Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland didn’t seem happy to answer questions about his foot injury during his seven-minute press conference at Media Day on Monday afternoon. But that didn’t stop reporters from asking him anyway.
“Rehab’s been going really well,” Garland said. “[I’m] back on the court, moving around. I’m ramping up for the season, so everything’s been good. … Doctor’s saying everything’s been looking great. So I’m happy where I’m at right now.”
Having better conditioning was a main
talking point for several Cavs players. This is clearly one of their main takeaways from their second-round loss to the Indiana Pacers, where they were outhustled. Even though Garland was limited throughout the summer, he’s still been able to work on his conditioning.
“Working on conditioning and cardio right now,” Garland said. “So happy to be back on the court.”
Garland is indeed back on the court. In his words, he’s participating fully in basketball and contract drills. However, according to Koby Altman, Garland will be in “limited team activities” during training camp in Florida.
Garland wasn’t willing to admit to missing time in the regular season. When asked about it, he said that he doesn’t know yet, but he does have a date in mind that he’s targeting for his return.
The initial timetable for a return from the toe surgery he underwent at the beginning of June was for four to five months. That would put him in line to return sometime in October. However, the Cavs will likely be cautious with rushing him back. They know that their season won’t be judged by how they perform in the fall. Having all of their stars healthy and near 100% in the postseason is all that will matter.
We’ll see when Garland can return to game action. At the very least, it’s encouraging to see him walking around without a limp and confirming that he’s once again ready for on-court work.