“I feel great. The recovery’s going well.”
Darius Garland mentioned this to Chris Fedor at Cleveland.com. Surgery on his toe in June, and man, it messed him up during the playoffs. Not exactly why Cleveland crashed out early. Fedor then hits up Coach Kenny Atkinson for more scoop on Garland’s comeback. Turns out, we might not see him right at camp. Atkinson’s words on the Wine and Gold podcast were kinda revealing.
I asked him, “You guys lost Ty Jerome and with Garland’s toe thing, is he good for training?” And he goes, “Look, it ain’t up to me. Darius and Steve Spiro’s team will decide that.” Atkinson seems cool with taking it slow. “We’re not rushing it,” he added more than once, almost like he was trying to reassure himself.
Honestly, they shouldn’t rush him. Did you see Garland in the playoffs? Hurt or not, his absence was loud and clear. His last season stats? Solid — 20.6 points, 6.7 assists per game, and hitting 40.1% from deep. But in the playoffs? Not the same guy: 18 points, 5.2 assists, barely 28.6% from beyond the arc. Five games, that’s all. Turf toe is a beast.
Cleveland’s got their sights on the No. 1 seed this season, says the experts. And coming off a 64-win hoopla? They need to show up in the playoffs. Atkinson’s got the depth to play around, resting big guns, still snagging wins. Finals aren’t a pipe dream — just need everyone peaking at the right time. Uh, does it matter if Garland misses some camp? Doesn’t seem like it. Big picture and all.
So, yeah, Garland might chill a bit more. And honestly? That’s fine.
