Cleveland Cavaliers Injury Report (31st October): Latest update on Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland's status
The Cleveland Cavaliers face off against the New York Knicks on Tuesday, Oct. 31. They have lost their last two games, giving them a 1-2 record to open the season. Part of the Cavaliers' struggles has been due to injuries to key players. At the time of writing, Darius Garland is listed as out for the upcoming game against New York.
Jarrett Allen and Ty Jerome will also miss the game. Mitchell Donovan is listed as questionable heading into the day. With so many members of the primary rotation missing due to injury, the Cavaliers have struggled to grind out wins. However, it's still early in the season, and they can easily make up ground once their roster is back to full strength.
Cleveland's guard rotation has suffered to begin the season. Ricky Rubio isn't with the team, and the starting backcourt are both dealing with injuries. In their last game, the Cavaliers relied on Caris LeVert and Max Strus as their starting guards, which undoubtedly hurt their bench depth and limited their second unit.
New York hasn't released their injury report at the time of writing. However, the Knicks have appeared to be healthy in their recent games, which will pile further pressure on Cleveland when the two teams face off.
Donovan Mitchell's future with the Cleveland Cavaliers the league's "worst kept secret"
According to Bill Simmons, Donovan Mitchell's future with the Cleveland Cavaliers is the "worst kept secret" in the NBA. The analyst expects Mitchell to leave the franchise after his current contract or via a trade next season:
"The big question for me is Mitchell not staying there long-term is probably the worst-kept secret in the NBA," Bill Simmons said via the Bill Simmons Podcast. "If it's not the worst-kept, it's in the top three. Does that put pressure on this season, and at what point will the Cavs kind of admit that's how this is probably playing out? Does that change if they start out slow this year?"
The Cavaliers acquired Mitchell in the summer of 2022 despite his honesty in wanting to join the New York Knicks. The explosive guard had a strong showing in his debut season for the Ohio-based franchise and is expected to have another big year once healthy. However, Donovan Mitchell has never hidden his desire to play for the Knicks, in front of his hometown crowd.
Mitchell's availability this season will have a direct impact on how successful the Cavaliers are. They will likely be hoping to have him back in the rotation sooner rather than later as he recovers from his right hamstring soreness.