Cavs’ Koby Altman: No Divide Between Organization, Jarrett Allen

Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman squashed talk that there is any sort of divide between center Jarrett Allen and the rest of the team when meeting with reporters on Friday.

Altman was responding to rumors that Allen refused an injection to overcome a rib injury and return to the lineup in the playoffs.

Altman said that Allen suffered a broken rib and that the way “Allen’s injury was listed was semantics and that there’s no fracture or divide in the organization’s relationship with the big man,” per Evan Dammerall of Right Down Euclid.

Allen is coming off a career year in which he set the franchise record for consecutive double-doubles — yet has been the subject of multiple trade rumors since the end of the season.

The Cavaliers are not looking to trade him, sources told Hoops Wire.

Allen has two years and $40 million left on his contract. He averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.1 blocks this season while shooting 63.4% from the field and 74.2% from the free-throw line.  

The Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round of this year’s postseason in five games after beating the Orlando Magic in the first round in seven games.

According to NBA insiders Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, some members of the Cavaliers were frustrated Allen refused an injection to try and numb the pain in his rib and play.