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While the debut of Isaiah Thomas as a Cleveland Cavalier is getting closer, it will not come Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings.
Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue explained Wednesday that Thomas will not be in the lineup against the Kings, however he would not rule him out for Saturday’s game against the Utah Jazz.
Via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:
Ty Lue says that Isaiah Thomas is out tonight vs SAC. He would not say whether Thomas would play against Utah at the end of the trip or not.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 27, 2017
While the Christmas Day game against the Golden State Warriors was ugly for a variety of reasons, the need for another play-maker was evident. The Cavs offense has been elite throughout this season, but when you run into an elite defense like the Warriors it just puts too much pressure on LeBron James to create for everyone.
Throwing Thomas into that game without a few games under his belt wouldn’t have been fair to him. However, it was a nice reminder that there are still some needs that need to be addressed with the Cavs — needs that he will likely help fill.
Both Thomas and the team have been cautious in managing his return to the lineup. So while the anticipation continues to build, at least we know that his return will not be rushed and will come when both parties agree he is the best position to finish this year strong.