CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Cavaliers hope to have All-Star Jarrett Allen for the Play-In tournament, but they aren’t sure his broken finger will be ready in time.
“He’s progressing, that’s all I can tell you,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I can’t give you an exact timeline. He’s doing more and more with that hand, so it’s just a matter of time.”
It appears Bickerstaff isn’t counting on Allen being available.
“I am preparing to go with what we have and if he’s ready to go, then he’ll go,” Bickerstaff said.
Allen suffered the injury to the ring finger on his left hand March 6 in a 104-96 win over Toronto and has missed the final 18 games of the regular season.
“I think it’s a structure thing first and foremost,” Bickerstaff said. “You always want to make sure that it’s as healthy as it possibly can be. In his position, the banging that he does – on the rim, blocking shot, all those things – so you want to make sure structurally [it’s OK]. Then obviously it becomes pain tolerance and then strengthening and his ability to use that finger. He’s making steps and it’ll be one of those things where the day will come, and he will be ready to go.”
Allen is averaging 16.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 blocks and just under a steal a game this season.