Rondo has a "mild" case of plantar fasciitis

[Drucci]

Emerging from the trainer's room more than an hour after Boston completed its 110-105 overtime triumph over the Chicago Bulls Friday at the TD Garden, Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo downplayed the severity of his "sore" feet, stressing he's fine after coach Doc Rivers suggested he had a "mild" case of plantar fasciitis that nearly prevented Rondo from suiting up.

"It's fine," said Rondo, who only shrugged when asked to confirm the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis. "It's cool. It's sore, that's all."

It wasn't so cool Friday morning, when team trainer Ed Lacerte advised Rivers that Rondo should skip Friday's game in lieu of rest. But when Rivers approached Rondo soon after, he brushed off the diagnosis and said he was playing.

"Listen, this morning, Eddie told me that Rondo wasn’t playing because of his foot," said Rivers. "And 10 minutes later, I go down so we can watch film and Rondo said, ‘I’m playing; I’m fine.'"

Rivers said before Friday's game that Rondo would be on a short leash and the first sign of soreness would result in him being yanked. The Celtics did just that, pulling Rondo earlier than usual in the first quarter, but he ultimately played 40 minutes, 13 seconds overall.

Rondo contributed 10 points and 11 assists, while also providing some key defense, including a late-game strip of Derrick Rose that prevented the Bulls from getting off a potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation.

"The only thing we did, and you could tell, we subbed him early," said Rivers. "I think with five or six minutes

in the first [quarter] we subbed him. And then we did it again [after] halftime. And, overall, that may have helped him with his wind."

Rondo's feet became a concern after Wednesday's win over the Bucks when Rivers indicated his point guard's feet were so sore he couldn't carry the ball up the court on consecutive possessions. Rondo suggested after Friday's game that the soreness developed over time and, while the only true way to heal is rest, he doesn't plan to miss any time because of the injury.

"I was able to tolerate it tonight," said Rondo, who got treatment and a massage after the game. "We're just taking precautions, that's all."

But the most telling statement from Rondo might have come when asked about his matchup with Derrick Rose, a monster story line before any meeting between the two teams. It's clear Rondo didn't want to take a backseat Friday.

"It's going to take a lot to keep me out of these type of matchups," admitted Rondo. "I like competing, especially against guys like Derrick."

Rose was one of the members of a Team USA squad that won gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championships after Rondo voluntarily departed the team before the start of the tournament. Rondo seems to have something to prove against guards that were ahead of him on the depth chart for Team USA and that would include Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, who he'll be matched up with Sunday if he's able to play against the Thunder.

"They get fired up for each other, I’m sure," Rivers said of the Rondo-Rose matchup. "That’s human nature. And it doesn’t get any easier; We play a pretty good guard [Westbrook] in the next game [Sunday vs. the Thunder] as well. But it’s good. They’re both sensational.”

If those guards weren't sensational, Rondo's plantar fasciitis might seem a lot more severe than he's letting on.

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I hope it's not too severe and his treatment will help him get rid of it (or deal with it in a good way) because this is something that usually bothers you all season long and can really slow you down.

[nba is the worst]

This truly could negatively impact the Celtics' season.

Let's see if Celtics' management goes conservative regarding his playing time the next few weeks (I certainly think they should)

[Eddie20]

This truly could negatively impact the Celtics' season.

Let's see if Celtics' management goes conservative regarding his playing time the next few weeks (I certainly think they should)

West's return can't come soon enough.

[hpantazo]

I've had plantar fascitis, and it doesn't heal at all unless you rest, that's the only treatment. It hurts like hell, especially when sitting for a while and then trying to stand and walk.

[birdwatcher]

I've had plantar fascitis, and it doesn't heal at all unless you rest, that's the only treatment. It hurts like hell, especially when sitting for a while and then trying to stand and walk.

cosign. after sitting for extended periods or getting out of bed in the morning can be near impossible. For me, it felt like my ankle was forged into a right angle, not able to bend it while having severe pain at the base of my heel. I couldn't even think of running when I had it. The good news is, that after a few hours it loosened up pretty well, so I'd miss the front end of double sessions, but would be ready to play/practice in the afternoon and evening. We'll probably see a lot of him getting treatment before & during games, doing tons of calf and ankle stretches with a trainer.

[Green Hell]

This isn't the kind of injury that goes away... 

[BballTim]

  And he still got the better of Rose.

  Contrast Rajon playing with a "bruised foot" to LeBron staring at his elbow brace every time he missed a shot last year...

[Fan from VT]

Hope that once west is back they throw some regular season games to get Rondo some sustained rest and therapy. We need him 100% to exploit Nelson/Whatever Miami has at PG in the playoffs.

[lantinm]

I've been dealing with plantar fasciitis since the end of August and I'm only starting to see improvement now.  I have to stretch my foot every morning, wear a brace at night, wear custom orthotic shoes, and then ice it whenever the pain becomes unbearable (which is often).  I'm still contemplating getting a cortisone shot to break up some of the scar tissue and to relieve most of the pain.  Having said all of that, I hope that Rondo listens to Lacerte and does whatever Eddie tells him to do, as this is probably the most nagging injury a player could have.

[snively]

We're going to struggle mightily if Rondo has to miss time. 

[vinnie]

This isn't the kind of injury that goes away... 

This is not exactly correct. It does go away, but it also can come back at any time. My son has it and it comes and goes. Unfortunately, it is worst for him playing basketball, but not so bad with soccer and lacrosse. Because of this, he will probably give up basketball.

[Green Hell]

This isn't the kind of injury that goes away... 

This is not exactly correct. It does go away, but it also can come back at any time. My son has it and it comes and goes. Unfortunately, it is worst for him playing basketball, but not so bad with soccer and lacrosse. Because of this, he will probably give up basketball.

Yeah, but I don't think people in this topic understand the severity of an injury like this. It's something he'll be dealing with all season unless he takes a month off (and even then its likely to come back). The fact is that its not the kind of problem you can treat and its only going to get worse the more he plays on it. Very bad news imo.

[PosImpos]

Yeah, this might be worse than if, say, Rondo has sprained his ankle or even broken his foot.  At least there's a specific time frame for that kind of injury.  There's just no telling how long this plantar fascitis thing will be an issue.

Knowing the Celtics organization, we won't be getting any specific details to allay (or confirm) our fears, either.

[celticsmaniac]

There is no such thing as "mild" plantar fascitis any more than there is such thing as "mild" decapitation. Your head is either cut off or it isn't. Same with this.

You people are understating things a bit. This is a SEVERE injury. Much worse than a broken foot or torn ACL or even a bazooka wound. Rondo's foot will gradually deteriorate (much like it would if he had flesh eating bacteria) until it falls off sometime in the next month or so. Only way to prevent that is to put him on the inactive list for the remainder of this season and most of next season.

[FallGuy]

  And he still got the better of Rose.

  Contrast Rajon playing with a "bruised foot" to LeBron staring at his elbow brace every time he missed a shot last year...

Well played, sir.  Well played.