Cleveland Cavaliers welcome back Ricky Rubio, now must figure out new rotation
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers welcomed back a key player in the rotation. Now they have to figure out how he best fits into the puzzle.
Ricky Rubio recently returned to the rotation after more than a yearlong absence, the result of a torn ACL that ended his 2021-22 season. He was a consistent contributor off the bench before the injury, averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 assists in 28.5 minutes per game and giving the Cavs an extra facilitator to feed the offense.
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For Rubio, it was a long road back in which he didn't see an NBA court in a game for more than a calendar year. And for the Cavs, a team that has rarely been at full strength all season and had players shuffling in and out of the lineup already, he's the next to be eased into the rotation.
"He has a high level of understanding of the game," said Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff. "He knows how to orchestrate the game, teach the game, share the game. It’s gonna take some time before he’s the best version of himself, obviously, because he has to play with his teammates some, too, and they have to learn to play with him and learn how he can help make their jobs easier. Just giving him time and giving him minutes, we all know what Ricky’s capable of."
The Cavs are progressing through the second half of the season and toward the trade deadline while fighting for one of the top six seeds in the Eastern Conference, which would ensure they won't have to participate in the play-in tournament. Rubio is basically entering his own personal preseason, even if the games matter much more than they normally would.
Rubio said he and the Cavs worked out roughly a six-week plan to get his legs under him, and they can re-evaluate where he's at then.
"It's my preseason kind of," Rubio said. "So we just designed this plan so I can have a month and a half so I can get the rhythm back. It's hard to practice in the NBA during the season five-on-five, so I just [need to] get the reps out there. Of course you've got to pick up things, but I've been playing all my career, so I know what to do. But, of course, getting used to adjusting to the teammates, to the lineups that I'm there and having stretches of more than three, four minutes, that's going to help me, too."
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In the three games back from the injury, Rubio has increased his usage each time. He played 10 minutes in his return to the court in Portland, then 12 minutes in Minnesota and, most recently, 17 minutes in his first game in Cleveland Monday night. He received a loud ovation from the home crowd when he checked into the game for the first time.
He'll need more time before he can return to his previous usage, although Bickerstaff noted earlier in the season that he might not again be playing close to 30 minutes even when he's back up to speed, and he said Monday night that the team still wants to be cautious. Rubio is a gifted passer who can apply pressure to defenses as a facilitator, so he's a welcomed (re)addition. But the minutes he garners have to come from somewhere as the Cavs, again, re-shuffle the deck.
Those minutes won't be evenly sliced off the top from everyone else. Bickerstaff has had conversations in which he's shared that the Cavs want to find combinations that work but, in order to do that, it might mean some players not seeing the floor for a few nights. He doesn't want anybody playing only a few minutes a night.
"We had a conversation with the guys today and it's gonna be frustrating at times because whatever your role may have been before, it may change because of those minutes that just aren't there," Bickerstaff said. "And it's not fair to just play a guy for three minutes or two minutes. So there may be a game or two where you don't play. And we just figure out how our rotations work with those certain groups."
Donovan Mitchell leaves game with left groin strain
Cavs star Donovan Mitchell left Monday night's game against New Orleans with a left groin strain. He momentarily left the bench but later returned.
Bickerstaff after the game didn't yet have much information on the severity of the injury or how much time Mitchell might miss.
J.B. Bickerstaff reflects on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Cavs and Pelicans played at 3 p.m. as the NBA paid tribute on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Bickerstaff reflected on what Dr. King meant to the world, his message, the role sports can play in all of it and how, in the grand scheme of things, our differences in society are "so small."
Here are his comments, in full:
"I mean, he’s one of the major reasons why we’re able to do what we do and be where we are," Bickerstaff said. "This is a moment that’s passed politics and passed politicians who aim to find ways to divide us. He was one of the people, regardless of where you came from, what your beliefs were, he was someone who was just trying to unite and bring people together. It’s interesting how our history seems to find a way to repeat itself, and those leaders that we had in the past, how critical their thoughts and necessary their thoughts are and can be applied today.
"There is too much divisiveness, there is too much division in our society now. We need more people who are willing to bring each other together. I think that’s what Dr. King did. That’s what he wanted, was an opportunity to see equality, but an opportunity to just unite and get past our differences, which in reality are so small. But he knew all the great things we could accomplish if we were doing them together. And being able to play a game today, I think sports has an opportunity to magnify that.
"You look at our locker room for example, all the different people from different places, different cultures. You look at the fan base — different people from different cultures coming together for a common goal, and that’s to support the Cavs and support the guys on the floor. And just imagine if we were more willing, as a society, to do that past sports, you know what I mean? There are all types of beliefs in that arena, but they care and love the Cavs.
"I think that’s what today is all about, is how do we figure out how not just to celebrate this today, but how do we live this moment and live his actions every single day? I’m thankful, obviously, for his sacrifice, but I’m hopeful we can continue to improve and do more as a society."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs Ricky Rubio returns from torn ACL, easing into rotation
