Cavs, NBA revisiting Rocket Arena court after Luka Doncic fall

The Cavaliers and the NBA are set to meet about the raised court at Rocket Arena, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Translation: This thing is officially back on the league’s radar.

It flared up again after Lakers star Luka Doncic stepped off the sideline Wednesday and hurt his left ankle. Not a catastrophic injury, thankfully. But enough to reopen a debate that never really went away.

The Cavs have the only raised home court in the NBA. It sits roughly 10 inches above the arena floor, which covers the hockey rink. Floor seats sit on the lower level. The drop-off is real. Players notice it. Visiting teams definitely notice it.

A league spokesperson told Vardon the NBA and Cavs are “revisiting” the setup. Cleveland maintains the court is fully compliant with league rules. That may be true. It also does not mean it is ideal.

Miami already complained in 2023 after Dru Smith fell off the court and suffered a season-ending ACL injury. The players association has raised safety concerns as well. Now Luka’s scare has pushed this back to the forefront.

Fixes exist, but none are simple. Widen the court. Redesign the base. Reduce the height. Or rethink the entire setup.

All of it costs money. All of it takes time.

The question is no longer whether this is awkward. It is whether the NBA is ready to treat it like a safety issue instead of a quirky arena feature.