Is it too early to worry about the Celtics 0-2 record with Rondo?

So far not so good for the Celtics with Rondo.
My gut tells me that reacting after only two games of seeing Rajon Rondo back in green is a bit absurd.   It's obviously going to take a little while for him to get acclimated with the flow and pace of things, as well as become comfortable with his teammates on the court.  And he's only played twenty minutes each night, which makes it somewhat difficult to really impact the game.  Rondo also seems a step slow and hesitant, which I assume will go away over time.

But having said all that, I am still slightly concerned.  Not so much with Rondo himself, but of the overall performance of the team since his return.

These last two losses are bad losses, really bad.  The Lakers threw out Paul Gasol and a D-League lineup; a guy named Ryan Kelly who I'd literally never heard of before put up 20 points and beat the Celtics when it mattered.

Orlando was in an absolute free fall, losers of 10 straight before knocking off Boston.  And they did it while using just 7 players, relying heavily on Celtic cast offs Big Baby Davis and E'Twaun Moore.  E'Twaun Moore for crying out loud!  In both games Rondo was on the floor in crunch time, and unable to help guide the C's to victory down the stretch.

In the bigger picture, this is probably a good thing.  As we've now passed mid-season it's looking more and more like ping pong balls rather than playoffs will be in Boston's future.  And for next year and beyond I highly doubt we can learn any long-term lessons about this club from these past two games with Rondo.  But for those who were expecting a sharp upswing in the Celtics play once their point guard returned, it doesn't look like that is about to happen any time soon.


Follow Mark Vandeusen on twitter @LucidSportsFan