The Cleveland Cavaliers' 140-138 loss to the Miami Heat invited disaster on multiple levels. For one, the Cavaliers managed to drop a contest against a Heat team without Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro in the lineup. The bigger trouble? Darius Garland left the game early with a toe injury.
Garland finished the night with 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals, shooting 2-of-9 from the field, after exiting the game in the third quarter. ESPN reported the injury was a toe and was indeed on his left foot. However, it was highlighted that it was not clear if it was an aggravation of the same injury that forced the Cavaliers star point guard to rehab all summer.
Kenny Atkinson commented after the game, "Yeah, I haven't gotten an update yet. ... You know, we talked about it. Talked about it with medical, and Darius, he wanted to give it another try. And then went back at it and then just couldn't continue."
Considering how much Garland does to fully unlock the Cavaliers offense, there will be a quiet unease in Cleveland as everyone hopes for the injury to be a mild one. Toe injuries are tricky. If this is the same one that plagued the Cavs guard throughout the offseason, there is a potential nightmare scenario developing in Ohio.
Cavaliers offense needs Darius Garland healthy to steer the ship
Garland's importance to the Cavaliers really cannot be overstated. The pieces just do not all quite fit together as intended without the guiding hand of the All-Star guard leading the way in the backcourt.
Regular season results should not be a motivating factor to rush Garland back to the court if the severity of the injury is bad, and especially if it is indeed the same toe that forced him to leave the matchup. If the Cavaliers need to navigate more adversity in the early parts of the season, so be it.
The long-term health of Garland is the priority for the Cavaliers. Having their star point guard available for the postseason could very well be the difference in any given playoff series that Cleveland may encounter.
That is where the nightmare comes in. Cleveland cannot afford to have this linger throughout the entire campaign. Toe issues can be a bothersome issue that remains persistently present. The Cavaliers will hope those are not the circumstances they are about to plunge into.