After missing out when the Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans, Donovan Mitchell will be unavailable when the team takes to the Windy City to face the Chicago Bulls due to an illness. The illness Mitchell is dealing with is thankfully not COVID-related. But this still will be the tenth game the Cavs star has missed this season after being sidelined earlier this year with a nagging hamstring injury.
Cavs riddled with injuries
Along with Mitchell being unavailable for the Cavs, they'll also be without Darius Garland (jaw), Evan Mobley (knee), Ricky Rubio (personal), and Ty Jerome (ankle). Garland will be out for at least a month after having surgery on his fractured jaw while Mobley could be out for nearly two months after knee surgery. Jerome, meanwhile, hasn't played since Cleveland's season-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. While Rubio's personal absence is excused, the Cavs are now looking to trade the Spanish guard to upgrade their rotation.
Sam Merrill, meanwhile, is considered a game-time decision for Cleveland due to a nagging wrist injury. Merrill originally suffered the injury in an awkward fall against the Jazz but tried to play through it against the Pelicans. Unfortunately, it was useless, as Merrill looked like he was in noticeable pain against New Orleans and was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Bulls also shorthanded
Thankfully, the Cavs' rotation should be more than capable of handling the inconsistent Bulls with or without Merrill. With so many players out, Craig Porter Jr. will remain in the Cavs' starting unit alongside Max Strus, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, and Jarrett Allen. Caris LeVert, Cleveland's sixth man, will also see an increase in minutes to mitigate the loss of Mitchell's offensive dominance. If Merrill is available to play against the Bulls, it should be an easier outing for the Cavs. But, considering who is sidelined for Chicago, Cleveland could have an easier time trying to keep the Bulls from going on parade.
Chicago will be without Lonzo Ball (knee), Onuralp Bitium (nose), Torrey Craig (foot), Henri Drell (ankle), Zach LaVine (foot) and Adama Sanogo (G League assignment) when they host Cleveland. Although the Bulls have been without LaVine for nearly a month, they have gone 8-6 without their superstar shooting guard. That can be attributed to having Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, Coby White and Alex Caruso available, which is more than enough talent to keep things rolling. It'll be a tough trip for the Cavs, especially without 3/4 of their superstar core four. Thankfully, Chicago still isn't invincible, even if they've been without LaVine so, for now, Cleveland should still have a shot at stealing a win on the road.
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