The Celtics and Rajon Rondo(notes) have reached an agreement in principle on a five-year contract extension, according to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports. (Boom!) The deal is rumored to be worth at least $55 million. Here's what they're saying out in the ether about the news ...

Jeff Clark, CelticsBlog: "Rondo is one of the best point guards in the game and he's a critical piece to the championship hopes of this current core group of veterans. Of course (Lord willing) he'll be playing long after this group retires and for the Celtics he represents a critical building block for the future. As long as Perk's body holds up, we've got a solid center and a top notch point guard to build a team around. This move also appears to lock the Celtics into a strategy that does not involve being players in the free agent market next year (except with the MLE). It also might make them more willing to take on short term salary via trade in order to upgrade the talent level of the team for the next 2 to 3 years. Hopefully it also marks the end of the Rondo trade rumors as well (at least for the near future). As a big Rondo fan, I've got a big smile on my face today. As a Celtics fan, I can only hope that whatever maturity issues he's had in the past remain in the past. It worked for Paul Pierce(notes) and it could work for Rondo. I hope they are both Celtics for life."

Zack Lowe, CelticsHub: "An $11M/year deal will pay him the same as Monta Ellis(notes) and just a tad shy of Steve Nash's(notes) average salary ($11.7M) over the next three seasons. He'll get less than the max or near-max guys (Gil Arenas, Chris Paul(notes), Deron Williams(notes)), less than Baron Davis(notes) ($13M) and Tony Parker(notes) ($13.5-ishM) but considerably more than the next tier down-Devin Harris(notes) ($8.8M), Jose Calderon(notes) ($8.9M), Mo Williams(notes) ($8.9M) and T.J. Ford(notes) ($8.5M). (All salary figures here are the average of the next three seasons.) For someone who can't hit a jump shot, Rondo got a very, very fair deal. Congrats, Rajon. We'll enjoy watching through the middle of the next decade. In other words, this is about right, and, if anything, a bit of a reach for the C's. Just a bit."

Jay King, Celtics Town: "Out of everyone I know, I was probably the biggest advocate for the C's resigning Rondo. I'll just restate the facts, for those of you who haven't read any of my ramblings about Rondo before. Rondo is 23 years old. He's gotten immensely better each year, and has continued that trend into this season. He's as confident as players come, has already PG'ed a championship team, and seems to always rise to the occasion in big games. While there was some talk about Rondo being a pain in Doc Rivers' ass, there can be no denying that Rondo plays with unselfishness and poise rarely seen in the NBA ... especially for a player so young. As good as Rondo is now, he has the potential to be even better. Imagine him with a consistent jumper. If Rondo could consistently put it in the bucket from outside, nobody in the world would be able to guard him. He has the speed and handles to go by anybody, the vision to find open teammates, and the awareness to maintain a low turnover rate. With a jumper added to the mix? He could be scary, scary good. Already, his jumper looks way better. He finally has good form, and results might soon be on the way."

Tony Massarotti, Boston Globe: "These Celtics are far healthier and far more talented than the Celtics of last spring, and let the record show that Rondo has tailored his game to match. So far this season, Rondo has taken 23 shots in four games — during last spring's first-round series against the Bulls, he twice took more than 20 shots in a single game — and piled up more assists (47) than any player in the league. Only Steve Nash has more assists per game (42 in three games, an average of 14.0). Rondo has the best assist-to-turnover ratio of any starting point guard in basketball at the moment (5.22 to 1). For every turnover he has committed (nine), he has taken more than his share back (10 steals). Ultimately, isn't that all what a point guard is supposed to do? Run the offense and set up the scorers. Protect the ball. Play good defense. Score when necessary, which is almost never at this particular point in time. For the new-and-improved Celtics, Rondo has options the way the Tom Brady of 2007 had receivers, from Paul Pierce and Ray Allen(notes) to Kevin Garnett(notes), Rasheed Wallace(notes) and even Marquis Daniels(notes)."

Ken Berger, CBSSports: "Only a week ago, it seemed that Celtics president Danny Ainge and Rondo's agent, Bill Duffy, were too far apart to get a deal in place before the league-imposed deadline. As a matter of procedure, the Oct. 31 deadline was extended through Monday, the next official business day. Rondo, 24, has the Celtics off to a 4-0 start marked by the return of Kevin Garnett from knee surgery and the addition of free agent Rasheed Wallace. But for all the firepower presented by Wallace and the Big Three, Rondo makes the Celtics go. Ainge and coach Doc Rivers had publicly and privately challenged Rondo to become more of a leader during the offseason. The remarks prompted widespread speculation that Rondo would be traded rather than given an extension offer."

Marcel Mutoni, SLAM: "This comes as something of a surprise for anyone who has followed the Rondo saga in Boston since the Celtics were eliminated from the Playoffs last summer. His GM threw him under the bus following the classic Bulls series; the Celtics reportedly shopped him; it seemed a foregone conclusion that he was headed for free agency next summer; and now Rajon — clearly one of the best point guards in the NBA is locked up for the long-term in Beantown. Go figure."

Related: Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, Monta Ellis, Jose Calderon, Deron Williams, Devin Harris, Marquis Daniels, Mo Williams, T.J. Ford, Baron Davis, Paul Pierce, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, The Internets are alive