It seems like an eternity since we’ve seen Cleveland Cavaliers fan favorite J.R. Smith take to the floor for the world champions, as Smith has been out of action since December 20th, undergoing surgery to repair a thumb injury.
J.R. Smith was out on the floor again before tip-off on Thursday night as the Cavs took down the New York Knicks, putting up shots and testing his thumb and seeing where he is at and how he feels.
All signs are looking good, and Cavaliers GM David Griffin confirmed what all Cavs fans had hoped, “Swish” isn’t far away from returning, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.
“He seems to be doing very well. I’d say he’s on schedule, maybe slightly ahead of schedule,” general manager David Griffin said Thursday night, about two hours before the Cavs hosted the New York Knicks in the first game since the All-Star break.
Since the injury, Smith has been adamant he will not rush his return, and rightfully so, as the Cavs need him to be healthy and firing when it matters most. His original diagnosis was 12-14 weeks, and if he’s on the 12-week side, his return should be sometime in mid-March.
Griffin went on to state how important it is that Smith recovers fully, before returning to action for the Wine and Gold.
“Surgeries are difficult to come back from,” Griffin said. “Different things and things that weren’t bothering you before in the rehab process start to. We’ll see. He seems to be doing really well. I didn’t realize he could throw a baseball quite as well as he does, but other than that, he’s pretty good.”
Iman Shumpert has stepped up into the starting lineup in Smith’s absence, and has been absolutely fantastic to keep the world champions ticking.
It’s likely the Cavs are not done upgrading their roster, with the pending addition of Deron Williams and possibly Andrew Bogut, provided they clear waivers.
They could be joining a Cavs team that is playing superbly in February with a record of 8-1 for the month, but Smith’s return as well as Kevin Love’s just before playoff time will be like new signings in themselves.
In Smith’s case, it could be sooner than expected and another boost to the Cavs title hopes.
