Cavs attempt to clarify controversial Jarrett Allen playoff injury amid teammate questions (2024)

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — For eight straight playoff games, more than two weeks, the NBA’s official injury report was released with Cavs center Jarrett Allen’s name a fixture.

Each time, he was listed as questionable. The injury designation was a “rib contusion.”

Reporters looked for clues, relentlessly hounding sources and stalking Allen into and out of the locker room, hoping to steal a private moment with him that would offer some clarity.

Then-coach J.B. Bickerstaff, fired on Thursday afternoon despite back-to-back playoff appearances, was asked numerous times in a multitude of ways for an explanation on the nature — and severity — of the injury. Maybe even a reason behind the secrecy. Bickerstaff said Allen was doing everything he could to play through the injury and how he felt one day could be different than the next. Bickerstaff also said there was a “safety” issue to consider.

Even when Allen’s availability seemed bleak, the first question before each game was the same.

Is Allen available?

The response was consistent — until Thursday afternoon, when president of basketball operations Koby Altman used a different term to describe the injury while discussing the polarizing Allen-Evan Mobley pairing.

“When Jarrett goes down in the playoffs with a broken rib it’s really nice to flex Evan into that five spot,” Altman said.

A what now? A broken rib? That’s quite different than a contusion.

According to various health websites, bruised ribs usually take multiple weeks to heal, depending on a variety of factors. They can impact breathing and range of motion. The best form of treatment is rest and restricted movement. The timeline for a cracked, broken or fractured rib is typically measured in months, not weeks.

Perhaps that level of transparency would’ve protected Allen from the chatter about him being “soft,” the rumors that have reignited as a result or the grumbles from teammates that cleveland.com reported on following the Game 5 Eastern Conference semifinal loss to Boston. Veteran Marcus Morris Sr. all but admitted there were internal eyerolls during a recent interview.

“You don’t have an option to rehab but you have an option to play,” Morris said while appearing on FanDuel’s Run It Back. “I can’t speak on how bad it was for Jarrett. If you put me in that same position, do I play? Yes. I can’t say how his body felt. Orlando was a very physical series, so I wasn’t surprised he didn’t come back in that one. He got hit one more time and it could have been different. A little bit surprised about the Boston one. I think Boston is not as physical, more just talented and skillful guys.”

At various points throughout the team’s 12-game playoff run, cleveland.com reported through a source that Orlando swingman Franz Wagner “pierced” Allen’s rib with a sharp elbow, leading to the Cavaliers center being in excruciating pain, which increased each time he attempted to raise his arms above his head — a necessity for Allen to be effective given his rebounding and defensive responsibilities.

Allen initially took a hard shot to his rib area in Game 1 of the first round but dismissed the severity, believing it was the usual aches and pains from a physical series. Allen kept playing, dominating inside and redeeming himself after a lousy series with New York last April. Then Allen took another hit to the exact same spot in the second half of Game 4, causing him to miss the final eight postseason games.

“It was massive,” Altman said when asked about Allen’s untimely absence. “He was the most important player we had all year in terms of games played and his value. He played 81 straight games and having a pierced rib ... I’ve never had a broken rib, but I’ve had several people reach out to me about how much it hurts. You can’t drive to work. You can’t sleep. You can’t tie your sneakers.

“Jarrett tried to give it a go. To the last day and a half, he was trying to go up and down this floor and do some real basketball moves. It’s hard to play basketball if you can’t raise your arms over your head. I know there was speculation of more stuff he could have done. It’s impossible to play through what he was playing through.”

Broken? Fractured? Bruised? Pierced — a term not widely used in medical lexicon? What was it?

“It was a pierced rib,” Altman explained when put on the spot Friday.

So why was it repeatedly listed as a contusion — the kind of minor designation that raised more questions about Allen’s toughness, a reputation that he had been trying to change for more than a year after being bullied by the burly Knicks? And did the organization feel like it needed to mend the relationship with Allen after, in a way, invalidating the seriousness of his injury?

“That’s a good question,” Altman said in response. “It’s all semantics in terms of what you want to list it for. No strain on the relationship though.”

Maybe not. But any possibility of that could’ve easily been avoided.