Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson doesn't sound particularly optimistic about Sam Merrill and Jarrett Allen returning soon. After the Wine and Gold's latest 122-110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, he provided full transparency with two tricky injuries that are “in the same bucket.”
“Until they can really catch the ball… I don't know what that means,” Atkinson said in his postgame press conference. “There has been no setback with either. I do think it's been slower, right? A slow process.”
Atkinson was initially asked about Merrill, who has missed the last eight games with a right-hand sprain. He was hurt on the first defensive possession of Cleveland's win over the Milwaukee Bucks, when he reached in help defense to strip the ball from Giannis Antetokounmpo on a drive to the basket. Merrill actually played through it that night and scored 20 points on 6 of 9 from three-point range, but his hand has swollen significantly since then.
“I talked to Sam [on Wednesday],” Atkinson said. “He's like, ‘Man, I wish this thing was getting better, and I'm still just doing everything with my left hand.' So, this isn't a sprained ankle. This is, like, you need your hands to catch the ball.”
Allen has a similar situation, dealing with a broken left ring finger and a strain in his right third finger. After missing three games from Nov. 21-24, Cleveland's big man gave it a go on the road against the Atlanta Hawks. Following a film session and a conversation between the coach and player, both decided it'd be best to heal.
“JA's got it in both hands, right?” Atkinson said. “And he said he's having a tough time catching the ball.”
Amid the bumps in the road, injuries are making this start for the Cavs a bumpy one.
“We can't throw those guys out there under those conditions,” Atkinson said. “I wish I could give you [a more definitive answer]. I even asked Sam, he goes, ‘I don't know, it's slowly healing.' So that's the best I could do [for an update].”
Until Merrill and Allen can return to the fold, others will have to step up.
