Cavs' James Harden gives injury update after playing through fractured thumb
· Yahoo Sports
CLEVELAND — Most Cavaliers fans have probably forgotten about James Harden pushing through a fractured thumb last season because the veteran point guard didn't make many public comments about it.
But the left-handed Harden played with what the Cavs announced as a right thumb injury, or, more specifically a nondisplaced fracture of the distal phalanx. The injury occurred on Feb. 24 against the New York Knicks. Harden missed just two games before returning to action.
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Well, how is Harden's thumb now?
During Cavs media day on Monday, Sept. 28, at Rocket Arena, the 37-year-old Harden said the injury healed during the offseason without surgery.
"It was swollen at the time, so it was kind of difficult to dribble or shoot or be effective like I would be," Harden said. "But, I mean, there was no time for excuses, so just figure it out, do whatever it takes, treatment around the clock, go out there and just figure it out.
"It's healed. I had a few months for it to heal. So, [it was] unfortunate, but it's a part of the game."
This past season, Harden said he chose to avoid surgery because it would have required him to miss too many games. He decided to fight through the pain and discomfort.
James Harden's stats with Cleveland Cavaliers
Cavs brass is convinced Cleveland would not have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, where it fell 4-0 to the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks, without Harden aboard.
On Feb. 3, the Cavs acquired Harden by trading Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers.
"When you have a guy like James, looking back, it is pretty wild that halfway through the year we just made a complete flip to the offense, flipped, changed everything," Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said. "But now we have a full understanding of what it's been. He went through that tough loss with us, understanding what that feels like as a competitor for him and kind of getting a feel for him and him getting a feel for us."
An 11-time All-Star, Harden averaged 20.5 points on 46.4% shooting from the floor (43.5% on 3-pointers), 4.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 3.2 turnovers and 33.8 minutes in 26 regular-season games with Cleveland. Then Harden averaged 19.2 points on 41% shooting from the field (29.9% on 3s), 5.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 4.7 turnovers and 37.3 minutes in 18 playoff games with the Cavs.
Why James Harden waited to sign his new contract with Cavs
After declining a player option in late June, Harden re-signed with the Cavs this offseason.
On Aug. 20, Harden and the Cavs agreed to a three-year deal worth $97 million. The pact includes a player option and a trade kicker. The Cavs announced the signing on Sept. 8.
Even though Harden had made it clear he intended to re-sign with the Cavs when last season ended, he waited until later in the summer to finalize a deal, granting the Cavs financial flexibility as they pursued other moves. Harden helped recruit Peyton Watson, whom the Cavs acquired on Aug. 19 from the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade deal.
"This isn't the first time that I've sacrificed and done something like this, whether it's time, whether it's money, whether it's role," Harden said. "I've done this before, and the only thing that I'm missing is a championship. So, me as a thinker and somebody that just looks at everything before I react, this is something that I want to do, and I want to win a championship.
"So, what does that look like? OK. Making the team better, making the team whole to where we can give ourselves a chance. By the way, you can have the best talented team, which I've been on before, and still not win. So, everything has to line up. So, I think just continuously trying to give myself the best chance, and what does that look like? And then if I feel like it's worth it, then do it.
"We waited, waited, waited, until the front office, [Cavs president of basketball operations] Koby [Altman] made sure that we got everything we can get, and then we signed. So, we've got a long way to go, but I think I love the direction and steps that we're taking and where we are as a unit from top to bottom."
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs' James Harden gives injury update after playing through fractured thumb