When asked about his injury recovery, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland redirected his response back to his foundation, which he was at an event for. It was a valid decision, as he wanted to highlight the community and the work his foundation has been doing, but it may lead to some question marks regarding his injury.
“I feel great. The recovery process is going well. But I’m here for my foundation,” Garland said via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “I’m here to spread some positivity around the city of Cleveland and trying to have a good time. I always loved baseball, so I tried to make it a little bit competitive and kind of friendly as well. It’s my first one, so I’m kind of nervous, but I hope it’s going to be really cool and everybody really enjoys themselves.”
Garland left a lot up in the air.
What is wrong with Darius Garland?
In June, Garland had surgery to repair a toe issue, and it’s unclear whether or not he’ll be ready to roll for the start of the season. That could put the Cavs in quite the bind heading into the year.
When asked about his recovery process, Garland didn’t give out much information. Obviously, he said he feels okay and that his recovery is going well, but it was about as bland an answer as he could have given without simply saying, “No comment.”
Most notably, Garland failed to address whether or not he’ll be back by the beginning of the year, or even whether or not that’s the plan for him and the team. That would have been some nice information for the fanbase to have.
Fresh off their second-best regular-season campaign in franchise history, the Cavaliers will be looking to build on it in a wide-open Eastern Conference. With Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton sidelined, the Cavs should have the world at their fingertips.
However, if Garland misses time at the start of the year, it could put them in a very odd position. Outside of Garland, the only real point guard on Cleveland’s roster is Lonzo Ball.
Donovan Mitchell can play the one, and rookie Tyrese Proctor and Craig Porter Jr. are interesting pieces, but a potential Garland absence would make losing Ty Jerome in free agency even more painful.
Regardless, Garland's avoidance of the question about his recovery didn’t do much to ease the stress of Cavs fans. Only time will tell what his status for the regular season truly looks like.