“Just gotta take some time to rest and get it right. I thought I was ready. I’m not. It sucks. I want to be out there. But it’s clear as day, even to myself. I can’t fool myself. Just get it right and be ready when that time comes.”
That was the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell talking about his bothersome knee after losing to the Knicks on Saturday. Mitchell was out Monday night when Cleveland picked up a win over Indiana, but he will miss more time than that due to surgery to repair a nasal fracture, the Cavaliers announced Tuesday.
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 19, 2024
The time off gives Mitchell a chance to get healthy before the playoffs when the Cavaliers need him most.
Mitchell missed seven games with a bone bruise in his knee, but pushed to get back on the court against the Pelicans and Knicks last week, only to shoot a combined 9-of-29 in those games. Those numbers didn’t tell the whole story, he just looked slow.
Since Mitchell first went out with knee pain the team has gone 5-5, which is not ideal for the No. 3 seed Cavaliers as they try to pass the Bucks for the No. 2 seed (one game back) and hold off the charging No. 4 seed Knicks (Cleveland is two games up on New York). The Cavaliers do not want to fall to the No. 4 seed and find themselves on Boston’s side of the playoff bracket (it’s easier to make a deep playoff run from the 2/3 seed).
It’s not just Mitchell, Cleveland is getting hit hard by injuries right now. Starters Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain) and Max Strus (right knee strain) are also out, as are Ty Jerome, Dean Wade, and Emoni Bates.
