The Cavs will be without Darius Garland for their home opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Garland did not participate in morning shoot around Friday due to a left hamstring issue. Before the game when Coach Bickerstaff was asked about Darius Garland’s questionable status for he responded “He’s very questionable.”
Coach Bickerstaff gave an update on Jarrett Allen's status after missing the opener due to an ankle injury, but wouldn’t give specifics on when he’d return. “He’s back on the floor running, it’s just a matter of once he’s comfortable, his conditioning is where he feels confident, and where the medical staff is with his comfort level he’ll be back”
Coach Bickerstaff before ending his pregame meeting with the media gave kudos to the Thunder front office.
“The individual talent has bought into the team concept, they do things for the team, their rotations, substitution patterns, they keep the balance about the team. They understand who they are and compete at a high level, it's not golf, tennis, it's a team sport and they understand that.”
With injuries limiting the potential rotation coach Bickerstaff would desire to employ, he knows he has to be flexible, and work with what he has;
“You go with what you got. As a coach you have to be flexible, can't be stuck in one way if your roster doesn’t fit. Go with the talent you have and put your team in position to be successful. My personal preference has been to go big with skill, but I love the group of guys we have, because they play bigger than they are. So as long as you have guys that are willing to do that, you’re still going to get the most out of it and that fight we’re looking for.”