Cleveland Cavaliers: Edy Tavares fractures his hand

Cleveland Cavaliers center Edy Tavares fractured his hand, making him just the latest big man to go down for the Cavs.

According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Cleveland Cavaliers center Edy Tavares fractured his hand today.

Here’s his full statement, which can be found on ESPN.com:

"The Cavs say Edy Tavares suffered a fracture in his right hand in a pre-practice organized pickup game between Cleveland’s reserve players on Thursday. He received X-rays Friday which confirmed the injury. He will be out indefinitely. He had yet to appear in a postseason game in the Cavs’ 8-0 start to the playoffs."

Depending on the severity and location of the fracture, this injury could take two weeks to heal or two months. SB Nation’s Kevin Zimmerman gave a rundown on the recovery time of players who have suffered fractured hands over the past few seasons, citing Anthony Davis, Paul Pierce, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love as examples.

What was the most interesting thing about Zimmerman’s piece was his mention of Love, who broke two metacarpal bones in his hand before the 2012-2013 season began. He returned in a month but broke his hand again two months later. That second break would cause Love to miss the rest of the season.

When looking at Tavares’ injury, it’s fortunate that he’s not a rotation player and that the Cleveland Cavaliers are on the back half of their playoff run. He should have more than enough time to heal before the start of the 2017-2018 season.

However, with Tavares’ contract being non-guaranteed and the Cavs in win-now mode, there’s a chance a player emerges to take his position. It wouldn’t be the first time it happened to a player.

During training camp, Eric Moreland couldn’t participate as he was recovering from a foot injury and he was eventually waived despite his potential. Chris Andersen was traded after tearing his ACL. Andrew Bogut was released after fracturing his tibia. Larry Sanders was released because his time away from the game and his lack of conditioning left him unable to contribute at a high level.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won’t release Tavares and try to sign another center because players can’t sign contracts after the end of the regular season according to the new CBA. However, players like Moreland, Sanders and a couple of draft-eligible players could look more appealing to Cavs in the offseason after Tavares’ injury.

What do you think of Edy Tavares’ injury? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.