According to a report from Shams Charnia of The Vertical, the Cleveland Cavaliers are targeting the first week of January for Isaiah Thomas’ return.
As most hoops fans know, Thomas, now 28 years of age, has been dealing with a hip injury he sustained last season that got aggravated in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. His rehab has been progressing well, and there were some reports indicating that he might be ready in time for the Cavs’ upcoming West Coast road swing, which begins on Christmas Day with a match-up against the Golden State Warriors inside Oracle Arena. However, it sounds like fans will have to wait just a bit longer to see the former Washington Huskies standout take the floor with his new teammates.
Without question, Isaiah Thomas is itching to play. In his 76 games played for the Boston Celtics last season, the crafty ball-handler turned in some of the best statistical figures of his life, averaging a career-high 28.9 points on 46 percent shooting from the field (38 percent from beyond the arc), 5.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game.
If these reports of Thomas’ time-table are true, it means he would be making his Cavs debut against the Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, or the Orlando Magic.
The Cavs, winners in 18 of their last 19 games, will be back in action on Tuesday night, when they’ll face off against the Milwaukee Bucks inside the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST with Fox Sports Ohio and NBA TV having live broadcast coverage.