Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell returned from a three-game absence on Tuesday after dealing with a left groin strain, but unfortunately he aggravated the injury on the final play of the loss to New York, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“I went up to try and dunk it, both my legs cramped and my groin just tightened up and locked up on me,” Mitchell explained. “Those three things happened at the same time.”
The 26-year-old – who didn’t practice on Wednesday, per Kelsey Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link) – was unsure of his status going forward.
“I felt it a little (earlier in the game) but nothing to the extent at the end,” he continued. “We’ll figure it out and see what happens. It felt the same as before. I don’t know what comes next. I am just upset that it … I felt good enough to come back, and for that to be the last five seconds of the game really pisses me off. … I’m praying that I’m all right.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- While Ricky Rubio admits that he’s still readjusting to the speed of the NBA game following his year-long rehab from an ACL tear, the Cavaliers point guard said he feels “the best I’ve felt in my career,” according to Russo at The Athletic.
- Eric Nehm of The Athletic takes stock of how Bobby Portis‘ knee injury will impact the Bucks, exploring whether the team has enough depth on its roster to get by without the big man for a few weeks. If Serge Ibaka remains away from the Bucks, they’ll likely have to lean more on small-ball lineups when Brook Lopez is off the floor, Nehm observes.
- Within a look at Khris Middleton‘s return and the Bucks‘ championship aspirations, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports confirms that the team remains “very much in play” for Suns forward Jae Crowder. However, Goodwill says he gets the sense that Milwaukee’s offer is its offer and that the Bucks will be prepared to pivot if Phoenix moves Crowder elsewhere.
- James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reacts to hypothetical Bojan Bogdanovic trade offers from a handful of his fellow writers at The Athletic, evaluating whether or not the Pistons would view them as viable. Edwards ultimately passes on all five offers he receives in the exercise, since none include a first-round pick that isn’t at least lottery-protected, and Detroit wants an unprotected pick.
Rory Maher contributed to this post.
True value
Bogdanovic = lottery protected First
Market value
Bogdanovic = top-7 protected First for 3 years then 2 Seconds
Spida definitely got fouled on that last drive by Hartenstein too but the refs were letting pretty much everything go down the stretch of that game
Wrong….. Mitch came into him. Hartenstein went vertical. So it gave him no shot. Mitchell went into him. Then his legs gave out. Wasn’t even that physical lol ……
link to youtu.be
Hartenstein went up and Mitchell initiated the contact. Good no call.
Thank you … Mitch got hurt on that too. Hurt himself.
True value
Crowder = 2-year $22 million contract
Market value
Crowder = 3-year MLE contract $34 millions
Bojan Bogdanovic to New Orleans for Devonte Graham, Naji Marshall, Kira Lewis Jr & MIL’s 2025 top5 protected 1st
Bogdanovic not worth a lottery pick.