Pick 'n Pops: Rajon Rondo returns, new uniforms, & a new coaching legend

Every week I gather some thoughts about the Celtics, the NBA, and beyond and dump them here. Because I’m halfway through the Britney Spears memoir and I needed a break, a shower, and a drink..

- Rajon Rondo was in the house at the Auerbach Center on Friday. He said he got the email from Joe Mazzulla about Celtics opening their doors to former players. He also got an excited call from Paul Pierce, saying “Paul called me at like 3 in the morning. He was like, ‘They want us back.’ I’m like, ‘Hello?’”

And forget any thoughts of him coming in to get a few on-court reps. 

“I’m looking for an eight-day contract. Maybe two and a half,” he joked before being asked if he’d sign a 10-day. “No, that’s too long. I’m 37.”

But it’s nice to see him back. He’s back at Kentucky finishing his communications degree and he’s coaching his kids in soccer and volleyball. Maybe he’ll be a coach someday. 

Maybe he’ll end up coaching a gigantic pain in the ass along the way so he can see how it feels. 

Oh sorry about that last line. Rick Carlisle just hacked me and typed that sentence. I’m trying to find a way to delete it.

- The Celtics are waiving Wenyen Gabriel, which sucks. It was warranted, but he’s a good kid riding a high off the South Sudan Olympic qualification. He grew up in New Hampshire, so the Celtics were his favorite team. I don’t disagree with the move, but it’s a shame that he couldn't find a way to make the team.

- I’m not too worried about the Celtics and Derrick White figuring out an extension. Even if they don’t figure it out by the deadline, they’ll figure something out later. He’ll be fine. And now that he’s shaved his head, he’s spending a lot less on barbers and headbands, so he can stretch the money he makes until he gets a new deal done.

- Of all the cool things about being in the NBA, having another player say he wants to be like you has to be among the coolest things White could experience.

- There's chatter of a WNBA team coming to Boston. There hasn’t been any appetite to do so before and making it happen would be tough because the Celtics don’t own their arena. The league is doing well and is expanding, but I’m not sure the market forces are right for it to happen in Boston. 

- My favorite phenomenon this time of year is guys not being good enough to stick with other teams suddenly being seen as critical pieces for Boston. Yes, fit matters, but if he was as good as people say, why did he just get cut?

- It’s pronounced \nuh-MEE-ush KAY-tah\

Neemias Queta was born in Portugal. The “sh” sound for the ‘s’ is part of the regionalism. 

- The new City Edition jersey is fine. It’s boring, but it’s fine. It’ll look super clean on the court, so it won’t be the embarrassment that half the league will deal with. But I want to see some inspiration. 

- Happy trails Romeo Langford, a guy with talent to be an NBA player but not the fire. You know those lighters that no matter how often you tried you'd get nothing but little sparks? That's Langford

- RIP Suzanne Somers. Chrissy Snow is one of TV’s iconic characters, and Three’s Company is still hilarious to this day. 

- First a ring of fire eclipse and then the Patriots offense looks functional, even if only for a couple of drives? I don’t think that's a coincidence.

 - I’m all for the All-Star game going back to East-West. The NBA didn’t have the stones to do an on-court pick to split teams because they didn’t want anyone getting embarrassed. They also probably wanted to give gambling sites time to set their lines and props.

- So does Dawn dump a new duckling in oil before every commercial, or is that the same one?

- Best of luck to Andre Iguodala, who adjusted from being a lottery disappointment to become a key role player who won four championships and a Final MVP. He played 19 seasons, which is absolutely ridiculous. That's almost literally half his life in the league. Amazing. 

- Mike McDaniel setting the bar really high on and off the field this season

“Those are nice, strong handshakes with eye contact” is absolutely killing me. I’ve been laughing about this since I first saw it. Protect him at all costs. 

- Vague headline of the week: “Golden State Warriors Release A Player” 

This is amazing. We’re days away from “NBA team did something”

The player was Yuri Collins, by the way.

- My favorite headline is “Ime Udoka Says The Quiet Part Out Loud About Victor Wembanyama.” There were plenty of times when reporters left a Udoka scrum thinking “wow, I can’t believe he told us all that.” 

He’s not afraid to tell you what he’s thinking. 

- James Harden talking about the effects of losing trust in someone is the highest comedy considering his annual playoff implosions. Is there a great player anyone trusts less in the playoffs?

- Victor Wembanyama will be the best player in the NBA someday. This year, though, he’s going to have a giant target on his back and every vet in the league will be aiming to shut him down. He’ll earn their respect at some point, but not without some blood.

- Becky Hammon is two-for-two as a head coach in Las Vegas. I’m sure by her fifth or sixth championship, an NBA team might give her a shot. 

- There's a rumor that the Celtics will have an alternate court and I’m thrilled. Let’s have some fun with the game presentation. 

Just because the Celtics are historic it doesn’t mean they have to be boring. They’ll be their usual selves 90% of the time. Let’s get funky with it the other 10%. Let’s live a little. 

- It took Deni Avdija two weeks to be done with Jordan Poole’s antics

Hey FanDuel, put me down for $100 on the Wizards for the NBA’s first locker room fight of the season.