When Rajon Rondo went through a two-week quarantine at his home, he got on a plane to leave his family and head to one of the most important points of our current global pandemic, and sat in his hotel room to put quarantined or another 36 hours, while receiving evidence of coronavirus all the time – he probably expected to be with his Lakers teammates for more than two days after finishing his isolation.
But thanks to a fracture of his right thumb he suffered in the Lakers’ second group practice of the restart that will set him aside for 6-8 weeks, Rondo will have to leave the bubble again to undergo surgery and then begin a rehabilitation process. in yours before you can join your team. Regardless of what one thinks of Rondo’s value to the Lakers on the court, on a human level, we can all understand how devastating it must be.
As a result of that difficult situation, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel wants Rondo to take a break and focus on improving.
“I personally want him to breathe out a little,” Vogel said in a Zoom video conference with reporters Monday.
However, when Rondo is ready, Vogel has an open job for him until he can return to the floor, or even before he gets into the bubble. Vogel described how assistant coach Lionel Hollins, who did not travel with the team due to health risks, as well as members of his video team and Lakers Senior Basketball Advisor Kurt Rambis, have seen practice and helped at coaching meetings using Zoom, and how collaborative the process has been so far.
“I will definitely offer that kind of participation to Rajon if that is something that interests him,” Vogel said.
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And when Rondo returns to the bubble at Disney World, even if he isn’t ready to hit the field yet, his teammates still think he can help.
“It is a hit, but not so hard due to how much it helps us on the bench and in terms of training. I know he will still be there, he will continue to help train and teach, “Lakers shooting guard Danny Green said, even adding that” it would be great to have (Rondo) on the court, making plays and being that. general floor. “
Presumably, Rondo won’t be able to do it for a while, but a role in the coaching staff is something that has honestly seemed fitting for a while. His teammate LeBron James has frequently commented on how Rondo is one of the few players with a basketball brain on par with his, not a small compliment, and countless Lakers have discussed how much Rondo’s guidance has helped them. in recent years. It may not be as effective on the court as it used to be, but it really seems like it could be an asset in this role to say the least.
But it is also well known that Rondo is as tough as NBA players. This is a guy who once played 12 minutes of a playoff game in a torn ACL. Plus, he was in great shape before the NBA restart, with an anonymous coach member saying Rondo looked “like he was 21 years old again” during the team’s coaching period at home. He also made waves when the video of his boxing routine went viral. Aside from his now broken thumb, Rondo was clearly ready to play.
“We were all very impressed with the appearance of his body,” Vogel said Monday. “It was clear that he struggled through quarantine to stay in good shape.”
He vows to his teammates that Rondo will be ready to contribute when he returns to the court.
“We know he will be back in 6-8 weeks, hopefully before that,” Green said. “She will return better than ever. Because she was in good shape before she got injured. “
Until then, however, Vogel will be happy to put Rondo’s world-renowned basketball mind to good use, via video calls and on the sidelines, when it’s ready.
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