to be funny through it all.
This season should decide quite a bit regarding Rondo's future with the only NBA team he's ever known. However it plays out, though, we can be sure that he will stay himself. Rondo doesn't know any other way.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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