Clippers Give Fans a Disappointing Darius Garland Injury Update

A return to action may not be imminent for Darius Garland.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

It has been nearly a week since the Los Angeles Clippers pulled off the unexpected James Harden-Darius Garland swap a few days before the trade deadline. Harden has already made his debut with the Cavaliers, but Clippers fans have yet to see their new man in action. Garland, who has been dealing with a right toe sprain, had missed Cleveland's final nine games before the trade. Not having played since January 14, Garland was thought to be nearing a return. It turns out, fans may have to wait a little longer to see Garland in a Clippers uniform.

Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank spoke to the media on Monday. He said that the Clippers are "not going to skip any steps in [Garland's] injury recovery", per team insider Joey Linn. Frank added that Garland's right toe is feeling better, but the All-Star guard is still recovering from an offseason left toe surgery, before saying that the team is going to give him "plenty of time to fully recover."

Clippers Are Taking It Slow With Darius Garland

This is in contrast to what Garland had said after the trade. The 26-year-old guard had said that he had been on the court working out, he was waiting on the green light, and was ready to hoop. It turns out the Clippers will take a slower, more patient approach.

Given the risk associated with rushing Garland back, this is understandable. Garland has not been himself all season. He struggled with his left toe injury in last season's playoffs before opting for offseason surgery. He ended up missing the first two weeks of the season recovering from the surgery. He has had absences throughout the season, including sitting out one end of back-to-backs, before suffering a toe sprain on his other foot.

The Clippers have been playing very well and are in striking distance of a top-eight seed. So, it could be tempting to try to get Garland out there as quickly as possible. But, LA has to have the bigger picture in mind. If this team is going to make any noise in this postseason and next year, they need Garland back to his self from last season. That means he has to be feeling 100% before taking the court, especially considering the fast-paced style Ty Lue wants to institute with Garland at the helm.

There are two more games on the schedule before the All-Star break. Garland will almost certainly miss both games. His next opportunity to return will be on February 19 against the Nuggets. Clippers fans will be keeping a close eye on any injury updates between now and then.