Isaiah Thomas is expected to return from hip injury by January

There’s been a ton of speculation over when Isaiah Thomas will make his on-court debut for the Cavaliers after a hip injury ended his year during last year’s Eastern Conference Finals between the Cavaliers and Celtics.

Thomas’ hip was a sticking point in trade negotiations; we finally have an actual timetable for when we’ll see the Cavs new star guard on the floor.

“By January” is a little bit of a nebulous term, as it’s unclear as to whether that means “by the start of January” or “by the end of January.” For what it’s worth, Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon reported that Thomas could return “before the end of the calendar year.”

There’s been speculation that Thomas could be out even through the All-Star Break, so this earlier timeline is likely music to fans ears.

There’s no guarantee Thomas will be back to 100 percent once he returns, and it’ll be fascinating to see how he integrates into Tyronn Lue’s rotation midseason. In the meantime, it’s fair to expect Derrick Rose to handle point guard duties, though that could change with the potential addition of Dwyane Wade, who was bought out of his contract with the Bulls yesterday.