Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff Provides New Update On Jarrett Allen’s Status
One week after announcing Jarrett Allen’s left ankle injury, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was asked about the big man’s rehab process and where he is at in his recovery.
“He's making progress,” Bickerstaff said. “Where he is doing more stuff is on the AlterG, which is the anti-gravity treadmill. So he's making progress from that standpoint as well.”
Hearing that Allen is progressing is a reason to be optimistic, but it doesn’t answer the question of when Cleveland’s center will be readily available.
Bickerstaff has his reasons for keeping mum.
“That's something I don't want to jump out and say. I don't want to put any unnecessary pressure on anybody,” Bickerstaff said. “We want to do the right thing by Jarrett. Make sure that when he's back, he's back for the long-term and we're not having to bring him back and take him out and bring him back again.”
Feb 5, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Cavaliers are smart to play it this way. It’s only October, and nobody wants a seesaw affair with a lack of continuity. For now, Allen has been able to participate in weight exercises and “trying to do as much that’s not weight-bearing as possible, not the pounding.”
So there’s that, and of course, making sure Allen keeps up with his wind.
“I give our training staff and our strength-and-conditioning group credit. There's more ways than just running on the court to keep your fitness high. So like I said, he's been working on the anti-gravity treadmill, there's the pool. There's so many things that he can do.
“There is nothing like playing basketball, don't get me wrong. But there are some things that you can do to keep that fitness level close until you do get on the floor.”
For now, Evan Mobley is holding down the fort at the 5 just fine. We’ll see how quickly Allen can work his way back without rushing the process.
