Almost time!
... Thomas nears Cavaliers debut
Isaiah Thomas played Santa Claus yesterday. 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 play-offs. Thomas has progressed to the point where he will be scrimmaging 5 on 5 in the next few days with the possibility of playing in games with the Cavs before the year ends.
“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 per cent 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.
“I’m ramping up my workouts, but at the same time it’s how I feel the next day, and it’s getting lighter and lighter, which is a good sign.”
BLOCKBUSTER TRADE
Thomas is as close as ever to making his debut with Cleveland, which acquired him last summer in the blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston. Since training camp opened, the Cavs’ timeline for Thomas was for him to be playing games by the end of December.
That now seems possible. The Cavs, who have won 18 of 20, host Chicago today and are expected to practise twice before their Christmas Day matchup against the Golden State Warriors, whom they’ve met in three straight finals.