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NEWPORT, R.I. -- If you're anybody but Brad Stevens, your first honest-to-goodness practice session as the 36-year-old head coach of one of the most decorated franchises in sports is that moment the emotional roller coaster that has been slowly climbing the past three months since you were hired tips over the ledge and you go screaming into the formal start of your NBA journey.

But Stevens is an emotional robot. The same guy who ho-hummed his way to center court after a heart-stopping buzzer-beating win over Gonzaga back in January showed up at Salve Regina College on Tuesday for Day 1 of training camp with the Boston Celtics and bashfully admitted he didn't even get a tinge of butterflies when he stepped onto the floor and blew the whistle to huddle his squad for the first time.

Asked after his team's double-session workout if he felt those first-day jitters, Stevens said, "I hate to say this, but no. I like [practice], it's a fun part of the job for me. I enjoy it. I enjoy getting back on the court. But the only thing I'm thinking about right now is that we have practices three and four [on Wednesday] and I've got to go back and write them up."

And so, with about an hour of sunlight left on a most ravishing first day of October in one of the most immaculate spaces in the region, Stevens hurried back to his hotel room to revise the offensive plays his team will install as part of Day 2's morning workout and the defensive drills that will make up the afternoon session.

"That's all I'm thinking about," Stevens said. "That's just the way it goes. I don't know when I lost my fandom and it became more of a job, but it did at one point."

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NEWPORT, R.I. -- Boston Celtics second-year forward Jared Sullinger clarified comments from Monday's Media Day in which he suggested he was "not close" to game shape. After going through the first day of training camp without limitations -- and surprising himself with how his body responded -- Sullinger noted that his "not close" comments were in regards to where he desires to be physically.

"Everybody is talking about that ‘not-close’ situation," said Sullinger, who underwent lumbar disk surgery in February. "When I was talking about ‘not close,’ I was talking about not close from my point of view. I’m 100 percent healthy. I’ve still got to get the rust off. I didn’t play for six months."

Sullinger spent much of the first six months of rehab restricted in movement while his back healed. He was cleared for contact activities in August and slowly has been working his way back toward game shape.

On Monday, Sullinger hesitated to declare if he'd be ready for the start of the regular season. But after Tuesday's workouts, he was happy with the early camp returns.

"I didn’t think I was going to make it through practice today," he joked. "Being six months off and then trying to get back in the swing of things, that’s really, really tough. It is what it is. Honestly, I felt better than I was last year, as far as physically. Conditioning-wise, it’s not even close. I’m nowhere near where I need to be."

Celtics first-year coach Brad Stevens liked what he saw from Sullinger.

"Jared’s come a long way from the first time I saw him work out, which was in early August after he was cleared to do full-contact drills, and just in a 1-on-1 setting," Stevens said. "He’s really come a long way with his conditioning. And he’ll just continue to get better and better. He had one of those deals where, according to what I’ve heard, he had to sit out for quite a while as he recovered from his surgery. I'm pleasantly surprised at his motor today because I thought it was really good."

Sullinger wants to use the preseason to kick off all that built-up rust.

"Everything [feels rusty]. Just timing, footwork, where to be at on the court," he said. "Just trying to figure out what I do. I had back surgery, now I’ve got to modify some things and see what I can do well. I’m very rusty at this point."

But one thing Sullinger stressed, he's 100 percent back mentally.

"I passed that point mentally in August," he said. "The first time I got back on the court, I was really nervous about moving. But now, I’m taking charges again, moving. I really don’t have no problem with it."

Read on for camp kindling from Day 1:

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NEWPORT, R.I. -- Point guard Rajon Rondo went through a non-contact, morning walkthrough as the Boston Celtics opened training camp on Tuesday, then rehabbed on his own while (vocally) observing the team’s full-contact afternoon session.

That should remain the plan as the Celtics navigate three days of double sessions at the Rodgers Recreation Center on the campus of Salve Regina University. Rondo is working his way back from ACL surgery in mid-February and has hinted he won't return to game action until December.

“He went through the morning workout and he’s probably going to do one workout per day,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “Then he took the afternoon off, but he was very active in the afternoon. He was in the huddle, he was in the drills as far as communicating. You saw him leading our stretching at the end, he was really active today.”

Rondo took the captain-like position in the center of Boston’s post-practice stretch at midcourt following the afternoon session, then was one of the last players out of the gym -- herding his teammates as they caught the bus back to the team hotel.

The Celtics engaged in a 50-minute, untaped, non-contact session in the morning with a focus on offensive drills. The team reconvened in the afternoon for a 90-minute session heavy on defense and competitive drills.

As for Rondo’s morning workout, Stevens noted, “He’s doing shooting drills, he’s moving. We’re not doing anything defensively, so there’s not a lot of lateral movement there. But he’s doing everything else, and he works out with our strength and conditioning people and does his rehab. From everything I know, that’s all part of his rehab.”

Celtics second-year forward Jared Sullinger, who is also working his way back from February surgery, said Rondo’s leadership was a constant presence on the floor on Tuesday.

“Honestly, he’s been the eyes of the team for many years and he’s still the eyes,” Sullinger said. “He sees what we don’t see and he’s constantly talking to us. Even though he’s not playing, he’s coaching for us. He’s a big-time help.

Pressed on that vocal leadership, Sullinger added, “Second practice, he’s just saying what we sees as far as screening angles, what type of options you have. He’s always in the guards’ ears, telling them what to do. I think as a player of his caliber and his IQ, it really helps everyone else develop even though he’s not playing.”

And how did Rondo look in the morning session?

“Honestly, he moves better every day,” Sullinger said. “Every day he gets more comfortable, every day mentally he gets more comfortable. Obviously, compared to last year, Rondo was in tip-top shape and he had two knees. But right now, he’s working hard to get back.”

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and first-year coach Brad Stevens were not being competitively coy this summer when they shrugged their shoulders upon being asked about topics like the team's potential starting lineup, rotations, and even overall expectations. How in the world could they answer those questions without actually seeing this overhauled team on the floor?

They'll get that opportunity Tuesday with the first of three days of workouts on the campus of Salve Regina University to start training camp. Sure, Boston has held informal workouts for much of the summer, but even as players trickled back to the area, there's only so much you can gauge from individual workouts or 3-on-3 games.

Now, even with lingering logjams at shooting guard and power forward, and with Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger still rehabbing from February surgeries, the Celtics will get a better idea of exactly what they've got this week and can finally start drafting a road map to where they want to be.

"[The start of camp] gives me a sense of excitement," said Ainge. "I’m anxious to see how the competition goes and how the combinations work together. I’m very excited about this year. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I think we’re going to have great energy. I honestly don’t know who the starting 5 will be or who the second 5 will be or any of those things. I’m very confident that we’re going to have some pretty good competition. We have a deep team, but how they all fit together, I just don’t know yet."

Ainge has admitted the roster isn't the perfect blend of players, particularly at those traffic-jammed positions where skill sets overlap and will make it difficult on Stevens to determine roles and divide playing time early on. Ainge also acknowledges that few trades happen this time of year and the Celtics have to figure out what they have before they start shuffling pieces later in the year (and especially next summer).

Ainge knows everyone expects his team to struggle and understands that a very real possibility. But until he sees this team in camp, he can't gauge what is reasonable expectations.

"I honestly don’t know what my expectations are yet. I need to see this team play together," said Ainge. "We have a brand new coaching staff that’s never worked together, we have a [new] group of guys, we have a little bit of a logjam at the four and the five, and a little bit of a logjam at the two... There’s so many questions that Brad has to figure out through training camp and exhibition season and probably through the course of the season. I don’t say patience. I’m excited about it. I expect those guys to play hard every night. We’ll figure it out as the year goes on."

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The Boston Celtics open training camp Tuesday in Newport, R.I. with the first of three days of sessions on the campus of Salve Regina University. First up, recapping headlines from Monday's Media Day in Waltham:


The Celtics will hold a pair of workouts today, the first formal sessions under new head coach Brad Stevens. Media access is scheduled for 5 p.m.

WALTHAM, Mass. -- The health of rehabbing Rajon Rondo (ACL) and Jared Sullinger (back), and the arrival of Gerald Wallace were among the biggest headlines from Media Day with the Boston Celtics on Monday at the team's training facility. But here are a few leftover notes from the three-hour session that kicked off the 2013-14 season:

* FAVERANI READY TO FIGHT: We still haven't seen him on the floor, but Monday featured the media's first access with Brazilian import Vitor Faverani. The 6-foot-11, 265-pound center intercepted team director of player personnel Austin Ainge (who happens to be fluent in Spanish) and brought him to the podium to help navigate his first Q&A session. The slightly broken English only made the International Man of Mystery's responses that more entertaining. Like when he was asked to describe his style of play. "My playing style, I don’t know, I like to fight, play in the paint, rebounds, dunks, pick and rolls," said fighting Faverani. To solidify his physical nature, Ainge added his own analysis: "He loves to hit. He’s physical. He comes in and makes things happen and instigates contact." As for choosing No. 38, even after his preferred No. 13 became available when fellow Brazilian Fab Melo was traded away to Memphis, Faverani noted, "My friends, they played handball, and one day at my house, we’re eating lunch and my number every time is 13. He said, if you play with 38, I’ll get a tattoo for you. So I get the number 38." His friend now has a tattoo.

* BRADLEY FOCUSED ON BASKETBALL: September was an emotional roller coaster for Avery Bradley with the passing of his mother, Alicia, and the birth of his son, Avery Bradley III. Bradley largely steered clear of questions about his emotional state, but he did relent when asked about fatherhood. "It’s been amazing," he said. "I’ve been having my family and my girlfriend support me for this upcoming season. They all want to see me do well and they all want to see me continue to keep learning this game and keep becoming a better player." Asked later if basketball can be therapy after his mother's death, Bradley offered, "It’s always been therapy," as he departed the podium.

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WALTHAM, Mass. -- So, Gerald Wallace, where have you been all summer?

"At home with my family, spending time with my family, enjoying it," Wallace said. "Being traded is a process that nobody likes to through so it kind of caught me off guard, shocked me."

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge noted last week that he had yet to communicate with Wallace in the aftermath of the summer blockbuster that delivered the 13th-year veteran to Boston. Wallace, who arrived in Boston late last week, admitted at Celtics Media Day on Monday that being traded for a third time in 30 months rattled him and, facing the prospect of a rebuilding process, it took the 31-year-old Wallace some time to process it all.

But he stressed that Boston's fresh start in no way diminishes his excitement to play here.

"I think the main thing that a lot of people that have taken out of this is that I didn’t want to come, I didn’t want to be here, I didn’t want to be a part of it. That’s so far from the truth," Wallace said. "I think the main thing was, with me being in the league for 13 years, I’ve been traded three times in the past three or four years. This trade kind of caught me off guard, I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t know anything about it.

"It wasn’t like my agent talked to me about it and said, ‘There’s a possibility there might be a trade' or something. I was basically sitting at home with family and friends, we were sitting around the table, playing cards and getting ready to watch the NBA draft, and, bam, it hits the screen. I don’t know anything about it. It kind of caught me off guard, it put me in shock. You kind of sit down and look at yourself and wonder what happened. Is there something I could have done better to stay?

"I'm actually happy to be here in Boston. I’ve always loved the city of Boston when I came here. Besides, I’m a Red Sox and Patriots fan, so I’m close to my teams. I’m happy to be here, and I want to be here. A fresh start, it’s kind of hard when you’ve been in the league 13 years, coming somewhere that’s got to start all over. But for me, I think it’ll be challenging, trying to turn this team around like I did in Charlotte, kind of help these guys out, and push as far as we can here."

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WALTHAM, Mass. -- Boston Celtics forward Jared Sullinger said his surgically repaired back is "not close" to game shape due to the inactivity that followed the February procedure and suggested he was uncertain whether he would be ready for the start of the season.

Sullinger noted he has no limitations with his back as he navigates the final stages of his rehab but said only that the rigors of training camp and the exhibition season will tell him whether he'll be ready when the Celtics tip off the 2013-14 regular season Oct. 30 in Toronto.

"Being out for six months, not playing basketball, it's really tough," Sullinger said. "I got a lot of work to do. And only training camp can help that."

Asked what he needs to do, Sullinger said, "Just get in the best shape as possible. Not playing for six months, then trying to jump into the fire, you have those days where you're really good, then you have those days when you suck. Now I just have to stay consistent."

Pressed on how long he would need to get in game shape, Sullinger said, "I just think that's with time. With training camp, practicing every day, we're back in the full flow. We're going to have games in between that. Only time will tell that."

Asked whether he might miss time at the start of the regular season, Sullinger said, "This is my first time having surgery, so I really couldn't tell you."

He did note, "I have no limitations; I'm full go. I'm back to playing, practicing, taking charges again."

The Celtics took Sullinger with the 21st pick in the 2012 draft. He averaged 6 points and 5.9 rebounds over 19.8 minutes per game in 45 appearances, and had ascended to the starting lineup before his back flared and forced him to endure season-ending lumbar disk surgery in February.

Asked when he expected Sullinger to be ready, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge initially quipped, "[Tuesday] morning," referencing the team's start of training camp in Newport, R.I.

Ainge added, "I don't know. I can't predict that. He's been moving pretty well. I think he's been moving better than I saw him last summer. I think that he needs to get in better shape and just better conditioning. I thought last year he needed to get in better shape, too. That's something that Jared's going to have to work really hard at."

Sullinger declined comment on his ongoing legal situation. The 21-year-old faces charges of assault and battery, destruction of property, and witness intimidation in connection with an Aug. 31 confrontation with his girlfriend.

"I would love to say something about it, but it's a legal matter now," Sullinger said. "And at this point, only time will tell."

Due back in court for a second pretrial hearing Oct. 28 -- two days before the start of the regular season -- Sullinger was asked whether the legal process could be a distraction as he readies for the new season.

"It's not really a distraction as of right now," he said. "Right now we're just focused on basketball, and when that court date comes, then we'll have a distraction that day. But as of right now, I'm just focused on basketball."

Asked whether he was worried the incident might hurt his reputation, Sullinger said, "Honestly, things happen. It was a mistake. But at the same time, this really shows where my character is at, where I go from here."

WALTHAM, Mass. -- After the Boston Celtics named Brad Stevens their new head coach in July, the immediate (over)reaction from some observers was to wonder how he would possibly coexist with strong-willed point guard Rajon Rondo.

Rondo is too stubborn, they cried. He won't listen to a 36-year-old coach, they barked.

Three months later, as the Celtics ushered in the 2013-14 season with Media Day on Monday at the team's training facility, Rondo went out of his way to highlight the relationship that already has built between him and his new coach, noting that Stevens already has suggested books for him to read and emails him YouTube videos to watch.

"Me and Brad have become best friends," Rondo said. "We talk every day, we laugh and joke, we just had dinner the other night. I’m going to help him, he’s going to help me. He has my full support and I told him from Day 1 when he came to my [summer] camp [in Louisville in July for their first in-person meeting], I'm 100 percent behind him."

Rondo chuckled when told that some had wondered if the two could work together and noted how Stevens arrived at his Kentucky camp with no preconceived notions, just a desire for the two to lead the Celtics together.

"His communication lines have been great with me, ever since he became the coach," Rondo said. "He came to my camp the following week, or the same week he was hired. We spent some time together, about an hour and a half down at Kentucky. And ever since then he’s been texting me, he’s given me a couple books to read, he’s emailed me some things I should look up on YouTube. We’ve had lunch. We’ve had great communication so far.

"It was important for both of us to get off to a good start to get to know one another. This is his team, this is my team. Like I said, I’m very supportive of him, and he’s been very supportive of me."

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WALTHAM, Mass. -- Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo was shuttling through the various media day stations Monday when he spotted an assistant coach with a football on the balcony outside the office of president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

Instinctively, he called for the pass, caught the ball in stride and playfully powered through a reporter on his way off the court.

To the uninitiated, Rondo sure looked like his old self. And after a partially torn ACL ended his season in late January, there were whispers that he would try to make an Adrian Peterson-like recovery and be back on the floor for the start of the 2013-14 campaign. That would have been an aggressive nine-month timeline.

Speaking to reporters for one of the first times since his mid-February surgery, Rondo said he'll be back this season but is taking the process slowly and making sure he's mentally ready first.

He is now participating in basketball-related activities, and will do such when the team opens training camp on Tuesday in Newport, R.I., but he has not been cleared for contact.

One week after Ainge suggested a potential December return for Rondo -- then quickly backed off any timeline talk -- Rondo coyly hinted at a similar December target.

Asked when he plans to return, Rondo quipped, "the 2013-2014 season."

Pressed on that vague timeline, he offered, "Probably sometime in the winter. Maybe the fall."

Winter officially begins Dec. 21.

Rondo said he has chatted with numerous players from multiple sports who have endured the same surgery and rehab, including former Patriots receiver Wes Welker. He also understands that every surgery and every rehab is different and pledged to return to the court only when he is mentally ready, something that new Celtics coach Brad Stevens has echoed since their first meeting in July.

"When I'm mentally ready, I'll play," Rondo said. "Until you go through this type of injury -- a lot of people gave Derrick Rose a lot of heat about not playing, or whatever the case may be -- this injury isn't easy. It's more mental when you come back, and you get around 10-11 months, it's just feeling confident. You want to feel confident, especially the type of players and competitors we are.

"Our legs are pretty much everything, we use our speed; [Rose is] very athletic, I'm athletic. And you need that mental aspect to go up and jump and come down without thinking about your leg again. Because the last jump, for myself and him, we've come down and torn our ACL. Just being mentally ready -- when I get there, I'll play."

Later Rondo noted he'd return when "I feel confident, and I don't think about [the injury], just go out there and play. Even when my knee is going to get hit, or I have to go through a screen, when I don't think about that part of the game with my knee, during the game, I'll be fine. I'll be ready to go."

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The Boston Celtics formally welcome the 2013-14 season with Monday's Media Day at the team's practice facility in Waltham. Just about everyone in the organization -- players, coaches, front office, and ownership -- typically make the rounds, conducting preseason interviews (unbridled optimism even in transition years!) and recording promos for various outlets over a three-hour span. Players also don their home white jerseys for the first time and pose for photos.

While most everyone on the roster has spoken this offseason, there are three players that will be in the spotlight today:

* Rajon Rondo: The All-Star point guard tore his ACL in late January and underwent surgery in mid-February. Since then he's laid low, offering a couple minor updates on his rehab as Boston's 2012-13 season was winding down, but keeping mum all summer. After Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge noted last week that Rondo was unlikely to be ready for the start of the regular season, there's a lot of intrigue about where he's at his rehab and how he feels about the upcoming season as the leader of a new-look roster.

* Gerald Wallace: Wallace has yet to address the Boston media since being traded to the Celtics as part of the summer's nine-player mega-deal with Brooklyn. Ainge noted last Tuesday that he had had virtually no correspondence with Wallace, but downplayed that while suggesting it's often hard to track down veteran players in the offseason. Regardless, Wallace is due $30 million over the next three seasons and it should be interesting to hear his thoughts on joining the Celtics.

* Vitor Faverani: The Brazilian center, who has been cutting his pro basketball teeth in Spain, was Boston's lone offseason splurge, utilizing part of the mid-level exception to sign him to a three-year deal. He's been an international man of mystery this summer. He was scheduled to appear at a community event earlier this month, but a flareup of plantar fasciitis forced him to skip as he got some additional post-workout treatment. As the lone pure center on the roster, Faverani has a chance to earn immediate minutes in the NBA.

Media Day is often more about the sights than the sounds. We encourage you to keep an eye on our Twitter feed throughout the day for highlights from the event. The real work starts Tuesday when training camp opens in Newport, R.I., but Media Day officially ushers in the 2013-14 campaign.

The Boston Celtics formally open the 2013-14 season with Media Day on Monday at the team's training facility in Waltham. On Tuesday, they'll open training camp in Newport, R.I. A quick look at where the depth chart stands entering the preseason, no easy chore when you consider the Celtics are heavy on shooting guards and power forwards (and thin at point guard and center):

POINT GUARD: Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Jordan Crawford, Phil Pressey

Analysis: With Rondo expected to be sidelined for the start of the regular season, new coach Brad Stevens has hinted that Bradley is the early frontrunner to handle point guard responsibilities. The diminished on-ball pressure early in the season and Stevens desire to be a running, up-tempo team could alleviate concerns after Bradley struggled to quarterback the team at times during a Rondo-less postseason. Pressey, the undrafted free agent out of Missouri, is the only pure ball-handler on the roster beyond Rondo and will get a chance to show he's ready for the NBA level after a strong summer performance. With a logjam at the shooting guard spot, slick-passing Crawford can initially carve out a reserve ball-handling role if he shows he can throttle his shot attempts and be a pass-first guard.

SHOOTING GUARD: Courtney Lee, MarShon Brooks, Keith Bogans

Analysis: Stevens can get all sorts of creative at the 2 and noted we might even see Jeff Green play there at times early in the year. Lee and Bradley comprised the starting backcourt during some of Boston's most inspired ball last season, but Lee must show more consistency at both ends of the floor after an underwhelming first season in green. Brooks is an intriguing scoring option off the bench, while Bogans provides a steady veteran presence in a coach-on-the-floor role. When Rondo is healthy, Bradley is likely the starter here and makes this a crowded field. Crawford and Brooks must distinguish themselves from one another to carve out consistent playing time.

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Boston Celtics forward Brandon Bass hopped in the pool with children from the Boston Boys & Girls Club on Frida in his quest to learn how to swim. After watching his 6-year-old son learn to swim, the 28-year-old Bass wants to learn to join him in the water.

For more on Bass' lesson, hop HERE to MassLive.com, which has a full report from the event. Bass also talked about the upcoming season and the process of transitioning with a young core.

“We’re not going to miss anything of last year," said Bass. "That’s the past and we have to move forward. I just think the guys that were around during that time, it was a blessing for those guys. Like me, [Rajon] Rondo, Avery [Bradley], Jeff [Green], it was a blessing to be part of last year. What we want to do is just share those things and our experiences with the new guys. And hopefully we have a successful season."

Courtney Lee smiled as he approached the pack of reporters, extended his hand to greet some of the familiar faces, and said he was genuinely excited to see the media members at a late-summer event. All of which perplexed those with tape recorders, because, let's face it, we're simply not used to such an enthusiastic greeting.

To Lee, the presence of reporters and all the basketball questions meant the 2013-14 season was inching closer. After a disappointing first season with the Boston Celtics, the 27-year-old guard is eager to prove he can offer more than what we saw during an inconsistent 2012-13 campaign.

"It does humble you," said Lee, who inked a five-year, $21.4 million contract as part of the sign-and-trade deal that delivered him from Houston last summer. Boston gave up little more than end-of-the-roster clutter to bring back a player who many thought could have been the steal of the summer.

But Lee never quite delivered on his "3 and D" reputation, his long-distance shooting off target early in the year and his defense uneven at times. Lee managed to compensate, shooting a career-best 46.4 percent from the floor overall, and he was a starter when Boston played some of its best basketball of the season. But his production dipped nearly four points per game, his turnover rate skyrocketed, and by the playoffs he was largely a spectator, logging just 39 minutes in four appearances during Boston's first-round exit.

To his credit, Lee never sulked, even as he slipped out of Doc Rivers' rotation late in the year. He put in his work, dutifully answered reporters' queries about his own struggles, and pledged after the season to bounce back.

"It does humble you," said Lee. "The first thing about it is just knowing it, and owning up to it. That's what I tried to do. I know I wasn't consistent at all last year, so that's why I've worked, put in numerous hours this offseason getting my confidence back, watching film from previous years. Like I said, I just want to make that transition to this season."


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The Boston Celtics debut at, eek, No. 27 in ESPN.com's first power rankings of the 2013-14 season. Of course, it's all how you look at it. No. 27 in the polls = No. 4 in the loaded 2014 draft.