Isaiah Thomas Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs Notes: Thomas, Altman, Lue, Irving

January 2nd, 2018 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

After missing nearly half of the 2017/18 season while he recovered from a hip injury, Isaiah Thomas is poised to make his debut for the Cavaliers tonight. The Cavs and their fans probably shouldn’t expect much right away from Thomas, who will be on minutes restriction and has already been ruled out for the second half of the club’s back-to-back on Wednesday. Teammate LeBron James acknowledged that the Cavs don’t yet know what to expect from Thomas, but they’re glad to have him back.

“We really don’t know. We know he’s excited to once again grace an NBA floor and actually play. We’re excited for him as teammates as well,” James said, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “We expect him to be gassed. We expect him to just be very emotional about the whole, just his journey, just getting back. As far as his performance, that’s the last thing that we’re thinking about.”

Here’s more on Thomas’ Cavs debut, along with some more notes out of Cleveland:

Benjamin Hoffman of The New York Times explores the potential impact of Thomas’ return on the Cavaliers.
According to Thomas, the long process of rehabbing his hip injury has made him a better basketball player and a better person, “mentally and physically.” The former Celtic believes that 2018 holds “something special” for him and the Cavs, as Fedor writes at Cleveland.com.
In an in-depth feature, Dave McMenamin of ESPN takes a closer look at Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman, who ascended to his new role in the summer of 2017. Altman called that offseason “chaotic and difficult, and at times agonizing,” with Kyrie Irving‘s trade request representing the most noteworthy issue the new GM had to address. According to McMenamin, head coach Tyronn Lue initially advocated for keeping Irving despite the trade request, but the team decided it’d be impossible to move forward with the point guard still on the roster.
Altman on Lue, from McMenamin’s story: “He’s a big part of our free agent acquisitions. If I have a player that we think is good, we put him on the phone with T-Lue, and there’s an automatic respect level.”

Isaiah Thomas To Make Season Debut Tuesday

January 1st, 2018 at 1:35pm CST by marksuleymanov

Cavaliers’ head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed to reporters, including ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (via Twitter), that point guard Isaiah Thomas will make his season debut tomorrow night against the Trail Blazers. Thomas will come off the bench and will play on a minutes restriction, per Lue.

Since Thomas will not play in back-to-back games for a while, he will miss Wednesday night’s contest against his former team, the Celtics, in Boston. While the Cavaliers will attempt to ease Thomas into game action, he is ready to play at full speed.

“My hip is better but I have no rhythm … It feels like I lost my powers … but once I get out there it’s going to be too hard to hold me back,” Thomas said, per McMenamin (via Twitter).

Thomas, 28, has been rehabbing from a hip injury he suffered in last year’s postseason while he was still with the Celtics. After he was traded from Boston to Cleveland as part of the Kyrie Irving trade, the Cavaliers expected to be without Thomas for several months. With Thomas back after 36 games, Cleveland will have him for more than half of the remainder of the season.

The two-time All-Star brings a natural scoring ability that the Cavaliers — losers of four of their last five games — have lacked. In 76 games for the Celtics last season, Thomas averaged an Eastern Conference-best 28.9 PPG, finishing fifth in the NBA Most Valuable Player voting. In his absence, the Cavaliers have tried several players at point guard, including Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert, and most recently, Jose Calderon.

If healthy, Thomas will be another scoring threat for a Cleveland team led by superstar LeBron James.

Central Notes: Thomas, Mirotic, Valentine, Jackson

January 1st, 2018 at 10:11am CST by marksuleymanov

Isaiah Thomas‘ return should happen any day now and it could not come a moment sooner for the Cavaliers, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. Cleveland has dropped four of its past five games, including back-to-back losses to the sub-.500 Kings and Jazz. Thomas’ ability to score will help a Cavaliers team in need of an offensive punch.

“You always look forward to having a great player back on your team,” head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters, including Fedor. “He’s been going through the process he’s going through. He came out yesterday feeling pretty good so we’ll see what happens after that.”

Thomas completed his first scrimmage with the Cavaliers on Friday and came out of it well. It has been reported that tomorrow’s contest against the Trail Blazers could see Thomas return or the following night against the Celtics in Boston — his former team. Either way, Thomas’ return is close and if he manages anything close to his 28.9 PPG average from last season, Cleveland will be better off.

Check out other Central Division news below:

Nikola Mirotic‘s 2017/18 has been a roller coaster but his outspoken confidence since he returned from a facial injury has been noticed by his Bulls teammates and coaches, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Head coach Fred Hoiberg said that Mirotic’s confidence is rubbing off on his teammates. However, some teammates may be rubbed the wrong way by a player who was involved in a physical confrontation with a Bulls teammate — which caused the facial injury — and has publicly demanded a trade.
In his second NBA season, Denzel Valentine has expanded his role beyond a simple catch and shoot three-point shooter, NBA.com’s Sam Smith writes. Injuries have given Valentine more playing time and his improvements have been noticed. “I give Denzel credit,” Hoiberg said. “He’s not playing outside himself right now. Earlier in the season, if he wasn’t getting shots he’d take a crazy one. Now he’s letting the game come to him.”
Reggie Jackson‘s grade 3 ankle sprain has changed the Pistons’ plans and it will take time to adjust to life without one of the team’s best players, NBA.com’s Keith Langlois writes. Wins and losses will not be as important as achieving consistency while Jackson is on the shelf. The responsibility of that falls on Ish Smith and Langston Galloway, the two players who will see increased roles in Jackson’s absence.

Cavaliers Notes: Thomas, Rose, LeBron

December 29th, 2017 at 3:43pm CST by marksuleymanov

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.

Cavaliers Notes: Thomas, Thompson, Green, James

December 29th, 2017 at 9:35am CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers still aren’t sure when injured guard Isaiah Thomas will be ready for his season debut, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Thomas will get his first chance to play alongside his Cavaliers teammates during the team’s practice today. He scrimmaged with the organization’s G League affiliate in Canton last week. Coach Tyronn Lue said the purpose of today’s workout is to “get some shots up, cover defensive rules and principles and also scrimmage a little bit so Isaiah can get a feel and play 5 on 5.”

When the Cavs departed on their current three-game road trip, they were hoping to have Thomas ready at some point. But he was held out of games at Golden State and Sacramento, and his status for Saturday’s contest in Utah is uncertain. Lue originally told reporters that Thomas wouldn’t play against the Jazz, but later said “I don’t know” to follow-up questions about his availability.

Cleveland travels to Boston next Wednesday, which would be a dramatic setting for Thomas to return, but Vardon speculates that Tuesday’s home game against the Trail Blazers is more likely. The Cavs were wary about throwing Thomas into a high-profile game against the Warriors and would likely view the Celtics the same way. Another possible date is January 6, when Thomas has a new shoe coming out and Cleveland plays at Orlando.

There’s more today out of Cleveland:

Tristan Thompson is putting up the worst numbers of his career and may be a trade candidate before the February 8 deadline, Vardon writes in a separate piece. Thompson’s playing time has been cut to 17.7 minutes per game and he is averaging just 4.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. He has been on a minutes restriction since missing 20 games with a strained left calf muscle, and the team has been successful with Kevin Love as the starting center.
Free agent addition Jeff Green has taken on several roles since coming to Cleveland, notes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Following the worst season of his career last year in Orlando, Green is happy in his new role with the Cavs. “I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t have any expectation,” Green said. “When I talked to T. Lue — we didn’t know back then, didn’t know the personnel that was going to be all in the locker room. It was just, ‘Jeff come in and be Jeff.’ Last year was a rough year so it was, ‘Jeff come in and be the player I know you can be. Play hard and things will fall into place.’ And that’s what’s happened.”
LeBron James is putting up amazing numbers in his 15th NBA season, but the secrets to his longevity happened years ago, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Celtics Rumors: Thomas, All-Star Game, Irving, Schedule

December 28th, 2017 at 8:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics GM Danny Ainge is baffled by Isaiah Thomas‘ recent criticism of the team’s former medical staff, he said in a weekly radio interview that was relayed by Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports. Thomas called out the Celtics in an ESPN interview, saying he would have sat out last postseason if he knew he’d have a long-term recovery from his hip injury. Speaking on 98.5 FM The Sports Hub, Ainge said he was blindsided by the comment. “As you remember, he had a pretty special playoff run, including a 53-point game, but I really don’t remember what he’s referring to,” Ainge said. The Celtics did not retain their trainer and strength coach but Ainge declared it had nothing to do with their handling of Thomas’ injury.

In other news regarding the Celtics:

The team hasn’t hosted an All-Star Game since 1964 but owner Wyc Grousbeck is hoping to change that, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reports. The team has been reluctant to apply for hosting the annual event because of the way the league distributes tickets but Grousbeck is willing to accept its terms. “We can’t get all of our fans into the game, all of our season ticket-holders,” Grousbeck said. “We have a season ticket-holder wait list and relatively few of our season ticket-holders would be able to come to a game that we host. But nonetheless, we’re going to get a (application) package and see if we can work something out.” The earliest that could happen is 2022 because the league has already booked other venues prior to that year.
Coach Brad Stevens has managed Kyrie Irving‘s minutes and the star point guard is fine with that approach, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of NBCSports.com. Irving is averaging 32.2 MPG, compared to 35.1 MPG in his last season with the Cavaliers. “Whatever is needed, I’m willing to do for the team,” Irving told the assembled media. “And I know Brad will echo the same things, so I trust what he’s got going on.”
Fatigue is a factor in the Celtics’ inconsistent play of late, Chris Forsberg of ESPN notes. Boston has endured a front-loaded schedule in which it plays half of its games in 79 days, Forsberg points out. The Celtics will play their final 41 games over a 97-day stretch.

Central Notes: Thomas, Perkins, Mirotic, Portis

December 28th, 2017 at 9:35am CST by marksuleymanov

After a disappointing loss to the Kings on Wednesday, the Cavaliers cannot get Isaiah Thomas back from injury soon enough, USA TODAY Sports’ Sam Amick writes. Cleveland acquired Thomas in the offseason trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston but Thomas has not played this season due to a hip injury.

Despite rumblings that Thomas may play this week, Amick writes that his return will likely occur against the Trail Blazers on January 2 or the following night against the Celtics. Facing his former team in his first game back would be a dramatic story but it is also possible for Thomas to play against Portland and skip the next game as he eases into playing. The 28-year-old averaged an Eastern Conference-best 28.9 PPG last season and his Cavaliers teammates see his impending return as a positive.

“I think it’ll be good in a lot of ways,” Cavaliers guard Kyle Korver said USA TODAY Sports. “You know, sometimes when we get stagnant is when we start depending on ‘Bron too much to create everything, and he can do it, but it’s hard every night for an 82-game season. To have someone else who can share that load of handling the ball and making plays for guys, I think that’ll help us out.”

Check out other Central Division news and notes below:

Instead of retiring or accepting a coaching gig, Kendrick Perkins has willingly played for the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, the Canton Charge. Perkins, 33, is a four-time NBA finalist with over $60MM in career earnings but he still feels he can help an NBA team, Scott Patsko of Cleveland.com writes. “I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback,” Perkins, who is averaging 10.7 PPG and 8.4 RPG in Canton said. “I feel I’ve played well in the minutes I’ve played. I wanted to show that I can still put the ball in the basket. And that I can still just move and play with the speed, pick and roll. I just wanted to prove that I can actually compete.”
The Bulls have played like a completely different team since Nikola Mirotic‘s return from a facial injury he suffered at the literal hand of teammate Bobby Portis. Their preseason fight made headlines and strained their relationship but Mirotic acknowledged that Chicago’s 9-2 record since his return has been helped by both men being professional, per ESPN’s Nick Freidell. “I think it was huge,” Mirotic said to ESPN on Wednesday. “I think it was huge because people didn’t know how we were going to act because it was a tough moment obviously for all of us, especially for me. But I think [up to now] we’ve handled it well.”

Isaiah Thomas Speaks Out On Trade Questions, Injury

December 26th, 2017 at 12:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

In a pair of tweets this afternoon, Cavaliers guard Isaiah Thomas lashed out at reporters who continue to bring up his trade from the Celtics.

“Don’t get mad at me like im sitting here wanting to still talk about the trade,” he posted. “Get mad at the person interviewing me lol. Get mad at the questions not the REAL answers! These post were for the people who think I’m salty about the trade… Good morning to y’all too lol.”

The tweets come a day after ESPN aired an in-depth interview with Thomas in which he says he regrets playing for the Celtics in the playoffs on an injured hip. He aggravated the condition, forcing him out of the Eastern Conference finals and setting up a long rehab process that still isn’t fully complete.

“No matter what, I’ve always played through injuries,” Thomas said. “If I went back and could do it again, I would have sat out the playoffs because I would have been playing right now and I would have been 100% hopefully.”

Thomas adds that he wasn’t aware of the severity of the injury when he made the decision to continue playing.

“I do wish I had more information,” he said. “It was never, ‘This can be something that could possibly shut you down for a while.’ Because if that was the case, I definitely wouldn’t have played.”

Thomas, who may be medically cleared to return to action this week, also tweeted today that he doesn’t have any bitterness toward the Celtics for the way things turned out.

“I will always love Boston,” he wrote. “That city and organization gave me a opportunity to be a superstar and I took it.”

Isaiah Thomas Could Play This Week

December 25th, 2017 at 9:49am CST by Arthur Hill

Cavaliers fans who have been waiting for Isaiah Thomas won’t get their wish granted at Christmas, but it could happen soon, according to Dave McMenamin’s ESPN Now post.

Coach Tyronn Lue reported that Thomas felt “a little sore, but nothing serious” after participating in a full-court scrimmage Thursday with Cleveland’s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge. Thomas practiced with the Cavaliers Saturday, which Lue said involved “a lot of shooting drills live, full court,” then ran through plays with the coaching staff Sunday in a half-court setting with no defenders.

Thomas definitely won’t play in today’s showcase game with the Warriors, but he could be activated for Wednesday’s contest in Sacramento. Lue responded, “I’m not sure. Just got to see,” when asked about that possibility. Cleveland is starting a three-game road trip that concludes Saturday in Utah, and it appears likely that Thomas will play at some point.

Thomas’ wife posted a video on her Instagram account of him dunking at Sunday’s practice. He bounced the ball high off the floor before slamming it in.

One of the key pieces in the August trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston, Thomas will miss his 34th game today while recovering from a hip injury that he suffered last season and aggravated during the Eastern Conference finals. He is coming off a career-best year with the Celtics in which he averaged 28.9 points per game and finished fifth in the MVP voting.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/21/17

December 21st, 2017 at 10:33pm CST by Austin Kent

Here are the G League moves from around the Association today:

The Bucks recalled D.J. Wilson from their G League affiliate, the team revealed on its official site. The forward has played sparingly with the big league squad this season, averaging just 3.6 minutes per game in 11 contests.
The Cavaliers assigned guard Isaiah Thomas and big man Ante Zizic to the club’s affiliate in Canton. We wrote about Thomas’ brief rehabilitation stint earlier today. Later in the day, ahead of Cleveland’s Thursday night tilt against the Bulls, the Cavs announced on Twitter that they had recalled both Thomas and Zizic.