The Cleveland Cavaliers season came to an end on Wednesday night when they suffered a 113-98 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. Immediately after the loss, tons of rumors surrounding the Cavs and their upcoming offseason came out, and one guy who was the subject of many of those rumors was star center Jarrett Allen.
Allen missed the final three games of Cleveland’s first-round series against the Orlando Magic and the entire series against the Celtics with a rib injury, and that immediately made things more difficult for the team on the floor. While nobody doubted the pain that Allen was in, folks around the team were irritated that he refused to take an injection that could have potentially allowed him to play through the injury in a series where they desperately needed him.
“He was initially hit in the ribs in Game 1 against Orlando, and in Game 4 of that series, an elbow by Franz Wagner “pierced” a rib on Allen’s right side, according to multiple team sources. The team listed him as “questionable” to play in every game after that, which means there is a chance, though he was never close to getting back into uniform. Few if any, members of the organization doubted the discomfort Allen has been in since the injury, but the frustration among some members of the team was that he refused an injection to try and numb the pain and play.” – Shams Charania, Joe Vardon, & Jason Lloyd, The Athletic
Jarrett Allen, Cavs expected to part ways this offseason
Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
There has clearly been a lot of tension surrounding the Cavaliers as of late, and the multitude of injuries which they dealt with, particularly against Boston, certainly didn’t help them. Allen obviously was injured, but the fact that he didn’t do everything he could to get himself back on the court isn’t exactly a great look for him.
Allen’s future with the Cavs has been the subject of some debate for awhile now, but this could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. While there are big questions surrounding pretty much every key member of the team right now, several reports have emerged suggesting that Allen has already played his last game for Cleveland.
Allen had another great season for the Cavs (16.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 63.4 FG%), but his fit alongside Evan Mobley in the frontcourt has always been the subject of concern. And after Mobley put together the best stretch of his career in the second-round against the Celtics, it may finally be time for Cleveland to split up their talented big man duo.
If that does end up being their course of action, it looks likely that Allen is going to be the guy who ends up on the move. Cleveland surely would have rather won with him as a part of their team, but things simply aren’t panning out for them right now. And as a result, it could be time for them to make some sweeping changes this upcoming offseason.
