CLEVELAND — The Cavs tip off their preseason on Tuesday, but one of their star players will be sidelined as center Jarrett Allen deals with an ankle injury sustained in practice recently.
After hurting his ankle in practice, Allen underwent MRI testing, which showed a bone bruise on his left ankle.
The team announced that Allen will be sidelined for at least two weeks, with a follow-up evaluation of the injury to come after he begins treatment and rehabilitation for the ankle injury.
That two-week mark falls just a few days before the regular season tips off on Oct. 25 against the Brooklyn Nets on the road.
In the meantime, Allen's absence does allow his preseason minutes to go to other players for the team to evaluate the looks they aim to give this season, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
"It gives other people an opportunity. I think Damian Jones is kind of in that same ilk, so it doesn't change a lot of things we want to do and work on as far as his ability to play with Evan [Mobley] on the floor. Obviously, having Tristan [Thompson] here also, you can still play with two big guys and work around what you want to do," Bickerstaff said. "Obviously, we'll miss J.A., and his reps, I think, are going to be valuable for him, but we don't have to make dramatic change because we do have other big guys that can fill in and play that role."
As Allen works his way through the ankle injury, the Cavs will continue preparing for game action, with their first preseason game slated for Tuesday against the Atalanta Hawks on the road. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
