Rajon Rondo's minutes restriction is gone (mostly); still won't play tonight in Milwaukee

Last night Rajon Rondo logged a season high 37 minutes, including the final ten in the 4th quarter despite the fact that the game's outcome was never in doubt.  Brad Stevens said that Rondo is no longer on a minutes restriction, but in reality it's not quite that straight forward:

Stevens on Rondo: "The (minutes restriction) is off. He's not playing in the back-to-back, but he'll probably be cleared for (those) soon."
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 10, 2014

And from the Boston Globe's Baxter Holmes:

Don't read too much into Rondo's minutes restriction being off. Rondo said tonight that it's not "completely off. I won’t be playing 40."
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) February 10, 2014

Rondo added that he's not at the point where he can play as many minutes as he might need to play any night, either.
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) February 10, 2014

Here's more via Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston:

"I wouldn’t say [the minute restriction is] completely off. I won’t be playing 40 [minutes]," said Rondo. "But when I’m out there and my adrenaline is going, I feel fine." As for his desire to play in back-to-backs, Rondo isn't rushing the process, particularly since Boston only has one other set of back-to-backs later this month. "Each game is different," he said. "I try to listen to my body as much as possible and go from there."

Here's what this sounds like to me: Rondo is fine.  He's back, and ready to go full steam.  But because the Celtics have no interest in accumulating victories at the moment they're being over cautious with him, and his recovery from ACL surgery is the perfect excuse.  If these games mattered and Boston wanted to win there wouldn't even be a discussion.


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