On Monday night, the Cavs will face off against the Central Division-leading Pistons. However, they’ll be doing so without several key rotational players due to various injuries, including Isaiah Thomas (hip), Derrick Rose (ankle), Iman Shumpert (knee), and Tristan Thompson (calf). Despite the lineup hits, LeBron James is remaining confident in Cleveland’s depth.
Q: “How hard is it to have four rotational players out?,” Joe Vardon of cleveland.com asked James after Monday morning’s shoot-around in the Motor City.
A: “It’s good to know that we have depth,” James replied. “That’s what we talked about in preseason. That’s what we talked about at media day: to know that we have depth. But it’s very difficult and it’s very challenging. Not only on the guys that are on the court, but also the coaching staff. Sometimes you get a rhythm and then another guy goes down. That’s what we’re here for. We have the depth to be able to try and bandage it up until we can all become full. Until then, we want our guys to get healthy.”
Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue tells Vardon that rookie swingman Cedi Osman could see playing time in Monday night’s game. John Holland, a 29-year-old guard who plays for Cleveland’s G-League affiliate team, the Canton Charge, could also be called on.
The Cavs, now the second-ranked team in the Central standings after a bit of a shaky start, are currently riding a four-game winning streak, and they’ll be looking to improve on that mark in Motown.
Monday night’s game is set to tip at 7:00 p.m. EST with Fox Sports Ohio and Fox Sports Detroit having live broadcast coverage.