When they announced on Monday that Donovan Mitchell had received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat his left knee injury, the Cavaliers ruled him out for their next three games. However, there’s no guarantee that Mitchell will be ready to return following those three games, as head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters on Tuesday before his team faced the Celtics.
“I expect him to be back before a month,” Bickerstaff said, per Tom Withers of The Associated Press. “I don’t like to overstep my bounds, but at the end of the three games, they’ll reevaluate and then we’ll make a decision from there. I’m hopeful and do not expect this to be a long break, but we will always do what’s best by our guys to make sure they’re healthy.”
The Cavaliers have referred to Mitchell’s injury as a bone bruise, but Bickerstaff suggested that it’s an issue that has developed over time and got to the point where it didn’t make sense for the star guard to play through it.
“It’s more of a wear and tear thing,” the Cavs’ coach said. “It was like a tendinitis-type thing that kind of just flared up. So it’s not something that just happened, but something that just built over time.
“… He couldn’t move going certain directions because of the pain and how it was limited. I’m not a doctor, but from everything that I’m hearing, the time, the rest and the process should get him back to full strength.”
As we noted on Monday, while Mitchell has put up All-NBA numbers in Cleveland this season, leading the team with 28.0 points and a career-best 6.2 assists per game, he’s in danger of falling short of the 65-game minimum required to qualify for end-of-season awards. After Friday, he’ll have missed 16 games this season — he can’t miss more than 17 if he hopes to be eligible for All-NBA consideration, but getting him healthy for a playoff run figures to be the priority.
Here’s more on the Cavs:
- An unlikely hero led the Cavaliers past Boston in a stunning comeback win on Tuesday, as Withers writes in a separate Associated Press story. Forward Dean Wade, who has been coming off the bench since January 26 after starting earlier in the season, made five three-pointers and scored 20 points in the fourth quarter as Cleveland erased a 22-point deficit and pulled out a one-point upset victory. “The rim looked like a swimming pool,” Wade told reporters after the game.
- The good vibes in the locker room after Tuesday’s win were diminished somewhat by the fact that Evan Mobley exited the game in the third quarter due to a left ankle sprain, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. According to Fedor, Mobley was seen leaving the arena on crutches and likely won’t be available on Wednesday vs. Atlanta. It’s unclear how much more time the big man might miss beyond that.
- The Cavaliers will open up a roster spot after Wednesday’s contest when Sharife Cooper‘s 10-day contract expires. It’s unclear if the Cavs intend to sign Cooper to a second 10-day deal — he has yet to appear in an NBA game through his first nine days under contract. The club wouldn’t necessarily have to fill that open 15-man roster spot immediately.
I would rather hear about Dean Wade instead of confused about everything Dwayne Wade
Yeah the other guys name is Dwyane Wade and he’s retired. He entered the league at the same time as LeBron James. Unlike LeBron he was not 18 when he did. Most 40 year-old shooting guards are retired. The demands of the position for being quick and svelte so they can outrun the rest of the league just about guarantee that. LeBron plays forward and is 5 inches taller. Ĥe can out muscle younger skinnier players and still be effective. That doesn’t work for a guard who would pay for every added pound in speed, agility and flexibility. That’s why most 40 year Olds in the NBA are forwards or centers.
That last flying putback by Wade was the last thing I *ever* expected to see from him. Dude looked like he jumped off a trampoline from a running start. You watch these guys in comparison to better players and forget that they’re also insane athletes, even at the end of the bench.
Big win over Boston. Cavs dealing with injury bug also. Still hanging tough. Celtics should have been able to close this gm out. Fact they couldn’t. Says more about them than Cavs imo. Watched it
The breakdown started because the bench unit wasn’t good enough and even once the starters came back in, it wasn’t enough. The Celtics are one of the greatest teams in recent memory, but their bench is and continues to be a serious problem.
So, so happy the Cavs pulled that off, though losing Mobley makes it a high price to pay.
We beat Boston because Mobley was hurt. If Mobley was healthy there’s no way that Dean Wade would have been on the floor long enough to score 20 in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately tonight in Atlanta the bill for last night’s fun came due. On the 2nd half of a back to back with 3 starters out they simply ran out of gas in the 4th quarter. The 3rd quarter comeback from 21 down was amazing. Maybe if it hadn’t been on the back of a back to back they might have sustained it. Let’s hope the kid’s come back soon. We need them.
I agree that the Celtics lack depth. That said the Cavaliers keep pulling a rabbit out of the hat over and over again. At some point you have to admit it says something about them. They almost did it again tonight in Atlanta but ran out of gas shorthanded in the 4th after erasing a 21 point deficit in the 3rd quarter. Boston largely failed because they left Dean Wade open and waited for him to miss a few.