Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson might not survive Cleveland’s injury woes. He’s getting ready for Game 2 of his team’s playoff series. With three other important players—Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter—questionable, Atkinson voiced “real concern” about them being able to go.
Darius Garland has been ruled out with a toe injury, and he’ll miss his third-straight playoff game on Sunday. On the flip side, both Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter suffered injuries in the 4th Quarter of Game 1. Mobley tweaked his left ankle in a different incident, which sped up his short-lived Olympic run. Atkinson’s optimism was laced with a healthy dose of trepidation about the whole endeavor. He labeled both players as “doubtful” for this week’s game, given the severity of their injuries.
Everything is a little bit hard to tell,” Atkinson said after a brief shootaround in advance of Monday’s game. He previously expressed appreciation that Garland found it “difficult to gauge” when Garland would be back on the bench. The doubt surrounding the trio’s status is a non-story for a non-playoff team. Third, they’re hungry to make a huge comeback after a disappointing Game 1 performance.
Atkinson explained that calling Garland, Mobley and Hunter into question is essentially a “semantic” argument. He was quick to note that all of this is still very much up in the air. The coach’s comments highlight the uncertain nature of injuries on playoff readiness and their effect on team outcomes.
The Cavaliers are preparing for Game 2. Losing major players or having them log major minutes could severely affect game plan and overall chances of advancing.
Leave a Reply