Rajon Rondo out indefinitely with thumb injury

The Chicago Bulls have announced that guard Rajon Rondo will be out indefinitely with a right thumb fracture.

Arguably, the most surprising story line of the NBA playoffs thus far is the 2-0 lead the No. 8 seed Chicago Bulls have taken over the No. 1 seed, Boston Celtics. One of the key players so far in this series has been Bulls guard Rajon Rondo. Through two games, Rondo has stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 11.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 10 assists and 3.5 steals. It’s a vintage Rondo performance from a player already known for showing up big under the bright playoff lights.

However, the Bulls’ upset plans took a major hit this morning when the team announced that Rondo will be out indefinitely with a right thumb fracture. There aren’t many details in regards to how severe the injury is, but the team did say that it would not require surgery.

What this means for the remainder of this series is still unknown. “Out indefinitely” is such a vague term, we still don’t know if this means Rondo would be out of the remainder of the playoffs or if it’s just a game or two. Since surgery will not be required, so it may come down to Rondo’s pain tolerance to determine how fast he will be able to come back. The timeline of re-evaluation would theoretically allow Rondo to play in Game 6 and/or 7, should the series go that far.

Next: Are the Celtics worse than we thought or are the Bulls better?

This goes without saying, but the Bulls need Rondo. The first two games of the series have been slug fests, but it’s been the eighth-seeded Bulls that have come out on top early, in large part to Rondo’s inspired play. Winning the series started to seem more realistic for Chicago after Game 2. If Rondo isn’t able to make it back, the Bulls may not have enough fire power to keep Boston down.