The team is reporting that Rondo had successful surgery Friday morning at New England Baptist Hospital to repair a left metacarpal fracture. He will miss training camp and at least the first month of the season. This is definitely a setback for both the team and the point guard.
There may be a silver lining, however. With Rondo out for training camp and for the beginning of the season, the Celtics will get a very good look at their rookie, Marcus Smart, who will be thrown into the fire and will develop quicker with more playing time. Of course, it's possible that Coach Stevens will go with Phil Pressey, who started 11 games last season, to start with Smart coming off the bench and backing up both guard spots in order to determine where he will fit the best in the future.
Silver lining or not, it still is a disappointing setback for the team and for Celtics fans who were anxious to see the Rondo who was back to 100% from his ACL injury.
[Discuss on CG Forums!]
I think the biggest downside is the lack of practice time for the 5, or 7, new additions to gain familiarity with Rondo's passing. We've already heard from Smart and Zeller about how Rondo's passes defy belief and how alert they have to be at all times. The good news is that if Rajon embraces the sideline coach role like he did last year, the benefits of his insight and acumen should be obvious to his new teammates. Also him welcoming the interim clipboard duties will have some real payoffs for team-first attitude and will probably help chemistry building almost as well as him being at the point.
ReplyDeleteStill I bemoan the opportunity for the team to adjust to the differing strengths of Smart vs. Rondo. It is almost like the other ten players adjusting to a running quarterback vs. a drop-back passer.
Make that "lost opportunity"
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