Cavs without seven players in preseason action against Pacers
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The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without several players when they host the Indiana Pacers for their second preseason contest. Before the game, Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson said the Cavs would be without Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, and Caris LeVert. Soon after Atkinson left and exited the podium, Sam Merrill was also ruled out. Thankfully, Garland, Mitchell, Mobley, and LeVert aren’t dealing with any injuries. So, any Cavs fans who got PTSD from last season’s injury woes can breathe a bit easier.
Instead, Atkinson shared that those four players are sidelined against Indiana so that they can rest. NBA seasons aren’t sprints; they’re marathons. Garland, Mitchell, Mobley, and LeVert are vital for Cleveland’s long-term success. So, whenever teams can find chances to rest players without facing penalties from the NBA, the Cavs have to take advantage of it.
“We really want to take a look at the whole roster,” said Atkinson. “(We want to) give them a fair shot and minutes, get a good evaluation of them, and look at different lineups.”
According to Atkinson, Cleveland’s planned night off will be the only time the Cavs do this during the preseason. Atkinson wants to start ramping up his team’s core players leading up to the start of the regular season. So, the next time fans see Garland, Mitchell, Mobley, and LeVert, it will be when the Cavs hit the road to face the Detroit Pistons. Atkinson said that their minutes will be similar to what they played against the Bulls, meaning they’ll likely play early into the second half of their last two preseason games.
The Cavs will start Ty Jerome, Jaylon Tyson, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, and Jarrett Allen against the Pacers.
Who is injured for the Cavs against the Pacers?
Strus, Merrill, and two-way forward Emoni Bates are among Cleveland’s injured players. Bates’s absence shouldn’t surprise anyone. The two-way forward recently had arthroscopic surgery to treat a torn meniscus in his right knee. Bates will be re-evaluated in approximately one month, and his status and return to basketball activities will be updated as appropriate.
Strus, meanwhile, remains day-to-day after he suffered a hip injury against the Bulls. Atkinson shared that Strus was evaluated, and everything came back clean. There is logic behind sitting Strus beyond that game, considering there isn't much to play for in the preseason. Hip injuries can be tricky, especially if Strus suffered a bruise from an inadvertent elbow. So, with Strus designated as day-to-day going forward, he might be shut down for the remainder of Cleveland’s preseason.
The big surprise was the Cavs sitting Merrill against the Pacers with a sore wrist. There is no indication that Merrill is in danger of missing any regular-season action, but his wrist soreness will hold him out of Thursday’s contest. It’s unknown if it’s the same right wrist that Merrill injured last season, which caused him to miss two games.
Merrill’s next chance to suit up is Wednesday’s preseason matchup with Detroit. Bates and Strus, meanwhile, likely won’t play. Atkinson wants to try to get a feel for everyone on his roster. So, if Merrill can go, it makes it easier to understand his roster and what rotations he can utilize when the games start to matter most.
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