A Wheeler's Opinion: Isaiah Thomas could Rescue Fading Cavs(?)

Given the Cavs' struggles, they will need all  the help they can get

Could Thomas help improve the Cavs' situation?

The last time we all saw Isaiah Thomas play in an actual NBA game, it was during last season's playoffs while still playing for the Boston Celtics in a season that saw Thomas emerged as one of the prominent scorers in the league, especially during clutch situations.

In fact, many pundits were saying that had Thomas was not injured during the latter part of the 2016-2017 season which sidelined him eventually during the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics would have at least, challenged the supremacy of the eventual, Eastern Conference champions, Cleveland Cavaliers.

Fast forward to the 2017-2018 season. The Cavs granted the trade demand of Kyrie Irving and sent him to the Celtics in exchange for Thomas plus other reliable players. While the Cavs knew that trading for Thomas would mean that the team will wait until IT has fully recovered from his injury, they went on with the trade anyway.

Having Kyrie Irving leading Boston has proved that the Celtics are the true winner of the trade as they are currently sitting atop the East, thanks to their ongoing 9-game winning streak. The Cavs, on the other hand, despite signing Dwayne Wade and Derrick Rose during the offseason, are nowhere near the Top 8 in the East, thanks to their 4-6 record, good for 12th place.

Given the observations by Coach Tyronn Lue and the members of the Cavs' medical staff, Isaiah Thomas might be returning earlier than what was originally predicted which is January of 2018. In fact, Assistant Coach Phil Handy handled Thomas' workout earlier this week and had nothing but praises towards IT.

Here's the question, folks, will Isaiah Thomas improve the situation in Cleveland?

Definitely

Assuming that Isaiah Thomas returns soon and has no more whatsoever effects of his injury, he will provide the much-needed reinforcement to LeBron James who has been leading the team in scoring with his 28 points per game. Also, having IT on the court will ease off the pressure from Rose who is also dealing with tons of injuries. But the most important thing here, Isaiah Thomas can help the Cavs, especially in clutch situations because in their latest defeat, an embarrassing 117-115 loss at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks, the Cavs have multiple chances to tie the game at the end and yet, they faltered. 

Nope

Let's face it, folks. Once a player gets injured, most of the time, that player won't be the same aggressive player that he was once before the injury as we saw in Derrick Rose for example. While we have yet to see Isaiah Thomas play this season, there's a high chance that he'll still feel some soreness and that will slow him down and eventually, the entire Cleveland squad. 

Conclusion

Given the miserable situation in Cleveland, it will not be a  surprise if Tyronn Lue gets tempted to rush Isaiah Thomas' return.  While IT has the capability to explode for 30 points in a snap, as we saw last season, it all depends on how well he is feeling come his debut for the Cavs. But one thing is certain, the Cavs will need all the help they can get or Tyronn Lue might lose his coaching job. Or worse, LeBron might leave for LA, sooner than predicted.