Isaiah Thomas didn’t want to have surgery at first — he was coming up on a contract summer and the point guard who was fifth in the MVP voting just two seasons ago wanted to prove he was still the same guy. That he deserved to get paid. But after missing the start of the season in Cleveland with a torn labrum in his hip, getting traded to the Lakers, never being himself and being a below average player last season, Thomas decided to get the surgery on his hip last April. He eventually signed a minimum contract with the Denver Nuggets.
He is still not 100 percent at the start of training camp, coach Mark Malone said on Altitude TV, via Chris Dempsey. Sam Amick adds that it may be a while before we see Thomas in action.
Isaiah Thomas continues to rehab from arthroscopic hip surgery in March. His availability for training camp next week remains in question. Here is Tim Connelly, #Nuggets President of Basketball Ops, on Thomas' status during an interview for Wednesday's Nuggets 360 on @AltitudeTV pic.twitter.com/E6192yk46N
— Chris Dempsey (@chrisadempsey) September 18, 2018
My understanding is that Isaiah will not be ready for camp, and his timeline from there is unclear. The Nuggets will take their time bringing him back. It might be a while. https://t.co/ffMq36Hlfx
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) September 19, 2018
That has the Nuggets adding to their training camp roster in the short term.
As Isaiah Thomas continues to rehab his hip, Denver is signing veteran guard Donald Sloan to a training camp deal, league sources tell ESPN. Denver has 15 guaranteed contracts.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 19, 2018
The Nuggets are a team looking to make a playoff push this season (and if Paul Millsap can stay healthy and improve the team’s defense they should make it, even in the brutal West). Thomas — a healthy Thomas — boosting the Denver bench is part of that. However, Thomas is the poster child for why one doesn’t play through injuries or rush back on the court, there is potential long-term damage that is hard on the body and can be hard on the wallet.
Denver can wait, and if Thomas can be Thomas whenever he gets back, it could be a good fit in Denver.