Report: Isaiah Thomas could be out until All-Star break

Report: Isaiah Thomas could be out until All-Star break
WEEI - Ty Anderson

Isaiah Thomas is officially a Cavalier. But more importantly, he’s still injured, and without a clear return date in sight, according to The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd.

"No one is willing to put a timeline on when Thomas might return to the court. The fact he isn't running yet certainly is not a good sign,” Lloyd wrote. “One source with experience dealing with the type of hip problems Thomas is facing predicted it could be January or even the All-Star break before Thomas returns to game action.”

It’s believed that Thomas, who was forced out of the Eastern Conference Finals because of his injured hip, has a torn hip labrum (as well as a deep bone bruise), and if that is indeed the case, missing the first three months of the season may actually seems like a borderline best-case-scenario situation for the Cavaliers.

Thomas, meanwhile, recently broke his silence and said he was not “damaged.”

"There's never been an indication that I wouldn't be back, and there's never been an indication that this is something messing up my career," Thomas said in an interview with ESPN earlier this week. "Maybe I am not going to be back as soon this season as everyone wants me to be, but I'm going to be back, and I'm going to be the same player again. No doctor has told me anything different than that.

"I haven't had one doctor tell me that this injury is going to hurt my career," the 28-year-old Thomas continued. "Surgery was not the best option in this case. I aggravated it in March when [Minnesota's] Karl-Anthony Towns fell on me. I kept playing on it, and making it worse -- until I couldn't play anymore last season."

The Celtics, who spent eight days in trade limbo with the Cavaliers because of concerns over Thomas’ injured hip following his physical in Cleveland last week, sent a 2020 Heat second-round pick to Cleveland as extra compensation over these issues.

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Probably should've had the surgery...

His chances at a Brinks truck really took a hit. He probably would've been ready/almost ready by the start of the season.


KJ