I won't even pretend to know exactly what this means, but it sure sounds like good news to me.

Rondo may return sooner than expected

The agent for Rajon Rondo tells CSNNE.com that the torn ACL injury suffered by Rondo is a partial tear, opening the door for him to possibly return to the floor sooner than anticipated. Following the injury, Rondo's timetable to return to action was expected to be sometime before the start of next season. "It's still too early to tell for sure," his agent Bill Duffy told CSNNE.com. "But we are very optimistic about his return now that we know his injury is only a partial tear and not a full tear."

Does that mean he could be back for the playoffs? Unclear at this point but that seems to be what they are hinting at.

Update: Turns out, that's probably not the case.

Just talked to Danny Ainge regarding @sherrodbcsn report Rondo has partial ACL tear. Ainge says doesn'tchange timetable #CelticsTalk — Kyle Draper (@kylerdraper) February 8, 2013

Con't.... Ainge says Rondo will not play this season #CelticsTalk — Kyle Draper (@kylerdraper) February 8, 2013

Still, it is nice that he might be a little ahead of schedule. Whenever I hear timelines for injuries I always tack on an extra month or so in terms of my expectations. If he's back before Christmas I'll be happy. If he's back for training camp I'll be ecstatic.