Darius Garland signals a ‘good sign’ for the team before the deadline

Doc Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson maybe he didn’t have the best view of it De’Andre Hunter’s injury status for the season openerhe had a pretty positive update Darius Garlandprogression.

“Really good,” Atkinson said Monday of how Garland looks physically. “He did most of the training today and we were live, so we’ll see how he reacts tomorrow. I don’t know what that means in a big way, but a good sign for us.”

Asked if he thinks Garland is ahead of schedule, Atkinson gave in and said yes. However, this does not mean that a return to the floor is inevitable.

“I’d have to check with (Cavs head coach) Steve (Spiro) and see what they think, but I’m a little surprised he’s at this point,” Atkinson said. “I know me and him argue all the time, like, let’s make sure this build-up is right. Let’s make sure we’re moving forward because I want DG to be healthy long-term for the season, for the playoffs. Really kind of talk to him, make sure the build-up is right. We’re erring on the side of long-term thinking.”

For Atkinson, there is a clear distinction between the ability to play and the ability to perform, which explains the cautious approach. Cleveland has different thresholds and markers to analyze before approving a return. Garlands are specific.

“We’re just having a bunch of discussions. We’ve got practice data, too,” Atkinson said. “We can compare his accelerations and decelerations to game data. We can look at his sprint speed. We can look at his mechanical intensity. And then, we also have power plate testing and all that in our testing lab. So we get a lot of information.”

“I’m trying to rely on the pros to give us the best information, me and the player. But again, I keep telling these guys, I want you to be ready, ready to be almost in top form. That’s my goal when these guys come back.”

It even goes deeper into designing game replays versus simulated replays.

“Does he get close to those (markers) in practice? That’s not always easy to replicate in a team match or practice,” Atkinson said. “We’re trying to create environments where they’re hitting these markers and then, obviously, there’s testing. We’re on the table, they’re looking at mobility, all that stuff. And then, we have our testing in our performance lab. … We have to do the best thing for the player and for the team.”

The Cavs will be without Garland and Max Struss early in the season, but it certainly sounds like they will be the former clothing earlier than originally expected.