"Guys from Indiana have Done Well in Boston"

Ainge said when he informed Rondo that he had hired Stevens, "Rondo's reaction was, 'Oh, was that the guy that coached Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack?' I go yeah, yeah. 'Oh yeah, yeah that sounds great,"' Ainge said. Mack, now with the Atlanta Hawks, knows Rondo; they both hail from Kentucky. 

He said in a phone interview that he believes Stevens and Rondo will get along fine. "Stevens will do a great job of letting Rondo do what he does best, and Rondo will really appreciate that," Mack said. Stevens still needs to build his coaching staff, but two pieces remain in place from last season in assistants Jamie Young and Jay Larranaga, who is coaching the Celtics' Summer League team in Orlando. Stevens is expected to head to Orlando Sunday, but only to observe. "There's no guarantees that he'll be a successful coach," Ainge said off to the side, as Stevens was being mobbed by reporters, "but he's a guy who I'm buying stock in. In a big way." 

Later, Ainge added, with a wry smile, "Plus, guys from Indiana have done well with the Celtics."

Rondo will probably stick around for the time being. Remember, the Celtics are trying to get younger and rebuild, they are not trying to suck. And exactly who would play the point if Danny dealt #9? Anyway, Danny needs some pieces he can dangle at the trade deadline for the next blockbuster. Rajon Rondo, Brandon Bass, Jeff Green and the miscellaneous contracts we're getting back from Brooklyn all come to mind in this regard.