Could Rajon Rondo Play In Game 5? Chris Mannix Not Ruling Out Bulls Guard

The Chicago Bulls’ success in their first-round NBA playoff series has hinged almost exclusively on Rajon Rondo.

And while Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg already stated Rondo won’t play in Wednesday’s crucial Game 5 against the Boston Celtics as he heals from a fractured thumb, others aren’t ruling out his early return.

During an appearance Tuesday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Rich,” Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Mannix cited sources in saying Rondo might be a game-time decision Wednesday at TD Garden.

“I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that he doesn’t play (Wednesday) night,” Mannix said, via CBS Boston. “I know Fred Hoiberg ruled him out, but that doesn’t carry any kind of weight behind it. He doesn’t have to sit him if he decides to change his mind.

“Things change on the fly. Talking to a couple of people close to Rondo, they don’t know if he’ll play, but they know he’s going to keep that door open until about an hour, hour-and-a-half before the game. He’s going to try to do everything he possibly can to get out on the floor.”

Mannix also noted Rondo has battled through injuries before, playing with a torn ACL in 2013 and with a broken arm in 2011 while in Boston.

“He is among the tougher players that I’ve ever covered,” Mannix added. “… If it’s possible for him to play through (the injury), I think he’s going to do it.”

Rondo originally was expected to miss the entire series, as Hoiberg said Friday the team would re-evaluate the point guard in seven to 10 days. But even if Rondo can’t go Wednesday, it looks like he has a chance of returning to this series, either in this Friday’s Game 6 or a potential Game 7 on Sunday.

That’d be great news for Chicago, which has dropped its last two games by a combined 26 points in Rondo’s absence to bring the series even at 2-2.

Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images