The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without starting center Jarrett Allen on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers, another absence tied to right knee injury management. Allen hurt the knee in Cleveland’s March 3 victory over the Detroit Pistons, missed 10 games and then returned for the March 27 win over the Miami Heat.
His absence comes as the Cavaliers try to keep their roster intact for the playoffs, which begin in two weeks, and they will be shorthanded in the frontcourt again. Evan Mobley will also sit out Sunday because of left calf injury management, while Sam Merrill is out with left hamstring injury management. Dean Wade and Jaylon Tyson are also expected to remain sidelined.
Allen’s status has been moving in the right direction, but not all the way there. Last week, Chris Fedor reported that he is still in pain and not quite 100 percent, which fits the cautious approach Cleveland has taken since the injury first forced him out for nearly a month earlier in the season. The Cavaliers are expecting to get their starting center back after missing nearly a month, but Sunday is not that day.
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For Cleveland, the injury list is the story because the games that matter most are still ahead. The Cavaliers can afford a short wait more than they can afford another setback, and Allen’s return will matter less for Sunday’s result than for what it says about how close the team is to being whole when the postseason starts.
