Iman Shumpert’s Status Up in Air Tonight

Iman Shumpert may or may not play tonight for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Clear as mud, right?

As the Cavs look to face off against their biggest competitor in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors, Shumpert’s availability is up in the air.

Shump has been out since hurting his shoulder last Thursday against the Chicago Bulls. His return has been considered day to day.

Since today is a day, we got an update. First, Shump seemed unsure of where his shoulder was. Given his injury history and that he missed over a month and a half last year due to injuring the same shoulder, caution from Shump and the team would make sense.

However, then HC Tyronn Lue spoke and seemed to think Shump would give it a go tonight. Leading to the confused state of the Cavs defensive wing:

Based on all of that, it looks like Shump will be more of a game-time decision than what Lue seemed to imply. With all the questions swirling around Shump’s desire prior to the NBA Trade Deadline, some fans could raise some questions.

The Cavs and Shump would, however, be mistaken to make a decision based on any of that. The Cavs, their doctors and Iman need to feel comfortable that he won’t be at higher risk of injury returning.

Tonight’s game against the Raptors is an important one. Unlike games against Western Conference powers, the Cavs have practical reasons to be very focused tonight. The Raptors are only 3 games behind the Cavs in the race for the #1 seed.

The Raptors are only 3 games behind the Cavs in the race for the #1 seed. While not the most important thing, homecourt advantage is still a real thing. A loss tonight brings the Raptors very close in the rearview mirror, a Cavs win could hurt Toronto’s confidence which is important.

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The most interesting thing will be how the Cavs react if they win tonight. The team has struggled with success and done much better when fighting against something. A win tonight could lead to a lull in the next game or two. A loss could create push, especially if Joe Johnson is signed, over the next week.

Iman Shumpert’s availability against Kyle Lowry and the rest of the Raptors backcourt could be huge in putting space between the two East’s elite.

We just don’t know if he will play or not.

Do you think Iman Shumpert is an important player for the Cavs?