The Cleveland Cavaliers are 12-7 on the young NBA season, but more importantly, they’re 8-2 in their last 10 games, and have seemingly snapped out of the funk they had been in during the early parts of the year. Isaiah Thomas, Iman Shumpert, and Tristan Thompson are still injured, and Derrick Rose is mulling the future of his NBA career, but LeBron James and co. have managed to right the ship. For now.
James is playing 37 minutes per game for the Cavaliers this season, and while that’s nothing new for LeBron, you have to wonder how taxing this stretch of basketball has been on his soon-to-be 33-year old body. The Cavaliers are playing well, and that’s great, but at what cost? LeBron James is going to need more help sooner than later, and if the latest ESPN report on Isaiah Thomas’ hip injury is correct, that help could come as soon as December.
Thomas suffered a labral tear in his right hip as a member of the Boston Celtics last season, and has yet to suit up for the Cavaliers since he was dealt to Cleveland in the trade that landed Kyrie Irving in Boston this summer. Thomas’ recovery has been slow, but from day one he has insisted that his hip will not be a long-term problem, and that’ll when he returns, he’ll be as good as he’s ever been.
Fortunately for the Cavaliers, we may not have to wait that long to see him prove it. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday that the Cavaliers are “hopeful” that Thomas will be back in December.
The Cavaliers are hopeful that All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas, the key player in the Kyrie Irving trade to Boston, could be back at some point in December. Thomas has been increasing the progression and intensity of his rehabilitation and workouts. He has been trying to return from a hip injury that ended his season prematurely in the Eastern Conference finals last spring.
The last time we were updated on Thomas’ return date, the Cavaliers were talking about a potential January debut, so you have to take the latest from Wojnarowski as a sign that Thomas’ recovery is progressing at a steady pace.
