The Cavaliers are trying to stay playoff ready, while getting through a tough March stretch.
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has talked about wanting to find the right balance between staying ready for the playoffs, which start in just over a month, while also being well-rested. He’s used the 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks, a team that he was on the coaching staff for, as an example of what not to do. That team took their foot off the gas before the playoffs. Atkinson has felt that they weren’t ready for the postseason.
That said, there’s still good justification for resting players when it makes sense. The first night of a back-to-back is one of those instances. As such, the Cavs will be without Evan Mobley for Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls. He’s missing the game due to rest.
This is likely similar to what the Cavs did with Donovan Mitchell on Sunday. He missed that game due to a scheduled rest day as well.
“We planned it,” Atkinson said about Mitchell’s day off vs. the Portland Trail Blazers.
“I always say, I put my hand up first. I’m the first one to push it. And you know, March is a beast. Sixteen games in 29 days. And if our number one goal is to stay healthy coming into the playoffs. We have to be strategic in what we’re doing.”
The Cavs have the luxury of doing this. They don’t have anyone currently out of the lineup with an injury. They also have a healthy seven-and-a-half game lead over the Boston Celtics for first place in the conference.
It stands to reason that another one of their core players could miss Wednesday’s game against the Miami Heat for rest as well. The Cavs want to keep their foot on the gas, but they also know that they have to keep the end goal in mind.
The Cavaliers have a road-heavy schedule in March. Only six of their 16 games are at home. This includes a nearly month-long stretch where they don’t play in the same location twice in a row until March 30.
While the Cavs will miss Evan Mobley, the only other guys they will be without on Tuesday are their three two-way players.
The Bulls are not as fortunate. They will be without Ayo Dosunmo (shoulder), Nikola Vucevic (calf), and Patrick Williams (quad) for Tuesday’s game. Additionally, Lonzo Ball (wrist), Josh Giddy (quad), and Kevin Hurter (knee) are all listed as questionable.