The Cleveland Cavaliers are winning, but not looking very consistent on the court. LeBron James made it very clear that the team simply is not hungry enough right now as they watch the Golden State Warriors remain undefeated in the season. One issue hitting the Cavaliers is injuries. Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert remain out for the time being and now Timofey Mozgov could be set to join them after suffering a shoulder injury against the Milwaukee Bucks.
According to ESPN's Dave Menamin, Mozgov sat out the second half of the game against the Bucks after suffering a shoulder strain. The center is expected to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the issue as Mozgov noted that he was not sure just how significant the problem is. The Cavaliers are off on Friday which will give the center some time to heal.
"We got some appointments," Mozgov said, via ESPN.com. "We'll see what's going on. I can tell you nothing right now. I just go on the bench and sit for a minute, and there was a pain. But I don't know what it is. We're going to see (Friday)."
An injury to Mozgov could be very big issue for the Cavaliers. He came into Thursday's game shooting 51.6 percent with 5.0 rebounds per game. Tristan Thompson started in his place, but it would leave the Cavaliers without needed size if he were to miss time. The center was not the only player dealing with issues. Mo Williams sat for the game dealing with lower right leg soreness. Matthew Dellavedova started in his spot and did enough to get the win, but head coach David Blatt admits he is concerned about players missing significant amounts of time.
"I hope not," Blatt said, via ESPN.com. "We're going to have to see how Mo responds (Friday) to treatment, and Moz will get (an imaging scan), and we'll see what the nature of his injury is. I just don't know what to tell you right now. Hopefully, they'll be OK, and, if not, we're going to go with what we've got and hopefully going to play the same kind of basketball."
The Cavaliers are really being forced to rely on depth during this stretch of time. While James and Kevin Love are doing what is needed, they are running thin of healthy bodies. There is hope that Shumpert and Irving will be back soon. Both players have been cleared for physical activity, but a timetable for either has not been determined. The Cavaliers are set for an Eastern Conference Finals rematch on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks and need both Mozgov and Williams healthy for the game.
