The Cavaliers seem to be pulling out of their early season swoon as winners of four straight games to improve their record to 9-7 on the season.
They are in dire need of a point guard though as with Kyrie Irving leading the NBA’s premier team in Boston at the moment, Isaiah Thomas recovering from a hip injury, Derrick Rose recovering from a sprained ankle and Iman Shumpert out for a week, there is exactly one point guard on the roster: 36-year-old Jose Calderon.
That does not bode well for the worst defensive team in the NBA by the numbers.
There is some good news on the point guard front for the Cavaliers though as Thomas participated in 5-on-0 drills during Sunday’s practice and was back running on the court for the first time in months and the first time in a Cavaliers uniform.
Here is what Thomas said about the situation, taken from Joe Vardon’s piece on Cleveland.com:
“Thomas said the workout he completed Sunday was the “hardest I’ve run” during his recovery, and it “felt good for the most part.” He said the next step in the process would be cutting and changing direction, and team sources say Thomas has completed each stage of rehab with no setbacks or pauses or side effects.
“I’m protecting myself, so, even if they wanted me to hurry back, I’m not going to hurry back, just because I’ve got a long career ahead of me and an important summer as well,” Thomas told cleveland.com. “So, I’ve got to make sure I’m 100 percent healthy before I step out on the floor. But these guys have not rushed me one bit. They’ve taken their time with me and I appreciate that. Because most teams, they want you out there, especially if things aren’t going well.”
Thomas will hopefully be back for the Cavaliers by January, in the meantime 32-year-old LeBron James will continue to have to play superhero for the team as it’s best scoring option and sole play maker for the coming weeks at least.
As long as we get Thomas back healthy for a potential Cavaliers-Celtics playoff showdown, I am content.
