CLEVELAND  –  Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge both sounded like upset brothers before Tuesday’s game when they spoke of Glen Davis’ indiscretions that resulted in a fractured thumb and a team-mandated suspension.

“Baby is not a bad person,” Rivers said before the game, speaking at length for the first time since details surfaced about Davis’ Sunday scuffle. “He made a bad mistake and he made a bad judgment. Unfortunately, it only takes one second or five seconds to make a mistake and then you have to live with it at times. And right now, he has to live with that mistake.

“But he’s not a bad kid. He’s growing, he’s maturing. Obviously, he has some ways to go. But we want to help him do that. I really feel that’s part of my job as a coach to help him as a person and not put him in ways like that.”

CLEVELAND  –  Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said discussions continue with the agent of point guard Rajon Rondo.

“I won’t talk about that other than to say we’re just having discussions with Rajon and Bill Duffy, his representative and we’ll continue to have discussions with them, probably all the way up until the 31st [of October],” said Ainge, who also denied reports that contract talks had broken off.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m not aware of any discussions ending,” he added.

The Celtics have until Saturday to negotiate a new deal or Rondo becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

CLEVELAND  –  Celtics general manager Danny Ainge confirmed before Tuesday night’s opener in Cleveland that forward Glen Davis has been suspended indefinitely for fracturing a bone in his right thumb in a fight with a former LSU teammate on Sunday.

[To hear Ainge's comments before Tuesday's game, click here]

“We’ll suspend Glen for the game tonight and tomorrow night and we’ll have further discussions on how long that susupension [will last],” Ainge said. “We’ll probably keep it more internal but we will suspend him. It’s very disappointing and very unfortunate.

“He’s a big part of our plans right now and in a game like tonight, we’d love to have him. I think he let his team down by making a bad decision. I feel bad for the players in the locker room, I feel bad bad for the coaches and I feel bad Glen. It’s not a fun position to be in.”

Ainge said Davis has expressed his remorse to him and coach Doc Rivers but will address his teammates on Wednesday. Ainge said it will be six weeks before Davis is able to play.

“I’m really excited about this team and the events of the last 24 hours really hasn’t dampened that,” Ainge added.

CLEVELAND  –  Rajon Rondo said he is aware of the ongoing effort to get his contract done by the end of the month.

But before the opener in Cleveland, he said his focus is all on basketball.

“The focus is on Cleveland,” Rondo said. “It’ll take care of itself. I just have to worry about doing my job tonight. Crazy timing, that’s all.”

Meanwhile, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge is expected to address the Glen Davis story in a meeting with reporters before the game at Quicken Loans Arena.

CLEVELAND —  The Celtics released their official statement on Tuesday regarding the injury to forward Glen Davis.

The team confirmed the injury and subsequent surgery on his right thumb. The statement, included below, also included an apology from Davis, who did not travel to Cleveland for tonight’s season opener.

The statement from the Celtics:

The Boston Celtics announced today that forward Glen Davis underwent successful surgery to reduce and fix a right thumb fracture.  The surgery was performed by Celtics Team Physician, Dr. Brian McKeon and was assisted by Dr. Hervey Kimball and Dr. Drew Terrono at New England Baptist Hospital.  Davis is expected to miss the next six weeks.

“I would first like to apologize to my fans, teammates, coaches and the entire Celtics organization,” Davis said. “I am extremely disappointed that this incident occurred and that it will prevent me from starting the season with the rest of my teammates. My teammates and the entire Celtics organization are extremely important to me and I will do my best to expedite the healing process and be back on the court as soon as possible.”

Yahoo! Sports NBA columnist Marc Spears appeared on the Dale & Holley Show this afternoon to talk about the Celtics season as well as the issues concerning Glen Davis’ injury and Rajon Rondo‘s impending 2010 free agency.

Click here to hear the full audio and read below for highlights.

Do you hear anything on this [Glen Davis injury] story?

Nothing that you guys probably haven’t heard already; just that it was over something stupid. And that more details will come today, but that he is going to be out for a long time. Not season ending, but a long time. A long time, are we talking about one month? Two months? Somebody tells me a long time, I’m thinking three to four.

Wyc [Grousbeck] has said today that a suspension is very likely. Why would the Celtics suspend him?

Because this is in-season, they’re ready to go. They have this to turn down maybe bringing in some other big men or the big fellow they just cut [Mike Sweetney] they probably they could have kept him. I am sure they don’t want to cut [Lester] Hudson. This is a non-basketball injury and it’s a silly one. So they are going to go down hard on him. I’ll tell you what, Big Baby is one of the nicest people you will meet in the world and this is very, very shocking to me. I know at times things could happen that may not be the most mature things in the world as we saw right here. This is a surprise, this really is a surprise. I just say maybe wait until the entire details come out and see what happens why this guy threatened him like this. Hopefully he didn’t make any threats to his girlfriend or anything which caused the situation. I am sure there is an interesting story behind it but I heard it was a stupid story. (more…)

Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck just finished up an appearance on “The Big Show,” and touched on a couple of topics, namely Glen Davis and Rajon Rondo (Click here to listen to the complete interview):

Grousbeck confirmed Davis suffered a broken thumb in a recent altercation. Though he did not give a specific timetable for the forward’s return, he did suggest that such injuries “are usually not season-threatening. … It’s a broken thumb. I don’t think it’s going to be that long.”

Grousbeck did say that the team expected to “suspend or fine” Davis. Noting that the 23-year-old will be out for some time, Grousbeck suggested that the Celtics planned to sit down with the player and determine an appropriate punishment. “I think we’re going to ask him to chip in,” said Grousbeck.

On why they wouldn’t reveal what happened: “I can’t talk to him. He’s post-operative and I’m getting on a plane. It’s just the way it is.” (more…)