There has been plenty of debate about whether the Cleveland Cavaliers actually learned something new when evaluating the physical of Isaiah Thomas. At this point, the deal involving Thomas, Kyrie Irving, Jae Crowder and more is in limbo but, on Tuesday, Thomas visited with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN to dispel any notion that his hip injury was one that is career-threatening or even that the ailment will be long-lasting.
In addition to saying that he is “not damaged” as a result of the injury, Thomas went on to say that there is no indication to the contrary.
“There’s never been an indication that I wouldn’t be back, and there’s never been an indication that this is something messing up my career. Maybe I am not going to be back as soon this season as everyone wants me to be, but I’m going to be back, and I’m going to be the same player again. No doctor has told me anything different than that.”
Thomas then revealed that surgery wasn’t really in the cards, but that he made the injury worse by continuously playing on it from March until the Eastern Conference Finals.
“I haven’t had one doctor tell me that this injury is going to hurt my career. Surgery was not the best option in this case. I aggravated it in March when [Minnesota’s] Karl-Anthony Towns fell on me. I kept playing on it, and making it worse — until I couldn’t play anymore last season.”
While there has been some mystery about the exact nature of Thomas’ ailment at this point, the troublesome part about the situation from a trade standpoint is that the point guard is only under contract for one season. The notion that Thomas would not be close to 100 percent at the outset of the season is an interesting one, especially given the fact that LeBron James and the Cavaliers will be singularly focused on bringing the title back to Ohio.
Still, Thomas is clear that he isn’t really in the mix when it comes to the ongoing negotiations taking place between the two sides.
“I don’t know what [the organization] is doing. It’s out of my control. I just want to talk about what I can control, and I know that this (hip) won’t be a problem into the future.”
At this point, the message of Isaiah Thomas is crystal clear in that he insists his hip injury, even at his age and stature, will not be one that affects his basketball ability long-term. The jury is out on that but, until the trade is actually final, Thomas’ hip will be a point of contention.
(Via ESPN)
