Whispers are starting to circulate that Rajon Rondo could be out until the All-Star Break due to a wrist injury for the Celtics and that is bad news.  Rondo has played in 13 games (all starts) for the Celtics so far this year and he is averaging 36.4 minutes, 15.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 9.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  21-year old Avery Bradley has stepped into the starting lineup at point guard, and he is no Rondo.  Bradley is averaging 5.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game in his five starts.  He is also shooting only 34.2% from the floor since being elevated to the starting lineup and that is putrid.  Bradley has played in 17 games (5 starts) so far for the Celtics and he is averaging 16.1 minutes, 3.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  It’s likely only a matter of time until 31-year old Keyon Dooling bumps Bradley to the bench.  Dooling has played in 10 games (1 start) for the Celtics so far this year and he is averaging 17.5 minutes, 6.6 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

UPDATE:  (2/4/2012) – Rajon Rondo returned to action last night for the Celtics.  He finished up with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals in 34 minutes on the floor.  This is outstanding news for the Celtics.

The Celtics have re-signed 25-year old forward Jeff Green to a 1-year deal.  Green played in 26 games (2 starts) for the Celtics last year and he averaged 23.5 minutes, 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He played in 75 games (51 starts) overall last year for the Thunder & Celtics and he averaged 32.4 minutes, 13.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  Green has now played in 315 games (263 starts) in his first four years in the NBA and he is averaging 33.6 minutes, 13.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.  Green will likely get his minutes playing behind Paul Pierce this year.

UPDATE:  (12/17/2011) – The Celtics have lost Jeff Green for the 2011-12 season.  He needs heart surgery.  His contract has been voided due to his failed physical.  Green will likely be able to return to the NBA for the 2012-13 season as long as the doctor gives him an o.k. to play.

39-year old center Shaquille O’Neal played last night after missing 27 games with an Achilles strain.  He only lasted 5 minutes last night before hurting his calf muscle and sitting out the rest of the night after scoring 6 points and grabbing 1 rebound.  O’Neal has played in 37 games (36 starts) for the Celtics so far this year and he is averaging 20.3 minutes, 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.  He is shooting 66.7% from the floor and 55.7% from the free throw line his year, which is pretty amazing for him.  I really hope that the Celtics weren’t depending on Shaq when they dealt Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder.

The Boston Celtics have lost 25-year old shooting guard Von Wafer for the next 2-3 weeks due to a calf injury.  Wafer has played in 53 games (0 starts) for the Celtics so far this year and he is averaging 8.8 minutes, 2.9 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  The Celtics shouldn’t miss Wafer too much going forward as they have a lot of depth at guard.

The Boston Celtics will be without 30-year old SG/SF Marquis Daniels for at least one month after he suffered a bruised spine yesterday against the Orlando Magic.  Daniels has played in 49 games (0 starts) so far this year for the Celtics and he is averaging 19.1 minutes, 5.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  The Celtics are loaded with vets on the bench so they should be able to withstand the loss of Daniels.

32-year old power forward/center Jermaine O’Neal has decided against surgery on his knee, deciding instead to rehab it.  He will miss at least four weeks and likely even more than that.  O’Neal has played in 17 games (5 starts) for the Celtics this year and he is averaging 18.1 minutes, 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  The Celtics will give O’Neal all the time he needs to get healthy because they are deep along the front line.

The Boston Celtics will be without 34-year old power forward Kevin Garnett for the next couple of weeks due to a strained right calf.  Garnett has played in 30 games (all starts) for the Celtics so far this year and he is averaging 31.6 minutes, 15.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  Garnett will be missed because of his defense and rebounding.  24-year old Glen “Big Baby” Davis will need to step up with K.G. on the mend.  Davis has played in 30 games (0 starts) for the Celtics so far this year and he is averaging 29.7 minutes, 12.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  The Celtics have enough depth on the front line with Jermaine O’Neal back that they can give K.G. all of the time he needs to heal and they should be careful with him.

The Celtics will be without starting point guard Rajon Rondo for the next couple of weeks due to a ankle injury.  Rondo has played in 20 games (all starts) so far this year for the Celtics and he is averaging 38.5 minutes, 11.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 13.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game.  Nate Robinson will take over as the starting point guard while Rondo is out of action.  He has played in 25 games (5 starts) for the Celtics so far this year and he is averaging 17.5 minutes, 7.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.  I think Robinson will do a decent job while Rondo is out of action.

25-year old starting center Kendrick Perkins will miss the next 5-6 months after having his ACL surgery yesterday. The Celtics don’t expect him back until December or January and that is a huge blow to them. Perkins really stepped up last season for the Celtics as he played in 78 games (all starts) in which he averaged 27.6 minutes, 10.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.7 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 442 games (328 starts) in his 7 years with the Celtics and he has averaged 22.2 minutes, 6.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.4 blocked shots per game.

Starting Celtics’ center Kendrick Perkins tore his MCL and ACL in his right knee which will cause him to miss the deciding game of the NBA Finals tomorrow night in L.A. Perkins has started all 23 of the Celtics’ playoff games to this point and he averaged 25.0 minutes, 5.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. The Celtics will miss Perkins’ size inside as Glen “Big Baby” Davis will likely replace him in the starting lineup. Davis has played in all 23 games (1 start) this post season for the Celtics and he is averaging 20.1 minutes, 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. I have little doubt that Davis can step up and have a big game for the Celtics and he is a better offensive player than Perkins so that will work in the Celtics’ advantage. Rasheed Wallace will also likely see a bump in playing time tomorrow night. He has played in 23 games (0 starts) for the Celtics this post season and he is averaging 16.3 minutes, 5.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Wallace has always stepped up the bigger the games get and I think tomorrow night qualifies as a big one.