The Cavs have been in the eyes of the sports world ever since they were beaten by Golden State 3-1 in the NBA Finals. Today, Cleveland fans can rejoice a little, as the Cavs introduce recently acquired guard Isaiah Thomas along with Jae Crowder and Ante Zizic from the Boston Celtics. isaiah thomas was the topic of conversation throughout the press conference, from questions about his time in Boston, his new role with the Cavs, and the big question, his hip injury. The hip has Thomas scheduled to miss the season opener, but no new knowledge was gained on the injury at the press conference as nobody wanted to answer questions about it.
New GM, new mindset
The new Cavs GM, Koby Altman, did the honors of introducing all three new members of the Cavs, handing them their new jerseys. He also did the honors of shutting down any questions surrounding Thomas' hip injury during the press conference. The members of the media tried early to get any news of the injury, but Altman didn't budge.
According to ESPN, during the press conference Altman said after hearing a question about Thomas' hip "To be fair to Isaiah, we are not going to address any specifics on his hip injury. We are also not going to put a timetable on his return."
Altman is bringing a certain feistiness to the table as the new GM, which is what the Cavs need. LeBron James seems unbothered by his quick exit in last year's Finals, posting workout videos and seeming to enjoy the summer a little too much.
With Kyrie Irving leaving Cleveland and former Cavs GM David Griffin out the door, the Cavs are in need of a new identity. Altman and Isaiah Thomas are looking to keep this mindset as long as they are a part of the Cavs.
Put me in coach
Even though Thomas' hip injury was off limits during the press conference, Tyronn Lue did confirm that he will miss the start of the regular season.
This is big news as the Cavs won't have an all-star caliber guard in their lineup since the days of Mo Williams. Altman did say the offseason acquisitions of Derrick Rose and Jose Calderon from free agency will be leaned on heavily to fill the hole that is left at the point guard position. When you go from a top ten player in the NBA to a washed-up former MVP and a player who should be cashing social security checks instead of playing professionally, then it might be a problem.
Not to fear, the Cavs still have the best player on the planet in LeBron James, so they should be the favorites in almost every game they play.
The Cavs are looking to capitalize on this blockbuster trade, but they won't see the fruits of their labor until Thomas returns from injury. Cleveland should enjoy this season as it looks like LeBron will leave next summer along with Thomas and possibly Kevin Love. The Cavs have been at the top of the NBA for some time now, but the fall they might endure could be very painful.
