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Cavaliers’ Iman Shumpert out 12-14 weeks for wrist surgery

By Tom West

Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) before game three of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) before game three of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love on the mend, the Cleveland Cavaliers seemed to be getting healthy. However, Iman Shumpert now faces surgery and will be out 12-14 weeks.

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The immense effort of LeBron James during the Finals against the Golden State Warriors proved how good the Cleveland Cavaliers were with their main man and no one else. Yet, he can’t rack up a triple double and play 45 minutes every night. With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love getting closer to full health, the Cavaliers now face another tough loss as Iman Shumpert will be out of action for an estimated 12-14 weeks due to a wrist injury.

As one of the Cavaliers’ best perimeter defenders and a vital player off the bench, the loss of Iman Shumpert is huge. Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported the news to Cavs fans via Twitter:

While this obviously hurts the Cavaliers, it’s even more devastating for Shumpert himself. It’s a shame to see any player hurt of course, but for a guy like Shumpert, who’s dealt with serious injuries virtually every year of his career, it’s even more frustrating as he just can’t seem to stay healthy. Especially as this latest setback seems to have been picked up either during recent offseason workouts or while training with his teammates.

He’s only played more than 60 games in a season twice during his six year career, and over the last two seasons has tallied a total of just 52 games. He spent five of those years with the New York Knicks, and as they began to struggle even further Shumpert was dealt along with J.R. Smith to the Cavaliers in a three team trade.

Shumpert’s presence in Cleveland has been even better than many might think. Though he may lack a consistent jump shot and much offensive impact, defensively he’s one of the best players they have to offer. His play on defense can be summed up effectively in one simple statistic: the offensive rating of the Cavaliers’ opponents fell by an entire 6.8 points per 100 possessions whenever Shumpert was on the floor.

Losing that kind of input will instantly hurt the Cavaliers over the next three months, and in Shumpert’s absence they’ll have to make the most of new additions such as point guard Mo Williams and veteran forward Richard Jefferson on the perimeter.

With Shumpert out for three months and Irving and Love not ready to compete for a while yet, the early stages of the 2015-16 season are going to be an uphill battle for the Cavaliers.

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