What the Celtics REALLY thought about the return of Rondo

Before and following their opening night victory over the visiting Brooklyn Nets, members of the Boston Celtics spoke about what it was like having Rajon Rondo back in the starting lineup.

Everyone seemed to have nice things to say, but when you’re a internet sleuth like me, you learn how to read between the lines real quick. Here’s what Kelly Olynyk, Evan Turner, Marcus Smart, and Avery Bradley were REALLY saying when they were asked to speak about Rondo’s return.

What Kelly Olynyk Said

“It’s huge. You have a leader that’s commanding guys, telling them where to go, just making the game easier for people. And that’s really what it boils down to. If you can make the game easier for other people and make teammates look good, everything works together.”

What Kelly Olynyk REALLY Said

Rajon told me I have to call him Mr. Rondo in every interview I do or else. He didn’t get specific, but he didn’t have to. I knew what he meant. Just make up something really good, ok? Make it sound like no one is happier than me that he’s back. You’re a writer, just write something complimentary. Rajon… Mr. Rondo is not someone to mess with. Trust me, for your own sake.

What Evan Turner Said (pregame)

“Sometimes the league tries to make out who’s the good guys and bad guys. I think among all the people I’ve been around, Rondo’s definitely one of my favorite guys because that’s a team guy. You know what I’m saying? I think he gets a knock on what type of personality he is and everything, but he’s really a team guy, he’s really a competitive guy. And that’s all you really need right?”

What Evan Turner REALLY Said (pregame)

He’s not one of the bad guys; he is THE bad guy, ok? Seriously- he’s the Marvel Phase 3 Super Villain. Forget that purple guy with the weird chin. Rajon Rondo is the one who defeats all of the Avengers at once. He told me he would send me back to Philadelphia if I screwed up in a game. WHO WOULD SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!

What Marcus Smart Said

“It’s incredible how we were playing together for a short amount of time, with Rondo coming back, and just clicking like that – it’s unbelievable how we did that. But it’s always fun to be able to do that with those guys and have an outcome like that tonight. It wasn’t too unexpected because Rondo’s been with us in practice. His energy has been phenomenal, so we kind of knew once he got back, it would just increase.”

What Marcus Smart REALLY Said

Rondo has locked me in a locker every single day this week. WE DON’T EVEN HAVE LOCKS ON OUR LOCKERS. HE MADE ONE SPECIAL JUST TO PUT ME IN IT. He told me that I owed him lunch money for every day since I’ve been drafted. That doesn’t sound that bad, but he told me that since I should have been drafted last year, the tab started running in June of 2013. That’s like 450 days worth of lunch money. I’m on a rookie contract, man. I don’t make that much money.

What Avery Bradley Said

“It just made everyone feel a lot more comfortable. He’s our leader and he came out and he played amazing. It’s like he didn’t skip a beat. It’s almost like he hasn’t been off at all. He played great tonight and he definitely motivates everybody to go out there and continue to improve because he talks to us throughout the entire game."

"I think at a certain point in the year last year he was full speed as well. But I think it’s his leadership and how hard he plays. He wants to win every single game. Whenever you have a teammate like that, it’s contagious man. It has everyone out there playing hard. You see Marcus Smart out there diving for the ball, Jeff Green, everyone was playing hard. And it all comes from Rondo.”

What Avery Bradley REALLY Said

He’s watching me right now. He’s watching me talk to you. Quick, pretend like I said something funny! HAHAHAHAHA! I know right? Rondo’s the best! He’s not secretly destroying the team with mind games or making us fight each other for his amusement!

**This concludes the joke portion of this blog.**

After battling a torn ACL which sidelined him for the majority of the 2013-14 season and a broken hand which threatened the start of the 2014-15 season, Rajon Rondo returned weeks ahead of schedule to lead the Boston Celtics to a decisive victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Everyone seemed pumped, so let's just go with it.

On behalf of everyone with a sense of humor, welcome back, Captain.

Follow Padraic O'Connor on Twitter @padraic_oconnor

Real Quotes Sourced: MassLive

Bits written by author