Rajon Rondo to return to Mavericks when break ends Thursday

The signing of Amar'e Stoudemire won't be the only big addition the Dallas Mavericks get coming out of the All-Star Break.

Owner Mark Cuban revealed Tuesday that injured point guard Rajon Rondo is close to returning, a revelation that wasn't quite optimistic enough.

"I don't think he's more than a couple of days off," Cuban said.

That seemed an open-ended time frame, but head coach Rick Carlisle clarified following the team's Tuesday practice. It turns out Cuban was playing it too conservatively, as Rondo will return on Thursday for a tough back-to-back against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.

Rondo has missed the last six games due to a nasal fracture and an orbital bone fracture suffered when teammate Richard Jefferson hit him with a Busaiku Knee Kick.

Rondo's start to his Mavericks' career has been solid if unspectacular. In 21 games, he's averaging 9.2 points, five rebounds and 6.5 assists but his offensive efficiency has declined and Dallas hasn't quite figured out how to best utilize him on offense yet. The Mavericks have been 5.5 points per-100 possessions better without him on that end, but Rondo makes up almost that entire difference on the defensive end of the floor.

The good news for the Mavericks is that they still have two months to figure it out before the playoffs, with a berth in the hellacious Western Conference bracket more or less assured.