He tried. Rajon Rondo has seen the Chicago Bulls struggle the last two games without him as a strong defender and stabilizing influence at point guard — something nobody thought Rondo would be mid-season — and he wanted to get back on the court for Game 5 against the Celtics. He took some steps toward getting ready to play.
But it’s not happening, Rondo said at shootaround Wednesday. From Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com and K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Rondo said he's out tonight
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) April 26, 2017
Rondo said he can't do much with the thumb still. "It's still broke."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 26, 2017
Rondo: "My thumb is the same as it was last week. I think I’m Wolverine but it hasn’t healed that quickly yet."
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) April 26, 2017
Rondo sounds iffy about Game 6.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 26, 2017
And it’s not just the fractured thumb.
It was previously known cast was to immobilize wrist injury Rondo was playing through but today is 1st tm Rondo said he had "torn ligament"
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 26, 2017
If the Bulls are going to win this series, they are going to have to do it without Rondo.
Isaiah Canaan will get the start in Game 5, and he will set a lot of screens in a 1/3 pick-and-roll to try and get Isaiah Thomas switched on to Jimmy Butler. Canaan can do that. He had fallen way out of the rotation and is really a two-guard not a point, but with the terrible play of Jerian Grant and Michael Carter-Williams, coach Fred Hoiberg took a gamble. It worked, at least for one game. Canaan with the other four Bulls starters — Butler, Dwyane Wade, Nikola Mirotic, and Robin Lopez — were +12 in 11 minutes together in Game 4, and played well on both ends of the court. But Canaan was buried on the bench for a reason, he shot 36.4 percent on the season, 26.6 percent from three, and he’s not a great defender. The Celtics will be prepared for him in Game 5.
Hoiberg’s best option is to lean on a no point guard lineup when it matters most, with three wings who can handle the ball in Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, and probably Denzel Valentine. That could be a challenging defensive lineup and Boston will try to get the lightning quick Isaiah Thomas switched onto Wade or Valentine (neither of which can guard him). Also, this lineup would be draining and put a big load on Butler, but he could handle it for critical stretches of the game.
