In today’s news, the Celtics’ biggest star gave a big stamp of approval for his status with the organization going forward. Meanwhile, across the country, details emerged from Kobe Bryant’s recent trip to Europe.
Rondo wants to stay in Boston
A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sports New England reports Rajon Rondo wants to stay in Boston for years to come.
Rondo, who has been mentioned in trade rumors ever since the Celtics traded away Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in June, gave his loudest stamp of approval for the Celtics’ future to date. 
“I love it here,” Rondo said. “The fans are great here. And Danny [Ainge] has been straightforward with me. This is my team. Why would I want to leave? Why would I want out? I never really backed away from a challenge. This would be a challenge. I’m looking forward to working with coach [Brad] Stevens. It’s a brand new start for us as a team. A lot of new players and a lot of young guys willing to listen, so I’m very excited.”
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Rondo is currently recovering from a torn ACL injury he suffered in January of last season. Danny Ainge has previously stated he would be “shocked” if Rondo was able to play for the Celtics on opening night.
When asked about the next challenges in his rehab process, Rondo spoke candidly:
“Just getting my leg as strong as possible; getting my leg as strong as possible and getting my mind as strong as possible, get back out there and believe in my leg and do the things that I was able to do before this injury … The way I play; run, jump, change direction so quickly, you don’t have time to think about the injury you had. When I get to that point and I’m doing it with contact, I’ll play.”
Kobe has preventative procedure in Germany
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Kobe Bryant returned to the Lakers on Tuesday following a trip to Germany for platelet-rich plasma treatment in his right knee.
“He said it went great and it feels good,” Mike D’Antoni said. 
Bryant has been cleared to practice shooting and light jogging.
When asked about the next steps in his recovery, Bryant sounded confident:
“Just keep grinding. Keep working hard and getting better,” Bryant said. “I gotta get in shape, too. I’ve been sitting on my butt now for a while. I gotta get up and get moving.
“Overall, I feel good. Obviously, I feel like I’m ahead of schedule. It’s just about trying to get that range of motion back where I feel like I can run comfortably. The last stage is really the explosiveness and the muscle endurance.”
Bryant clarified that his trip to Germany this time around was merely for precautionary reasons.
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“I do it every now and then,” Bryant said. “But this year I haven’t had a chance to run, so I don’t know how the knee is going to hold up. I don’t know if it’s going to be sore or what. So instead of taking that chance in the middle of the season, I went to Germany now.”
The Lakers open up the season against the Clippers on October 29. Bryant’s status for the game is unknown.
