Cleveland Cavaliers Injury News Worsens at Undesirable Point in Season

It’s a bad week to be a finger in Cleveland.

Just days after the Cavaliers announced that point guard James Harden fractured his thumb, it was reported Friday morning that another Cavs guard acquired earlier in the month, Keon Ellis, has fractured a finger of his own.

The fractured finger club of Harden and Ellis will be listed as questionable for Friday night’s game versus the East-leading Detroit Pistons. Dean Wade and Dennis Schroeder, both nursing ankle sprains, will have the same injury designation.

Starting guard Donovan Mitchell is already listed as out for the Pistons game. Mitchell’s the outlier here because all ten of his digits seem to be fracture-free. Mitchell’s strained groin is what’s keeping him sidelined.

Considering it’s apparently rush week for the fractured finger club, guards Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, Craig Porter Jr. and Tyrese Proctor should probably keep their hands in their pockets or maybe glove up for the next several hours until Friday night’s 7:00 pm tip.

In nine games with Cleveland, Ellis has averaged 6.4 points, 1.6 steals, a block, and nearly two assists per game in less than 22 minutes of action. He’s arguably been Cleveland’s best perimeter defender in that same span.

Ellis and Schroeder were traded to the Cavs in early February in exchange for De’Andre Hunter who … wait for it … is out for the season with an injury.

Are you sensing a trend?

Assuming Ellis and Harden (who sat out Cleveland’s Wednesday night game with Milwaukee) join Mitchell in sitting out Friday’s game with Detroit, the Cavs will need to replace nearly 54 points and 16 assists in their lineup.

Oh, they also must guard that Cade Cunningham guy who’s been pretty good in the Motor City.

With so many guards likely out of the lineup, expect Cleveland to rely heavily on their starting frontcourt, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Though even that’s a roll of the dice.

Mobley was sidelined on Wednesday versus the Bucks as the team continues to limit his minutes due to a calf injury suffered prior to the All-Star break. Since returning to the lineup on February 19th, Mobley hasn’t played more than 25 minutes in any game.

Allen, on the other hand, has been on a tear of late. He’s had a double-double in nine of his last 10 games.

Detroit and Cleveland have split their first two meetings of the season with each team winning on the road. They meet twice in the next five days (at Detroit on Friday and in Cleveland on Tuesday night) to wrap up their four-game season series.

Should the Pistons win either or both games the Cavaliers shouldn’t be hard pressed to put a finger on what exactly went wrong.