Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland is once again facing challenges related to his toe injury, which has plagued him since last season. On Monday, Garland left early with an injury in a contest against the Miami Heat. This created the worry that it would undermine his job performance and the future success of the Cowboys overall.
Garland sat out the Cavaliers’ first seven games of this season as he rehabilitated to get back on the floor. Earlier this month, though, he had his long-awaited return to the court. In his initial two contests against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Washington Wizards, he averaged a respectable 14 points. It was in these performances that he proved what insane scoring ability he has. In the game against the Heat, he was a mess on the court. He was held to just 11 points and 2-for-9 shooting in 19 minutes before exiting the game.
Garland’s toe woes go all the way back to March when he first started feeling pain. The injury cost him four playoff games last year and some considerable postseason success. This huge loss crushed the Cavaliers’ chances to make any noise in the playoffs. When Garland came back for Cleveland’s final three games against the Indiana Pacers, he was no factor. Based on this awful production, one could reasonably conclude that his injury was more severe than originally thought.
In June, Garland had surgery to fix the persistent toe issue that had limited his effectiveness, a procedure that was expected to fix his issues. This new complication, though, has many wondering just how serious his condition truly is. Is it an aggravation of the previous injury or something totally separate? That vagueness about his injury is what breeds concern for Garland and the Cavs. They are equally motivated not to let up on the hard push they’ve done in turning around their season.
Yet, make no mistake, the Cavaliers are walking a tightrope. Understandably team officials and fans alike are on edge over Garland’s health status and what it will mean for their competitive aspirations in 2023. The team, to their credit, will be cautious in how they cover his recovery and we’ll know more as this situation clarifies.
Leave a Reply