Isaiah Thomas‘ return could be just days away but if the Cavaliers point guard had his way, he would have played in his team’s Wednesday night tilt against the Kings. Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com tweets that Thomas tried to force the Cavaliers into playing versus Sacramento him but the team denied his request.
Thomas has been rehabbing from a hip injury and scheduled to participate in his first scrimmage with the team today. If all goes well, various reports have indicated that Thomas’ season debut could happen against the Trail Blazers on January 2. It is possible that Cleveland holds Thomas’ debut off a night further, meaning he could face his former team, the Celtics, on January 3 in Boston. However, head coach Tyronn Lue has said that Thomas will not play in back-to-back games when he returns. Therefore, Thomas may need to wait until February 11 — the next time Cleveland is set to visit Boston — to face his former team if he plays this Tuesday.
Check out other news from the Cavaliers organization below:
- Thomas addressed the possibility of making his season debut in dramatic fashion against the Celtics in Boston. “It’s going to be a really special game for me,” Thomas said (via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). “It’s going to be emotional because I just gave my heart to that city and they showed genuine love back. … (But) that minute restriction, that would be tough to play in [Boston] on a minute restriction.”
- In a wide-ranging interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, oft-injured Cavaliers point guard Derrick Rose addressed his sabbatical from the team, managing his long list of injuries and retirement. Rose, 29, said he never contemplated retiring after he took a leave from the team in late November and feels he can still be a productive NBA player.
- LeBron James, who turns 33 tomorrow, is having another characteristically strong season but is he better now than he was five years ago? Victor Mather of The New York Times examines James’ numbers compared to other players in their 15th seasons and the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player stacks up well or better against almost every comparable player.
Hoops Hype mentions IT and Tristan Thompson in trade for DeAndre Jordan. Would be good for Thompson. He would be in L.A. with Khloe Kardashian who is pregnant with their baby. If Rose does come back, the Cavs would have 4 point guards and Calderon has played well.
Does not help vs GSW. Curry has not handled IT, & Kerr is worried about Pachula vs Love.