Rondo speculation turns out to be false alarm
BOSTON - After speculation grew Tuesday night that Rajon Rondo might try to play in Game 5, he shut the door quickly at the morning shootaround.
"No, I'm not playing," Rondo told reporters at TD Garden. "I got an X-ray yesterday. The thumb is still the same. It's still broke. I knew last week it wasn't going to be fixed in a week. My finger is broken. … I think I'm Wolverine, but it hasn't healed that quickly yet."
"Me being on the court (is) I'm just trying to keep my conditioning up for anything that could happen. When the doctors say I can play and not further injure my thumb, then I'll probably take a real consideration of playing."
So it seems there is still a possibility of Rondo coming back for Game 6 on Friday or a Game 7 if necessary. But Rondo admitted he's facing some long odds with a broken right thumb suffered late in Game 2.
"I'm not worried about somebody else slapping it," Rondo said. "I'm worried about the way I play - diving on the floor, trying to get my hand in on loose balls. I play on instincts. I can't go in there with my finger tucked and trying to steal the ball. The game doesn't work like that. I don't want to hurt my teammates trying to be a hero and be 65 percent. I'm doing what's best for my team."
Rondo played very well in Games 1 and 2, both Bulls victories on the road. The offense didn't run as smoothly in Games 3 and 4, so the Bulls turned to seldom-used Isaiah Canaan as the starting point guard on Wednesday.
Rondo mentioned that he tore a ligament in his right wrist late in the season. That's why he sat out three games before the playoffs began and why a cast was placed on the right wrist after he suffered the thumb injury. The Bulls were trying to give the wrist a chance to heal. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said the wrist injury was a further demonstration of Rondo's toughness.
"If he can play, if there's any chance for him to go out there, he's a guy that's going to go out there and give it a shot," Hoiberg said. "That's just his makeup, his competitiveness.
"We still understand it's a long shot. He's got a broken thumb. Rajon's got an unbelievable left hand, better than most guys' right hands as far as handling the ball and passing the ball. We'll see how things progress."