The All-Star guard had surgery in June to alleviate a mysterious toe injury, but is still months away.
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland is not expected to break ready for training camp in a few months as he continues to recover from toe surgery, according to Chris Fedor of cleveland.com. Garland suffered the toe injury in March, missed a few games before returning, and re-injured the toe in the first round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat. Despite coming back in the semifinals against the Indiana Pacers, Garland looked a step slow and out of sync.
As it turns out, there was a good reason for that. Garland reportedly felt like he was playing with nine toes towards the end of the season.
“I got my 10th toe back,” Garland said via Fedor. “I had no big toe at the end of last season. I had like nine toes. I felt like I was playing with nine toes. That’s how I would describe it.”
“Any type of movement was tough. Putting on a shoe was tough. Walking. Running. It was difficult.”
Garland essentially not having a functional big toe would explain why he looked so off against the Pacers. While disappointing that he was able to remain relatively injury free until it counted, it is somewhat relieving that it was injury related as opposed to simply not playing well. The nature of the surgery he received remains shrouded in mystery, but what is clear is that he will not be ready for training camp.
When asked if Garland will be full-go within the next few months, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson simply said he doesn’t.
“That’s not a medical opinion or anything,” Atkinson told Fedor. “That’s just my feeling on the situation. Under promise and over deliver. We’re not going to rush or push this. If he is ready, then great. I will rely on (Senior Director of Player Health/Head Athletic Trainer) Steve (Spiro) and Darius to tell me. But I don’t expect that.”
Those are pretty plainly put statements from Atkinson, and ones that demonstrate just how serious the injury to Garland was and how methodical his recover will be as a result. The Cavs may be relying on Lonzo Ball and Craig Porter Jr. out of the gate, as well as some Donovan Mitchell point guard minutes until Garland is fully ready to go.