For former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin, getting isaiah thomas was a very big gamble, considering the fact that they want to win another NBA title. For one, he believes that Isaiah won’t be able to take the court due to his hip injury.
For a man that has been in the league for almost 25 years, he is more than familiar with situations like this. As for Griffin, who spent three years as the Cavs’ general manager before being replaced by his assistant Koby Altman, having no timetable for Isaiah’s return makes everyone wonder if he will don a Cavs jersey this season.
Isaiah’s not ready
“If you take everything they say today and aggregate it, it’s pretty clear: he’s not going to be ready anytime soon,” Griffin said about Isaiah’s condition, considering how Altman defended his player. Isaiah was introduced as one of the members of the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Jae Crowder and Ante Zizic.
In keeping its silence about Isaiah’s timetable of return, the Cavaliers gave people valid reasons to ask what’s happening, Griffin believes. He suggested that the Cavs front office should have released a statement prior to the press conference.
No comment on injury
During the press conference introducing the new members of the Cavs, Altman carefully “shoot down” any discussions on Isaiah’s hip condition.
In many instances, the 5’9” point guard is seen nodding in agreement. Thus, the question remains -- when will Isaiah Thomas be able to help LeBron James, Kevin Love and the Cleveland Cavaliers?
The Cavs GM pointed out three important things about Isaiah’s hip injury: no timetable, no rushing, and the medical team who is tasked to bring him back to “IT status”.
Yet, he clearly pointed out they won’t divulge anything about his hip injury.
Altman explained out that they did not have specifics as to when Isaiah would return but their goal is bringing him back on the court at some point during the season. But as to "when" remains the biggest question they don’t plan on answering soon.
Is another trade coming?
Is Iman Shumpert going to be traded? It may not bear the same weight like the Kyrie Irving trade, but he’s one tough guy who gets assigned to the best scoring guard of the opponent during his two and a half years with the team. He comes off the bench for JR Smith until coach Ty Lue decided to slide him as Kyrie’s backup last year.
A few days after the Cavaliers came into agreement with the Boston Celtics, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Shumpert requested a trade after the season. According to multiple sources, the Cavaliers were already in talks with the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both trade deals came up short yet another source said that the Cavaliers remain open to trade talks involving Iman Shumpert.
