Matthew Dellavedova Injury: Updates on Cavaliers Guard's Knee and Return
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova has been ruled out for 4-6 weeks with an MCL sprain in his left knee.
Updates from Sunday, Nov. 9
Dellavedova Ruled Out 4-6 Weeks
Dave McMenamin of ESPN passed along the diagnosis on Matthew Dellavedova's knee injury and his timeline for return:
Wednesday, Nov. 5
Chris Hayes of Northeast Ohio Media Group reported the ominous news prior to the Cavs' road game against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday:
The Associated Press' Tom Withers provided further details:
Dellavedova has been a pleasant surprise since arriving in Cleveland as an undrafted free agent out of St. Mary's in 2013. As a rookie last year, he appeared in 72 games and made four starts.
To begin the 2014-15 NBA season, coach David Blatt had deployed Dellavedova for 19.7 minutes per contest. Although it's early in the current campaign, it was still impressive for Dellavedova to carve out a role after a massive roster overhaul saw LeBron James and Kevin Love, among others, arrive this offseason.
One of the flaws on this loaded Cavs team is the absence of a pure, pass-first point guard. Dellavedova is a perimeter 'tweener, while All-Star starting PG Kyrie Irving is an explosive scorer himself.
The same is true for Dion Waiters, whose minutes will only increase in Dellavedova's absence. Waiters needs the ball in his hands to play his game effectively, as he's still a work-in-progress in terms of off-ball movement at the 2-guard spot.
It will be interesting to see how Blatt adjusts the rotation while Dellavedova recovers—and whether the youngster fits into it upon his eventual return.
