Holding Rondo out the first month would make sense.
The team could struggle through that brutal stretch and then there would be less pressure to "tweak" the roster via trades if the team plays better than expected once Rondo is healthy.
Looking at the November schedule, I think this team could struggle to win more than 4-5 games even if Rondo does play. If he doesn't play, they might not win more than 1-3. A 2-17 start would pretty much guarantee a high lottery pick assuming the team wins, at best, 30-40% of their games the rest of the way.