Ricky Rubio is targeting Thursday in Portland for his 2022/23 season debut, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the Cavaliers guard will practice on Wednesday and then suit up tomorrow if there are no setbacks.
Rubio began last season in Cleveland and played a major role in the Cavaliers’ early-season success, but tore his left ACL on December 28 and has been recovering from and rehabbing the injury for over a year since then.
Following his injury, Rubio was traded to Indiana as a salary-matching piece for Caris LeVert and finished last season as a Pacer. However, the veteran point guard returned to Cleveland in free agency — the Cavs signed him to a three-year, $18.44MM contract that is nearly fully guaranteed, reflecting their confidence that he’d make it back from his ACL tear and resume being a productive rotation player.
In the first half of 2021/22, Rubio matched a career-high by averaging 13.1 points per game to go along with 6.6 APG and 4.1 RPG in 34 appearances (28.5 MPG).
Even after he returns to action, it will likely take some time for the 32-year-old to resemble his old self, but simply having him available again will improve the depth in the Cavs’ backcourt. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland lead the team in minutes per game and Garland in particular has been banged up for much of the year, dealing with a series of injuries that have cost him nine total games.
The reasons Cavs will be the first round exit in playoffs (76ers defeat Cavs)
1. bench
Okoro, Stevens and Osman are not qualified bench in playoffs
2. Love and Rubio are getting older
3. Mobley is an average starter, IMO
Playoffs Prediction – assumption
76ers 4, Cavs 2
Until Embiid gets injured because he’s too tired from carrying Philly on his back. Harden always collapses in the playoffs and he can’t defend anyway.
Also “Mobley is an average starter”, spoken like someone who has never seen him play outside of highlight clips.
76ers 4, Cavs 0
Legend status… link to m.youtube.com