Rajon Rondo is making progress in his recovery from a fractured right thumb, just not enough for him to suit up when the Chicago Bulls travel to play the Boston Celtics in Game 2.
And so, Isaiah Canaan, an unlikely almost-hero in Game 4, will get the start instead, per ESPN.com’s Nick Friedell:
– Rajon Rondo was out of his cast Monday but won’t play in Game 5 Wednesday against the Boston Celtics, while Isaiah Canaan gets the start at point guard, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said.
Canaan made a surprise appearance in the Bulls’ Game 4 loss to the Celtics on Sunday night, scoring 13 points in 34 minutes. …
Though he wasn’t wearing the cast Monday, Hoiberg ruled Rondo out of Game 5 but left the door open for a potential return in Game 6 or a possible Game 7.
Rondo’s initial timetable put him back sometime in the second round, assuming the Bulls even make it that far (they won’t). To see him play before this series is over would be a surprise, and yet not at all shocking. He’s always been tough, even as his reputation has taken a (justifiable) flogging. If he’s able to get on the floor, he’ll do it. And if the Bulls continue down this path of losing, entering a 3-2 hole after going up 2-0, then they may be desperate enough to throw Rondo back into the fold.
We’ll just have to wait and see and blah, blah, blah. But if the Bulls lose Game 5, expect Rondo’s premature return for Game 6, in front of the home crowd, to gain some serious traction.
