Cleveland Cavaliers guard Isaiah Thomas has been teasing his return to the hardwood over the last several weeks, with reports from various outlets supporting the notion that he’s almost ready to go.
The Cavaliers acquired Thomas this summer in the blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics. Thomas has spent the last several months recovering from the labral tear in his hip that he suffered last season in Boston. Thankfully, for the Cavaliers’ sake, LeBron James is having one of the best statistical seasons of his entire career, and while we’re sure Cleveland will be happy to have Thomas back, they remain near the top of the Eastern Conference despite his absence.
The timetable for Thomas’ return to this point has been fairly vague. We’ve heard December, we’ve heard January, we’ve heard he’s close, but specifics have been hard to come by, until now. Yahoo’s Shams Charania reported on Sunday evening that Thomas and the Cavaliers are now targeting the first week of January for his season debut. That leaves LeBron James with plenty of time over the holidays to tinker with different lineups in ‘NBA 2K18’.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/942565606678597632
Thomas has made significant progress from his hip injury, has confidence he could play now, but plan has been set to ensure he returns for long run this season. Cavaliers face Portland, Boston and Orlando in first week of January. https://t.co/Nea7J7GJzl
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 18, 2017
As Charania notes, Cleveland’s schedule during the first week of January features matchups again the Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, and Orlando Magic. But yeah, the Boston Celtics.
The NBA is notorious good at creating special moments. The Cavaliers play the Celtics in Boston on Jan. 3. It’s a nationally televised game on ESPN. If there were a date that makes the most sense, it’s that one. Cleveland is at home against the Blazers on Jan. 2, which would mean for him to play in both he’d have to play a back-to-back with travel in between, which doesn’t seem ideal for a player just returning from injury.
If the Cavaliers and Isaiah Thomas play things out with an eye for the dramatic, the ovation Thomas receives in his 2017-18 season debut in Boston is going to be something special.
