As of right now, the Nuggets are offering no timeline for Thomas’ return. The team’s medical staff is hesitant to put a specific date on it and add pressure on his return, cognizant of how coming back too soon hampered Thomas with the Cavs.
Storyline: Isaiah Thomas Injury
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Harrison Wind: Gary Harris (left hamstring strain) is questionable for tomorrow’s preseason opener vs Lakers. Isaiah Thomas (right hip surgery), Michael Porter Jr (low back surgery), Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot surgery) are all out.
Nuggets to sign Donald Sloan
Adrian Wojnarowski: As Isaiah Thomas continues to rehab his hip, Denver is signing veteran guard Donald Sloan to a training camp deal, league sources tell ESPN. Denver has 15 guaranteed contracts.
Chris Dempsey: Isaiah Thomas continues to rehab from arthroscopic hip surgery in March. His availability for training camp next week remains in question. Here is Tim Connelly, #Nuggets President of Basketball Ops, on Thomas’ status during an interview for Wednesday’s Nuggets 360 on @AltitudeTV
Thomas, 29, admits he returned from his hip injury sooner than he would have liked – and may have cost himself millions of dollars in the process. “If I could do it all over again, I wish I would have sat out a little longer for sure,” Thomas said. “But we could always play the what-if game.”
Thomas, 29, admits he returned from his hip injury sooner than he would have liked – and may have cost himself millions of dollars in the process. “If I could do it all over again, I wish I would have sat out a little longer for sure,” Thomas said. “But we could always play the what-if game.”
More than three hours after the first day of practice wrapped up last Thursday, Isaiah Thomas was still working out on the court inside UNLV’s practice facility with Phil Handy, one of the NBA’s top player development coaches, who was recently hired by the Toronto Raptors. Despite still recovering from hip surgery earlier this year, Thomas was in Vegas and participating as much as he could, wanting to show how much it meant to him to be part of the program. It also served as yet another reminder of how much has changed for him since he exited the 2017 playoffs with a hip injury that sent his career careening in a very different direction from where it was not long ago.
So, here at Ocean Prime, he’s talking about the topic that’s been inescapable with his story: money, the kind paid to NBA stars. “You can always play the ‘what-if,’ game, but man, I’ve been F’d over so many times. But, of course, I think about it. I’m human,” Thomas says, shrugging and staring out the window onto Wilshire Boulevard. “I’m human.”
“People are scared of my hip now,” Thomas says. “I just had to be real with myself. I had to understand that it’s not going to be about the money this summer. I’ve got to show people that I can play — and play at a high level again. And I will.”
“If I didn’t play in the playoffs, I’d be OK,” Thomas says. “I’d be getting paid. I’d be who I am — who I was. But you couldn’t tell me in that moment in time — with everything I was going through — that, OK, I should just sit out. I don’t think Boston went about it the right way, as well. “But at the same time, it was hard for me to sit out. I just lost my sister, one of the closest people in my life. Basketball was the only thing that was going to help me out. I played until I literally couldn’t play anymore. And that was not a good business decision if I was looking in the long term, but I was looking in the ‘right now.’ That’s just what it was.
“People know that I’ve earned and deserved the max contract, and that’s the only reason why I didn’t get paid what I deserved. Because I got injured. I get that. The biggest thing for me was to get to the best opportunity for me this summer and show that I’m healthy.”
Isaiah Thomas: I haven’t been able to really workout & get better in over a year! Finally pain free. This is going to be fun!!! #ThatSLOWgrind
Thomas has dropped in free-agent stature almost through no fault of his own. The problem here is his hip, which front-office execs around the league fear is either pre-arthritic or already arthritic. Maybe the only way that Thomas has hurt his own free agency has been by not choosing to have hip surgery sooner during last season, when he was an All-Star and an MVP candidate for the Celtics. “It’s a red flag that he did not have surgery on it,” one general manager told Sporting News. “If you have a problem that can be fixed heading into your free-agent year, you get surgery. If there is concern that you can’t fix it with surgery, that means probably there is something more wrong. It is something that, obviously, the doctors will look at closely.”
“Just given the way he played last year,” another NBA executive said, “I think you can’t go more than one year on him. Maybe you can do two years if you hold the second year at your option. That’s before you even get into whether he is healthy.”
Off the floor, he would be subject to more swelling and increased pain. Of course, he’s gotten accustomed to hip pain in recent years. But any team that signs him this summer will protect itself against the possibility that Thomas has serious hip damage. “I think everybody likes the guy,” the GM said. “You root for him. But do you want to pay him $12 or 14 million when you know you’re also paying for all the headaches that his health could give you? Someone will get him, but it’s going to be a low-risk deal.”
A year ago, Thomas seemed destined to land a maximum contract in the summer of 2018. Now, he faces a questionable market in which there are already only a few teams with max slots available. Will anyone want to spend that kind of money on a player with an unproven hip? Thomas said he was unconcerned with free agency. “The results will show that the surgery only fixed it,” he said. “The world knew that I never got my labrum fixed when I was going through that and trying to heal on my own. … The decision that I made it felt like it was the best decision for me personally, individually, as a basketball player for the rest of my career.”
“I just feel like it was the right decision to do this to fix the problem,” Thomas said, “which I never solely fixed. I just tried to let it heal on his own and I think I did the best I possibly could while doing that. “Now the problem is fixed and (I’m on) the road back to 100 percent.”
Ohm Youngmisuk: Isaiah Thomas is here at Staples with the Lakers for the first time since hip surgery. He’s walking with the aid of one crutch but in good spirits.
Miami Heat center Kelly Olynyk said he reached out to former Celtics teammate and two-time All-Star Isaiah Thomas before he underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair his right hip Thursday in New York. “I played with him for three years,” Olynyk said. “Unbelievable dude. He helped us immensely. He’s just been in a real tough situation. It’s been a tough year especially at the time of his career when things were looking so bright.”
“I don’t know what will happen in terms of [Isaiah Thomas’] contract, but he deserves to make money in this game,” said Olynyk, who signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the Heat this summer. “He’s brought a lot to the game, brought a lot to that city in Boston. Anywhere he goes, he gives his heart and soul to the game of basketball. Last year, [during our playoff run] we didn’t know it, but he was sacrificing his own career for everybody in that city. No one knew that at the time.
Kelly Olynyk on Isaiah Thomas: “If you look back a year now, he literally sacrificed his career, his earnings, everything for that stretch. And then to get traded and get traded again and now to have surgery, I don’t know if he has any regrets or looks at it a different way, but you just wish him the best. Good people deserve good things in this world and hopefully it comes for him.”
Lakers guard Isaiah Thomas had successful arthroscopic surgery to his right hip today. Thomas will miss the remainder of the season. His expected recovery time is four months.
So what’s next? There are only a handful of teams with real cap space this summer and even fewer where Thomas makes sense. The Sixers will have room — they also have Markelle Fultz. The Mavericks have room. But there’s Dennis Smith, too. Chicago and Atlanta are rebuilding and make no sense for a near-30-year-old point guard coming off a brutal season. “No one is going long there [with a deal], in all likelihood,” former Cavs GM David Griffin told Yahoo Sports. “[The hip] is a very significant factor. His whole game is predicated upon quickness and creating shot separation. If he can’t do that, he is a small non-defender.”
Lakers keeping Isaiah Thomas?
Despite a looming surgical procedure on his right hip, the Los Angeles Lakers continue to hold an interest in exploring a free-agent deal with guard Isaiah Thomas this summer, league sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
Mike Bresnahan: Isaiah Thomas (hip surgery) will not play again this season, Luke Walton said.
Shams Charania: Lakers guard Isaiah Thomas will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right hip Thursday, team says.
Ryan Ward: #Lakers will provide an update on Isaiah Thomas after his surgery. Unfortunate turn of events for the vet who was hoping to make an impression before hitting free agency
Bill Oram: Isaiah Thomas will not rejoin Lakers for Wednesday’s game against Dallas. Will miss his third straight game with hip soreness.
Mike Trudell: Isaiah Thomas is not with the Lakers today, as he is going to New York to evaluate options for his hip. He missed last game due to soreness in the hip, and was ruled out of tonight’s game previously.
Ryan Ward: Isaiah Thomas on his hip: “I mean, this is the first real practice I had all year. Let’s see how my hip responds tomorrow with the soreness & things like that, but I’m here. I’m here & I’m happy. Got my joy back & I’m ready to put on a show for the Lakers.” #LakeShow
Thomas, meanwhile, estimated he’s at about 75-80 percent as he continues to work his way back from that hip injury. A hindered Thomas, coupled with an injured-and-absent Love, could spell disastrous for a Cavs team that will fall to fourth in the East if they lose to Miami at home on Wednesday. 20. “I don’t have anything I used to have right now and I know I will at one point, but it’s just a process that I gotta really be patient with myself,” Thomas said. “Set small goals to reach, because coming back I just want it all right now. It’s just not realistic for anybody that’s been out as long as I have.”
Thomas made his Cleveland Cavaliers debut Tuesday, coming off the bench to score 17 points in 19 minutes in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers. And he’ll make his first start with the Cavs on Saturday, taking over the spot that Jose Calderon filled as a stopgap solution, when Cleveland plays the Orlando Magic. His minute restriction will be loosened, if only incrementally.
The Cavs are in no rush to remove the limit on Thomas’ playing time. Nor will they say when Thomas will no longer be limited to only participating in one leg of the back-to-backs they play – the stipulation that kept him out of the lineup in Wednesday’s much-anticipated matchup when Cleveland played in Boston.
Isaiah Thomas will make his debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said Monday.
A source told ESPN that Thomas would be held to 8-to-12 minutes in his debut. “I know it’s going to take time at first and we got to go through the steps of going out there and playing in the game and figuring those things out but once I get comfortable then all the restrictions got to be off soon,” Thomas said.
Dwyane Wade: He’s back!!!! @Isaiah Thomas Let’s Get IT!!!
Evan Turner: Welcome back, hoop god @Isaiah Thomas
Cedi Osman: He is back! 🔥🔥🔥 @Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas set for return
Isaiah Thomas can envision his emotional return to TD Garden if he’s cleared to play against his former team, the Boston Celtics, next Wednesday. But as the two-time All-Star point guard found out days ago in Sacramento, where he pushed to make his Cavaliers debut, the team’s training and medical staff will not make a rash decision. Thomas took another step in his recovery from a torn labrum in his right hip Friday, participating in a five-on-five scrimmage against teammates at St. Helena High School. Coach Tyronn Lue said Thomas pushed the pace, got into the paint and scored on pick-and-rolls. “Really looked good,” Lue said in a conference call with beat writers.
Dave McMenamin: Ty Lue says Isaiah Thomas won’t play vs. Utah but Lue was encouraged by what he saw out of Thomas in the team scrimmage today. “He’s getting very close and we’re all excited,” Lue said. Thomas will scrimmage with the Cavs again on Jan. 1.
Whenever Isaiah Thomas makes his return — and Jan. 2 at home vs. POR is the earliest that could be — he will be held out of back-to-backs, per Ty Lue. So if he plays against Portland, that means he won’t play in Boston the next day. Also, whenever he returns he’ll be on a minute restriction.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will hold a rare road practice this week for the specific purpose of having Isaiah Thomas scrimmage with his teammates in a full-court, live setting for the first time since joining the team in August. “It’ll be a practice, get some shots up, cover defensive rules and principles and also scrimmage a little bit so Isaiah can get a feel and play 5-on-5,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said before Cleveland played the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
Isaiah Thomas was out Wednesday in Sacramento, and coach Tyronn Lue was quick to rule him out for Saturday’s game at Utah, and then hedged a bit by saying “I don’t know” when asked if he was already sure Thomas wasn’t playing against the Jazz.
Isaiah Thomas update: Ty Lue said that Thomas was “a little sore, but nothing serious” after his full-court scrimmage with the Canton Charge on Thursday. Thomas went through practice with the Cavs on Saturday which was mostly walk-through preparation and “a lot of shooting drills live, full court.”
Joe Vardon: We’re fairly confident he isn’t playing 😂
Isaiah Thomas: God is so good!!! #Progress #ThatSLOWgrind
Isaiah Thomas: Can I still make the all star team? Lol
Isaiah Thomas played Santa Claus on Wednesday. Soon, he’ll be playing point guard for the Cavaliers. Thomas said he could be on the floor in games as early as next week for Cleveland after being sidelined with a hip injury that knocked him out of last season’s playoffs.
“When that time comes to where I’ll be out there, I’m sure everybody is going to know and I’ll be out there playing the way I’ve always played,” said Thomas, who hosted a holiday party for some area kids at the team’s training facility. “I’m just trying to get as close as 100 percent as possible and to be out there to be special. Not just to be out there and be another body. However long that takes — it might be next week, it might be a week after that. We don’t know and we’re really not trying to put a date on it because it just depends on how my recovery is.”
JR Smith: When he’s ready duh
Channing Frye: Damn my sources said your playing tommorow?!!????
It’s looking like Isaiah Thomas will not play on Christmas Day when the Cavaliers engage in their Finals rematch with the Golden State Warriors, though an exact timetable for his Cleveland debut remains uncertain. A source close to Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas told ESPN that his camp has ruled out a return before Christmas, taking Tuesday’s road game against the Milwaukee Bucks and Thursday’s home game against the Chicago Bulls off the table for his Cavs debut.
A source close to him added that in order to play against the Warriors, Thomas would need to appear in games before that, and he’s not ready to do so. The Cavs play Tuesday in Milwaukee and at home Thursday against the Bulls, and then are off until Christmas.
A source said there was a chance Thomas could play Dec. 30 in Utah, but a two-day mini-vacation the Cavs have planned in Napa Valley, Calif., between a Dec. 27 game against Sacramento and the game against the Jazz could be a hurdle. Following the game against the Warriors, the next big game on Cleveland’s schedule is Jan. 4 in Boston against the Celtics. It would be Thomas’ return to Boston, but falls on the second night of back-to-back games for the Cavaliers.
Thomas has been recovering from a hip injury suffered in last season’s playoffs since he was dealt to Cleveland in the offseason trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics. But Thomas has yet to practice with the Cavs in a full-court, 5-on-5 setting, multiple team sources told ESPN. Part of the reason for that is Cleveland, a veteran-laden team that has reeled off 18 victories in its past 19 games, rarely practices.
Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas is currently targeting the first week of January to make his season debut from a hip injury, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Nevertheless, both the Cavaliers and Thomas have wanted to ensure he comes back — and stays on the floor for the long run without needing a game or two at times to rest due to soreness, league sources told Yahoo Sports. That has made a return unlikely for late December, which includes the marquee Christmas Day game against the Golden State Warriors.
Shams Charania: Cavaliers All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas is targeting the first week of January for his season debut with Cleveland, league sources tell Yahoo.
Shams Charania: Thomas has made significant progress from his hip injury, has confidence he could play now, but plan has been set to ensure he returns for long run this season. Cavaliers face Portland, Boston and Orlando in first week of January.
Jason Lloyd: Ty Lue says Tristan Thompson will come off the bench when he returns, which should be tomorrow. Still no firm timetable on Isaiah Thomas, who went through 3 on 3 today.
Jason Lloyd: Ty Lue says Tristan Thompson will come off the bench when he returns, which should be tomorrow. Still no firm timetable on Isaiah Thomas, who went through 3 on 3 today.
Isaiah Thomas competed in a four-on-four scrimmage Wednesday. Lue said Thomas came through it without soreness but didn’t know when the All-Star point guard might play. “I know after three on three (on Tuesday) he felt really good the next day and then four on four had no soreness,” Lue said. “He feels pretty good.”
Thomas, who has not played in an NBA game in nearly seven months after a torn labrum in his right hip ended his season prematurely following Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, is expected to make his debut with Cleveland before the end of the month, according to the team. When asked if recent developments in Thomas’ rehab could accelerate that timeline, Lue said, “I’m not sure.”
Lue was encouraged by Thomas’ play, saying “there was contact; he looked good.” On Thompson, Lue added he would “hopefully” play this week.
Cavaliers All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas played 4-on-4 on Wednesday, a significant step in his recovery from a hip injury. With coach Tyronn Lue and members of the team’s front office watching intently from behind the basket, Thomas moved freely and didn’t appear to have any restrictions during the half-court workout that took place following the team’s morning shootaround.
Rick Noland: Lue on IT: “We don’t have a timetable yet”
ESPN Cleveland: Windhorst: Internally, the #Cavs are shooting for mid-December for a return of Isaiah Thomas. He is ramping up to 3-on-3 work.
Jared Weiss: IT out here revving up the hype train.
Regardless of his late night Tweet, Isaiah Thomas remains “steps away” from his Cavaliers debut, according to several people — him included. On Sunday, Thomas Tweeted that he was “locked in” and that it was almost time, though he didn’t specify for what.
Isaiah Thomas: Locked in! It’s almost ⌚️
Jordan Zirm: Isaiah Thomas back out on the court for another pregame workout with Cavs assistant coach Phil Handy
As for Isaiah Thomas, Lue said there is no target date for his return yet, either. Yet, optimism is running rampant regarding the two-time All-Star.
While there is still no return date set, point guard Isaiah Thomas continues to make progress in his recovery from a torn labrum and other injuries suffered to his right hip, taking a significant step early Wednesday morning.
After shuffling side to side in drills following shootaround, testing his range of motion, Thomas started going through his typical individual shooting session. He ran to midcourt and back to the 3-point line, catching passes and launching long range jumpers, trying to simulate transition pull-ups.
Given his on-court work, the possibility exists that he will return prior to the team’s original Jan. 1 date — and his teammates are excited to get him back. “He’s a veteran, too, so he kind of knows what to expect,” LeBron James said. “Obviously this has been another difficult challenge for him with this injury but we as the other guys that’s been playing have to figure out how to get him involved and get him acclimated as quick as possible.”
October 21, 2018 | 9:37 pm EDT Update
Ben Golliver: Hawks’ Trae Young w/ 35 points & 11 assists in win over Cavaliers. Since 2000, only two other rookies have posted 35P & 10: Stephen Curry & LeBron James.
During the Utah Jazz’s season opener in Sacramento, Alec Burks decided to make a statement without ever saying a word. During the Jazz’s 123-117 win against the Kings, Burks debuted in his hot pink Adidas Dame 4 sneakers in honor of his fiancée, Elyse Hart-Shelton’s cousin, Melissa Hemmann, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
He broke them out again for the home opener against Golden State on Friday, too. “She’s battling with it and she’s going to get through it,” Burks told the Deseret News. “It’s Breast Cancer Month anyway, so I figured I might as well rock the pink shoes.”
October 21, 2018 | 8:09 pm EDT Update
Mirjam Swanson: Mike D’Antoni on CP3 suspension/Saturday’s events: “What is he he supposed to do, just stand there and get spit on and take a punch in the face? And then say, ‘Well that’s OK,’ that doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Mirjam Swanson: D’Antoni on whether that hi-res video changed his mind about anything: “No, it didn’t, because I believed Chris. I came in and I knew that he wouldn’t tell me something that would get me in trouble if I said something. He was straight-up honest and you know, he was apologetic.”
Mirjam Swanson: Had D’Antoni ever seen Chris Paul react like that? “Well, I’ve never really seen him get spit on before, so that changes the equation.”
