Return date remains private
Cavs choose not to shed light on when Isaiah Thomas will begin playing
Myles Garrett’s NFL debut for the Browns won’t happen for weeks.
Is that Cleveland’s what?
The top overall pick in this year’s draft will miss Sunday’s opener against Pittsburgh and possibly a few more games after severely spraining his right ankle during practice.
A teammate fell on the back of Garrett’s leg during a drill Wednesday, and the impressive rookie defensive end stayed on the field as long as he could before succumbing to pain.
An MRI revealed the 6-foot-4, 275-pound Garrett has a high ankle sprain, a tricky injury that typically takes several weeks to heal. His status will be updated in a “couple” of weeks, the team said. That means he will sit out against the Steelers and likely the following week at Baltimore and perhaps other games.
Garrett is not expected need surgery.
Garrett’s loss is another blow for the beleaguered Browns, who went 1-15 last season and have had their share of costly injuries in recent years.
Quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown were hurt early last season. Wide receiver Corey Coleman, a first-round pick, missed six games after breaking his hand in practice and Cleveland lost both starting guards with torn foot ligaments.
“Obviously, it hurts when you lose a premier pass rusher like Myles,” said Browns Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas. “It hurts losing a guy that is that much of a game changer.”
Browns coach Hue Jackson said the injury to one of his top players just days from the opener hasn’t changed his resolve. luck or to
Nashville defenceman Ryan Ellis will need a full six months to recover from off-season knee surgery and general manager David Poile says they don’t expect him back until possibly 2018.
Poile gave an update on injuries Thursday to Ellis and new centre Nick Bonino after a rookies’ practice. Both were hurt during the Stanley Cup Final that Nashville lost in six games to Pittsburgh when Bonino was Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett will have to wait to play his first NFL game after sustaining ankle injury.
“Have you guys ever seen me run from anything?” he said. “I am not about to now. If anything, our team is a little bit tighter, a little bit stronger because of the things that have happened.
“We grow from this. It is happening now and glad it is happening early in the year so we can move on from it and grow from it and become stronger as a football team. We never want to see things happen, but we all know they do during a long season, so here we go. This is just the start of it. Let’s put it behind us and keep marching.”
This is the second time Garrett already has been hurt as a pro, and those setbacks came after he was limited during his playing for the Penguins.
“The discussion with our doctors at this time, they would like to take it a little bit slower with his recovery,” Poile said of Ellis.
The original timetable called for a recovery of four to six months. Poile said the Predators and doctors feel Ellis will need the full six months to recover.
“Ryan is not skating yet, probably will be skating in approximately another three weeks and the recovery will go from there,” Poile said. “We don’t expect him
junior year at Texas A&M by a badly sprained left ankle.
Garrett sustained a lateral sprain to his left foot during minicamp while pressuring former Browns quarterback Brock Osweiler.
The injury was initially thought to be serious, but Garrett’s foot was immobilized in a walking boot and he recovered in time for the start of training camp.
The Browns eased him into practices, but it wasn’t long before Garrett was dazzling Cleveland’s coaches and teammates with his speed and strength. Garrett also impressed with his humility and work ethic, staying after practice to run wind sprints to build stamina. back until at the end of the year, maybe the New Year, maybe right around Christmas time.”
Ellis scored 38 points in 71 games last season, but he was even better during the playoffs. Ellis tied Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Johansen for third among the Predators with 13 points. The five-foot-10, 180pound Ellis paired with Mattias Ekholm to help anchor the Nashville defence along with all-star P.K. Subban and Romani Josi.
The defenceman even played
Jackson said he’s not concerned about Garrett’s recent spate of injuries. The one that occurred Wednesday was unavoidable.
“I know exactly how it happened,” Jackson said. “If you get somebody thrown into your leg, it could happen to any one of our guys, anybody on our football team. It is just unfortunate it happened to a guy who we wish was out there all of the time. That goes with it.”
With Garrett out, the Browns re-signed second-year lineman Tyrone Holmes, who was waived by the team on Sunday. He played in 11 games for Cleveland last season and showed promise during this summer’s exhibition games. despite being hurt in the decisive Game 6 before having surgery. His recovery is why the Predators traded with the Vegas Golden Knights to acquire defenceman Alexei Emelin.
The general manager says Bonino, who broke a foot in the final, will not be playing in any pre-season games. The Predators signed Bonino away from Pittsburgh with a four-year, $16.4-million deal in July as protection when captain Mike Fisher later announced his retirement.
Isaiah Thomas beamed as he held up his new No. 3 Cavs jersey for the first time.
There’s no telling when he’ll wear it in a game.
Stunned by Boston’s decision to trade him to Cleveland as part of a package for Kyrie Irving, Thomas chose not to share much information Thursday about a hip injury that ended his inspirational playoff run last season and will sideline him for the start of this season – and probably a lot longer.
At his introductory news conference, Thomas quickly deferred specific questions about his hip to new Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman, who said the team has a rehab plan in place for the all-star point guard.
“We’re not going to rush it at all,” said Altman, who quickly grew tired of questions about Thomas’ health. “The goal is to bring him back at some point this year and be healthy and compete and get back to IT status. That’s our goal and our responsibility to him. We’re not going to comment on the injury and we’re not going to comment on a timetable.”
So one of the NBA’s biggest trades in recent memory remains cloaked in some mystery.
The only glimpse about Thomas’ timetable came when Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said, “Isaiah’s not going to be starting the season.”
While evasive on details, Altman, whose promotion to full-time GM was among the notable moves in a chaotic summer for the Cavs, did reveal the rehab plan for Thomas does not include surgery.
“Ya’ll hear that?” Thomas said to a room at the team’s facility packed with media members. “Everybody wants to be doctors now.”
Truth is, Thomas’ hip has been a major talking point around the league for months, starting the moment the 5-foot-8 guard was forced to bow out of the Eastern Conference finals against Cleveland when the pain became intolerable and he could no longer perform at his elite level.
Thomas has bravely fought to stay in the post-season despite the injury and following the tragic death of his sister, Chyna, in a car accident.
But the Cavs didn’t want to discuss the injury, raising suspicion Thomas could be sidelined for an indefinite period.
Thomas was acquired last week along with forward Jae Crowder, centre Ante Zizic and an unprotected first-round draft pick in 2018 from Boston for Irving, who has gone from the East’s three-time reigning titlist to the one chasing Cleveland.
When he’s healthy, Thomas gives the Cavs another proven scoring option alongside LeBron James.
Thomas said he has already received numerous texts from James and he’s eager to join forces with “the best player in the world.”
Dressed smartly in a winecoloured sport coat for his introductory news conference, Thomas said the Celtics’ decision to trade him was initially painful.
The 28-year-old averaged 28.9 points last season, but his impact in Boston went way beyond his statistics. He had become a beloved fan favourite, the little man with the big heart who had overcome so much to become one of the league’s best players.