Before tipping off against the Toronto Raptors to commence Group A play in the Emirates NBA Cup, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson provided a wave of updates on Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland.
Both Mitchell and Allen are out for Friday night’s game, marking their first missed action of the season. They’ll join Sam Merrill on the sidelines as the latest Cavs to hit the inactive list. Mitchell attended Cleveland’s morning shootaround and underwent treatment, followed by further evaluation of the tightness in his left hamstring.
Atkinson shared details about Allen’s injury, which occurred during a freak halftime incident in Boston. Dean Wade swished a shot that landed directly on Allen’s hand. “Jarrett was saying, ‘I could see if it was like a brick that I’d be mad about it, but the fact that it went right in, what are you going to do?’ It’s just one of those things,” Atkinson explained.
Coming off a regular season at the top of the Eastern Conference with multiple 15-game winning streaks, Atkinson understands that the team’s good fortune regarding injuries may not continue this year. “Listen, we were the picture of health last year,” he said. “We say that’s the biggest reason we won 64 games — not our system, not anything else. That was the biggest reason. So I’d rather go through this now than later in the year or towards playoff time.”
### Darius Garland’s Return is on the Horizon
On a brighter note, Darius Garland is on the mend and “getting close” to returning. Unlike Mitchell and Allen, Garland went through the team’s full shootaround. As reported by ClutchPoints on Thursday, Garland has been participating in full scrimmages as his return draws nearer.
However, Atkinson cautioned against rushing Garland back into action as soon as Sunday. “I’ve made that mistake before,” he said. “And this is just my side, just watching him on the court. I think there’s been no setbacks, not even any soreness or anything. I think he gets frustrated a little that he’s not making every shot and his basketball is maybe a little off right now, but we don’t care about that. Just happy, so far, so good in terms of everything he’s done. He’s buying into everything we’ve asked of him, but I think we’re getting close here.”
Atkinson noted that placing Garland in a more competitive environment was intentional. “We made sure they got up and down,” he said. “It wasn’t just drills. They did some drills, but he hooped. We kept our two-ways back [in Cleveland] so they could get in the scrimmage with him, make it really as game-like as we possibly can in that scenario.”
He emphasized Garland’s importance to the team: “He’s obviously No. 1 priority in terms of getting him back on the court.”
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/cavs-news-kenny-atkinson-prioritizing-health-donovan-mitchell-jarrett-allen