Avery Bradley remains on track to return to the Boston Celtics for their next game on Jan. 2.

The Celtics kept Bradley at home during their current road trip to work out in preparation for his first NBA game in seven months after surgery on both shoulders.

“The biggest thing is now is just trust in our communication defensively,” point guard Rajon Rondo said about the defensive struggles. “With Avery coming back, obviously that will be a better pick-and-roll defender for the guard spot, but it’s not just going to be on Avery. It’s going to be trust from our bigs and our guards, being patient, and playing together.”

At 36 years old, Kevin Garnett doesn't have a set date as to when he will retire, but he admits he'll make a decision on a year-to-year basis about whether he wants to keep playing in the NBA.

"I don't know," Garnett said. "I will make a decision every year. I want to make sure I am having fun. I want to make sure I am productive. I got a lot of responsibility on me right now. I'll figure it out. But right now I'm still enjoying myself for the most part."

Once he retires, Garnett's plan remains to disappear from the game.

"Go away," Garnett said. "Not be around the game. Some players take some jobs involved in the league and do some things. I think I am going to take an alternate road. Who knows what the future holds? I'm going to disappear.

"Coaching takes patience. I'm more enthused when teaching players who want it versus when I have to. Commentary is an opinion. I don't think people take the initiative to learn the player that they are speaking on. Everybody has something to say."

The Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons are two teams that have made it clear they are highly interested in DeMarcus Cousins if and when he becomes available, according to front office sources.

Still, Cousins assuredly has plenty more teams interested in acquiring him from the Sacramento Kings.

Danny Ainge expressed belief in Doc Rivers despite the Boston Celtics' 14-14 record.

"Doc (Rivers) has proven his worth as a coach," Ainge said. "There's nobody I want more to coach my team, than Doc Rivers."

The Celtics entered the season with high aspirations after an active summer that saw them sign Jeff Green, Jason Terry, Darko Milicic and Chris Wilcox as free agents.

"When the team isn't winning, that's just as much my fault as it is Doc's fault," Ainge said. "We're in this together, with the success and the failure of the team. A lot of times, players aren't doing their part. Sometimes it's the coaches not doing their part. Sometimes it's me not doing my part, and my staff. We have to evaluate all of it and find the real reasons why the team isn't performing to our standards and try to make the best of it."

The Boston Celtics have signed Jarvis Varnado.

Boston has been thin in the frontcourt.

Varnado was the 41st overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, but never played a game with the franchise.

The Boston Celtics will sign Jarvis Varnado of the NBA D-League's Sioux Falls on Monday, according to a league source.

The 6-foot-9 Varnado has averaged 14 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.4 blocks with Sioux Falls.

Doc Rivers admitted on Sunday that the Celtics would look to sign a big man given the loss of Chris Wilcox, who could miss one month with a sprained ligament in his left thumb.

Chris Wilcox could miss one month with a sprained ligament in his right thumb, according to Doc Rivers.

Wilcox had been a solid contributor for the Boston Celtics this season, but he suffered the injury in Tuesday's loss to the Chicago Bulls.

"Chris is out; he's out for a while," Rivers said. "I don't know how long (but) the first report I got was three to four weeks. He'll be out."

The Celtics could now look to sign a free agent big man, which Rivers admitted.

"You would think (we would sign someone)," Rivers said. "But obviously that's the one position where they don't grow on trees. We just have to be patient. Obviously we need another big (man) with Chris being out. I don't know if we're going to get another big on this (four-game) trip."

Jason Collins earned his first start of the season on Wednesday, playing alongside Kevin Garnett in the frontcourt and giving the Boston Celtics a veteran, solidified presence they've needed.

Even though Collins had just one point and two rebounds in 23 minutes, Doc Rivers and Garnett were pleased with his steady performance. Mostly, Rivers was excited about the way Collins impacted Garnett.

“I thought he had an amazing impact on the game for us,” Rivers said. “Especially for Kevin. I thought Kevin enjoyed playing with him.”

“A gutty veteran that knows coverages," Garnett added. "Very professional. JC is what we call a solid guy. Doesn’t make mistakes, knows his role. He came in, did his job [on Wednesday], and he got the game ball. It was good to see him get an opportunity, take advantage of an opportunity.”

The Boston Celtics have recalled forward Kris Joseph from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

Joseph, a 6’7 forward, has appeared in seven games for the Red Claws this season and has posted averages of 20.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 steals in 38.1 minutes per game. At the time of his recall, Joseph was ranked fifth in the NBA Development League in points per game.

The Boston Celtics are 12-12 so far this season and gave up 100 points or more for the fourth straight game in Tuesday night's loss. In the players' eyes, the team is desperately lacking an identity on defense.