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As the Cavaliers and Celtics have finally completed their trade, Isaiah Thomas is on his way to Cleveland to begin rehabbing his injured hip.
According to cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon, Thomas will arrive in town Sunday and begin working out with the Cavs’ training staff on Tuesday. According to Vardon, the team wants to see how Thomas’ hip responds after a week of training and then through September to determine a timetable for his return.
From his report:
Thomas’ work back to the court will be overseen by Dr. James Rosneck, a renowned hip specialist at the Cleveland Clinic who works with the Cavs. Dr. Richard Parker, the team’s lead doctor and an orthopedic surgeon at the Clinic, will of course also be involved.
The Cavs want to see how Thomas responds after a week, and then through the month of September leading into training camp before they determine a timetable. Thomas elected not to have surgery and told ESPN this week surgery was not the best course of action. All indications point to Thomas missing at least a portion of the season.
Vardon also reports that Thomas was upset to be traded by Boston, but is “committed” to playing for Cleveland.
Thomas’ health as he recovers from a torn labrum is the big question still hanging over the Cavs’ head and they were reportedly concerned he’d miss a significant portion of the season. It’s also something that could partially define the team’s season in the last year of LeBron James’ contract. For the Cavs to compete for a title this year, they likely need Thomas to be healthy. Tuesday begins the process of finding out how realistic that is.