Rajon Rondo Returns! The calculations were correct! He will play against the Lakers. Too bad Nick Young might not be there.

Rajon Rondo's return is just in time. Not for the Laker game. At exactly the right time, about one month before the trade deadline. One month is long enough to return to All-star form, but not long enough to risk getting injured again (unless you're Derrick Rose or Kobe Bryant). Long enough for teams to salivate over the skill of a top five point guard with actual championship experience. Something all the remaining top point guards don't have (except Tony Parker).

Offers will come, if they haven't already. But if Rondo plays well (and he probably will) the stakes will be higher. The coveted first rounds of contenders will be placed on the table, specifically for privileged teams with more than one. After all, Brad Stevens developed Jordan Crawford into a playmaker, he can do it again with someone else. Besides, the team chemistry they have developed may be shaken up when the last of the title holders takes over.

Chris Mannix of SI.com disagrees with this school of thought: "..the Celtics are well positioned to rebuild rapidly, and there is really only one way Ainge can screw it up: Trading Rajon Rondo. Across the league, rival executives believe that Ainge will eventually put Rondo on the trade block. He turns 28 next month, is a four-time All-Star, a basketball maestro (Erik Spoelstra's words, not mine) and plays the NBA's most valuable position. When Rondo proves he is fully recovered from an ACL injury -- and there is no reason to think he won't -- he will instantly become one of the most coveted trade pieces out there.

Is Rondo a natural leader? Probably not. Is he, when healthy, one of the five best players at his position? Absolutely. Before Boston decides to deal him, they should think long and hard about how difficult it will be to replace him. You build around players like Rondo, who by the way can't be a free agent until the summer of '15."

However, ESPN insider Chad Ford had a dissenting opinion: "All three of the teams ahead of them have at least one young player they can conceivably build around. The Celtics? Rajon Rondo could be that building block. But he turns 28 in February, has posed chemistry issues in the past and there is an increasing belief among NBA circles that GM Danny Ainge will use him, once healthy, to get multiple assets back. So the chances that he's the Celtics' cornerstone moving forward look slim."

Ainge is known to pull the trigger when the right offer comes. Since the fan base and the ownership totally understand the team's current status, Ainge has no 'win-now' ultimatums this season. However, extending the mediocrity beyond next season would be unforgivable for Celtic Pride. Danny Ainge knows this all too well.