CLEVELAND, Ohio — The NBA has cracked down on the Cavs.
Again.
Announced Thursday afternoon, Cleveland has been fined $250,000 for violating the league’s Player Participation Policy for a second time this season.
An investigation into the incident confirmed that point guard Darius Garland, still considered a star player under the policy, was able to play in one of the team’s back-to-backs on Nov. 23 and 24 — home versus the Los Angeles Clippers and in Toronto against the Raptors.
Even though he did play in one of those games, the violation occurred because Garland was made available for Sunday’s game instead of Monday’s nationally televised contest.
Garland, who underwent toe surgery this offseason, made his debut on Nov. 5. During his third appearance — Nov. 10 against Miami — Garland re-aggravated that same toe and exited the game early, leading to him undergoing further evaluation and missing the next five games. The Cavs classified his absence as injury toe management — a designation they continue to use.
Since that November injury scare, Cleveland has been cautious with Garland’s workload, keeping him from playing both games of any back-to-back set, including Nov. 23 and 24 — the games that led to this most recent fine.
It’s the second time this season the NBA has hit the Cavaliers with a hefty fine for violating the Participation Policy. The first cost them $100,000. A third rule break would result in a $1.25 million fine.
Cleveland has played an NBA-high 23 games. It has had five back-to-back sets, with another coming this weekend. Four players — Max Strus (offseason foot surgery), Jarrett Allen (strained right finger), Sam Merrill (sprained right hand) and Larry Nance Jr. (calf strain) — are currently sidelined with injury.
The Player Participation Policy, adopted prior to the 2023-24 season, is intended to promote participation and preserve the integrity of the NBA’s 82-game regular season.
Following Cleveland’s first violation, which was announced Nov. 19, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson fired back at the NBA, saying he disagreed with the ruling.
“I think my number one job is to continue to protect the health of our players,” Atkinson said passionately a few weeks ago. “We have those discussions, we make decisions. I’ll rock with that decision.
“I understand the league has their policies, but again, I’m just looking at it from my perspective, of our organization.”
In hopes of preserving health throughout this lengthy 82-game season, the short-handed Cavs, who have been beset by injury, entered with a big-picture plan to manage minutes and look for rest nights. Even after being fined last month, Atkinson admitted he was unwilling to change his approach.
Could a second violation make a difference?
