Isaiah Thomas won’t be back in 2017 for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Though the point guard is practicing and even scrimmaging, Thomas won’t return to the starting lineup until at least New Year’s Day, at least according to Cavs coach Tyronn Lue.
Lue spoke to the media on Friday and clarified that no, Thomas won’t play on the road against the Jazz on Saturday. Lue targeted a return on Monday, though, meaning we finally know when Thomas will take the floor for the Cavs on Saturday but that he’s “very close” and the team is excited to get him back.
Ty Lue says Isaiah Thomas won’t play vs. Utah but Lue was encouraged by what he saw out of Thomas in the team scrimmage today. “He’s getting very close and we’re all excited,” Lue said. Thomas will scrimmage with the Cavs again on Jan. 1.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 29, 2017
At this point the real news is not that Cleveland is being careful with its prized point guard, but that Thomas tried to convince the Cavs that he was ready to go for their game on Wednesday against his former team in Sacramento.
Isaiah Thomas said he tried to force Cavs to play him on Wednesday and they denied him
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) December 29, 2017
Thomas had some harsh words for how the Celtics training staff handled his injury, and it looks like he’s at least a bit frustrated with how careful the Cavaliers are being with Thomas here. But being cautious isn’t always a bad thing. Cleveland is playing well, and as much as Thomas wants to get back on the floor, there’s really no need to rush anything here.
