I hated the movie The Pursuit of Happyness. Every time Will Smith’s character was poised to make a breakthrough and end his bout with homelessness, disaster struck. A thief stole one of those medical devices he sold. He got arrested for accumulating too many unpaid parking tickets. A traffic jam arose right before his most important meeting, and the man left before Smith arrived.

Smith finally overcame all the obstacles to earn a very well-paying job, which was nice, but before the movie ended, I half expected a tsunami wave to appear out of nowhere and carry Smith right back into homelessness. I understand the setbacks were necessary to portray Smith’s struggle, and I get that the tale was meant to be an inspirational one. But damn it, that doesn’t mean I have to like when my heart is yanked like a hard foul ball.

Rajon Rondo’s injury status has become something like The Pursuit of Happyness. Doc Rivers said yesterday that Rondo might return tonight against Toronto, but a more likely target is Friday against New York. Which sounds nice. But Rondo spoke with A. Sherrod Blakely last night and does not seem nearly so sure about a Friday return. He (again) discussed potentially missing games until the All-Star break, then noted he still can’t dribble a basketball. (CSNNE)

“If they (coaches) select me and I don’t play until Feb. 22 or games before that, there’s no way I’m playing in the All-Star Game,” Rondo told CSNNE.com prior to missing his seventh straight game.

“I haven’t really dribbled,” said Rondo, sitting in the Celtics locker room with a large bag of ice wrapped around the wrist – a treatment he says he has to do four times a day. “I’ve just been trying to run, to stay in shape. I haven’t touched a ball, really.”

And while he won’t rule out a return to the lineup within the next few days – or hours – he does say that his return isn’t contingent on him being totally back to his old self, health-wise.

“I haven’t really dribbled,” said Rondo, sitting in the Celtics locker room with a large bag of ice wrapped around the wrist – a treatment he says he has to do four times a day. “I’ve just been trying to run, to stay in shape. I haven’t touched a ball, really.”

At least if Rondo shows up to tonight’s game wearing a tattered shirt with fresh paint stains smeared across his body, we’ll know it was only parking tickets.