Cleveland Cavaliers rumors paint a negative picture for LeBron James being ready to go for the opening of the regular season next Tuesday (Oct. 17). Cavs coach Tyronn Lue stated in a report by the Associated Press that not only has James been ruled out for the rest of the NBA preseason, but that he may not be ready for the regular season either. A sprained left ankle that he suffered toward the end of September is still acting up for the former NBA MVP.
Missing the first game of the season would be bad enough, but the much-publicized game comes against Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics.
He still has a few days to heal up and get ready to play in the season-opener, but Lue lacked confidence when speaking about the situation late Wednesday (Oct. 11). “Not sure," Lue said. "Got treatment all day today, so I'm not sure if we should be concerned or not. But it's pretty sore today so we'll just see what happens.”
A new cast in town for the Cavs
Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose have joined LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2017-18 NBA season. The veteran guards have looked good for the team during the preseason, despite the game-results not being that flattering for the team as a whole. Wade and Rose will see an increase in their minutes once the regular season approaches and are expected to showcase the killer instincts that gained them fame around the league.
It’s unclear what the starting lineup would look like for the Cavs if James ends up missing the game against the Celtics, but it could be as simple as Jae Crowder sliding to small forward, Kevin Love going back to power forward, and Tristan Thompson starting at center again. That would leave Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade as the starting guards.
Isaiah Thomas will take over as the starting point guard when he returns from offseason surgery, but that likely won’t take place until later in December or early January.
How good are the 2017-18 Cavaliers on paper?
Barring injuries and getting LeBron James back on the court, previous Cleveland Cavaliers rumors addressed how many games the team could win this year.
NBA analysts Kevin McHale and Isiah Thomas predicted that the new-look Cavs should have no trouble racking up the victories in a weakened Eastern Conference. There are certain teams like the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors looking to dethrone them in the East and a much-improved Philadelphia 76ers roster that could surprise some fans and start winning basketball games. It all falls on the Cavs to stay healthy and play as well as the team looks on paper.
The Cavs certainly do not want to start the NBA season with LeBron James still nursing a sprained ankle. The risk of him reinjuring that ankle is enough for the team to take his rehab very slowly. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue understands this and that it could mean that James missing a few regular season games.
In a best-case scenario for James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, he continues to get treatment and is able to start against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. That would certainly ramp up the excitement level as the Cavs play against Kyrie Irving for the first time since the blockbuster trade.
