Cleveland Cavaliers Guard Isaiah Thomas Expected to Return by January
The Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman didn't give Isaiah Thomas a chance to talk about his injured hip when they officially introduced the diminutive dynamo as a member of the team earlier this month, but it looks like they are finally ready to shed some light on the subject as they reveal the timeline for his return.
In a statement released on Monday, the Cavaliers announced that Thomas is expected to make his season debut by January.
"Isaiah Thomas has successfully continued with the rehabilitation process related to his right hip impingement. Based on his progress thus far, and after several weeks of evaluation and monitoring with the Cavaliers medical team and Cleveland Clinic Sports Health, the team and Thomas are hopeful he will be in position to return by January. His status will be updated again, along with any further timeline adjustments, after the start of the regular season," the statement reads, via NBA.com.
Sounds like Thomas' hip is progressing well in rehabilitation. ESPN's Dave McMenamin and cleveland.com's Joe Vardon have even noted that it's quite possible the All-Star guard may suit up for the Cavaliers when they take on the Golden State Warriors this Christmas.
In the meantime, Derrick Rose should start at point guard for the Cavaliers with Jose Calderon backing him up.
Meanwhile, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that Dwyane Wade is planning to join the Cavaliers once he clears waivers this Wednesday. According to The Vertical's Shams Charania, the 12-time All-Star has already reached an agreement with the team and he will sign a one-year, $2.3 million deal.
"It would be great for our team to have another championship-mentality player on our team," Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue said, via ESPN.
With Wade joining them, the Cavaliers should have a lot of offensive firepower on their roster even if Thomas is out until January.