The Cleveland Cavaliers can't seem to catch a break when it comes to injuries. They opened the season with LeBron James battling an injury and saying it caused him to open the season out of shape. The Cavs traded away Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas knowing he was out until the end of the year at the earliest. They then lost Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade to injuries, got both men back, and then lost Rose again. Tristan Thompson also hit the injured list and now yet another star player is down and this one sounds bad.
The latest Cleveland Cavaliers injury
According to ESPN, Iman Shumpert needs arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, hoping to fix a problem he has been dealing with all season. The Cleveland Cavaliers made the announcement on Thursday and the surgery itself will take place on Friday morning. The diagnosis is that Shumpert is out indefinitely.
Iman Shumpert has missed five of the last six Cleveland Cavaliers games as the team has gone on a ten-game winning streak. The injury is referred to as a left knee effusion. Shumpert tried to take the court on Monday when the Cavaliers played the Philadelphia 76ers but couldn't go more than seven minutes. He then sat out against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.
Shumpert is averaging 4.8 points and 3.1 rebounds-per-game over 13 games played this season. He started six games for the Cavaliers this season. He is also shooting .386 from the field, a huge drop from last season, possibly due to the problems with his knee.
What is next for the Cavaliers
With Iman Shumpert out until further notice, the Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves shorthanded at the guard position.
Shumpert has been filling in for Derrick Rose since he went out with his injury problems. The Cavaliers needed the extra bodies until Isaiah Thomas returns to action and this really limits what they can do roster-wise. Jose Calderon started against the Heat.
The good news is that Isaiah Thomas is nearing his return to the basketball court.
With Shumpert out indefinitely and Derrick Rose contemplating retirement, Thomas is needed more than ever. According to Joe Vardon, the Cavaliers are easing Thomas back into practice.
The Cleveland Cavaliers want Isaiah Thomas to start practicing in a small scrimmage setting to see where he is concerning his return. The original diagnosis was Thomas returning by early 2018 and then it was moved to around Christmas. The most recent guess was that Thomas could be back by the second or third week of December.
