Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo continues to practice but now without the encumbrance of a knee brace, suggesting his return could happen sooner than later. He also insists Derrick Rose's recent injury doesn't make him think twice about returning, the Boston Herald reports.
Rondo continues to rehab his surgically repaired knee, and the dividends are becoming more apparent. His participation in practice continues to increase; he played in a one-on-one drill against the "tight" defense of MarShan Brooks prior to Monday's game against Charlotte.
Even more significant, Rondo took part in the drill without wearing a knee brace. There's no official timetable for his return, but the absence of a brace and the participation in practice beyond just shooting drills indicates he could soon be in the lineup.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens is already preparing for Rondo's eventual return.
"I've had him on one of the two teams in practice for the last month when we do 5-on-0 stuff, so that he's ready when the time comes," Stevens told reporters, via The Herald. "It's really all you can do right now, but what he's got to do is he's got to be sharp in what we're doing, so that we can pick it up and go full steam ahead.
"We're doing some things that fit him better than anybody else, so hopefully when he comes back he feels fluid in that."
Rondo has said he doesn't intend to take a full year off to recover from his ACL surgery like Rose did. Despite Rose now being out with a season-ending meniscus tear, Rondo was adamant he still plans to return and doesn't see a correlation between Rose's 2012 ACL tear and his latest injury.
"What's going to happen is going to happen," said Rondo. "It's not like he rushed, so that's what I'm saying. He took a long time, and still things happen. It's the game we play. It's part of it. I can come back early and do the same thing. He came back late and it happened to him. It was just unfortunate.
"That's just how it is."
