Cavs' Donovan Mitchell appears recovered from groin injury, but sprains finger in win
Donovan Mitchell appeared to be fine after a groin injury he sustained Wednesday in Boston. That is, until he left Saturday's game against the Detroit Pistons with a separate injury, this time a sprained finger on his left hand.
In the third quarter of the Cavaliers' blowout 114-90 win over the Pistons, Mitchell ended a play on the offensive end holding his left hand. He exited the game and was labeled as probable to return according to an update provided by the team.
But with the Cavs cruising to an easy win, there was no need to force Mitchell back into a game that was already well in hand.
“There was no reason to put him in any risky situations,” said Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff after the game. “It happened on the drive to the basket, on that last play that he was a part of, he got hit on [his hand]. … I haven’t seen the replay yet. I just know somehow he was hit on his middle finger.”
Prior to the early exit, Mitchell looked like his normal self, scoring 20 points, including a number of highlight-reel plays, to go along with three rebounds and four assists.
Mitchell dealt with a groin injury in Wednesday's 117-113 loss in Boston but still managed to pour in 44 points. He didn't show any ill effects from the injury after having a few days off. The Celtics come to Cleveland for a showdown Monday night. The Cavs are 2-1 against Boston this season in what could be a playoff matchup if both teams advance far enough.
Cavs players react to Kevin Love's contract buyout with understanding of situation
Jarrett Allen was waiting for Kevin Love to return one day, and he just never did.
"I was told he was going for milk and cigarettes and he just never came back," Allen joked recently.
Allen was of course being sarcastic in the wake of the Cavs' contractual buyout with Kevin Love, who then signed with the Miami Heat. The buyout ended a nine-season run with Love in a Cavs uniform, one that will surely have his No. 0 retired in the rafters of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse some day.
All Love:Kevin Love's contract buyout an act of mutual respect and gratitude
Love logged just 20 minutes per game, the lowest average in any season of his career, before falling out of the rotation altogether. After a few weeks of riding the bench, and once the Cavs signed Danny Green, Love and the Cavs negotiated a buyout that was as much about respect and gratitude for what he had done in Cleveland as anything else.
For the rest of the Cavs players on the roster, they didn't solely lose a forward who added some depth off the bench. They had to move on without perhaps the leading veteran voice in the locker room full of younger players.
"Definitely sad to see him go," Allen said. "He was a great guy for the two and a half years that I've known him. He did a lot for this team, whether it was bring energy, making sure that we're loose and not being tight when it comes to practices. Personality-wise, we're definitely going to miss him."
Cavs believe Kevin Love will leave lasting impression after contact buyout, signing with Miami Heat
Love and Mitchell were the lone players on the roster with any recent playoff experience of significance. Green now also fits that description, but Love's presence was also a welcoming one for Mitchell as he aimed to be integrated into everything the Cavs were doing as quickly as possible.
"I was shocked. I didn’t know that was in the works. I didn’t know that it would be my last game seeing him," Mitchell said of the buyout. "One thing about Kevin Love, man, I grew up watching Kevin Love and I grew up watching him be in this facility, be in this uniform and I’m thankful, because he is a guy that allowed me to come in and ask him a thousand questions about his time and helped me be an integral part of this team and helped with this group."
Love was an integral part to the Cavs' 2016 championship team who then spent several years playing through the team's lean years during the post-LeBron James and Kyrie Irving rebuild. He made it through to the other side as the Cavs returned to contender status in the East, but once he fell out of the rotation the Cavs knew he's only human.
Bickerstaff knew Love was upset, but noted he never let it get in the way of his responsibility as a teammate.
"It's not a disruptive unhappy or combative unhappy," Bickerstaff said of Love. "Kevin wants to play. And I understand that. He wants to be on the floor. He can help teams or help a team. He believes that. So I think it's that frustration of not being able to participate with your teammates that you could feel and you could sense."
Love's time with Cleveland is done. But the Cavs feel his impact will be lasting.
"I've talked a ton about what Kevin has meant to me as a person and me as a basketball coach. We're going to miss him for sure," Bickerstaff said. "We [the team] just had a conversation about the reasons why, and understanding where our bigger focus is and what this organization is trying to do.
"I think this organization does a great job of taking care of the people who have taken care of it. And, in that situation, giving Kevin an opportunity to go somewhere where he can compete and he can play was right by him."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs' Donovan Mitchell sprains finger on left hand, leaves game
