Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio has suffered a season-ending ACL tear to his left knee, the team announced in a press release.
Rubio suffered the injury late in Tuesday’s loss to the Pelicans. An MRI on Wednesday revealed the extent of it.
This news, of course, comes as a devastating blow to both Rubio and the Cavs, as the two became a perfect match in Cleveland’s resurgence of a season. It also comes with the Cavs already missing standout point guard Darius Garland, who is in the league’s health and safety protocols.
Already, the Cavs had lost guard Collin Sexton to a torn MCL for the season. Rubio’s presence helped to overcome that loss, but now the Cavs will have to figure out how to land some veteran help in the backcourt.
Rubio, in particular, has teamed well with Cavs forward Kevin Love, once a strong duo back in their days with the Timberwolves — who have acted as leaders while producing this season for the Cavs.
“It’s really hard for me because I could see the pain he was in when he went down,” Love said. “Him and I have such a history. I really care for him. I’m just praying that he’s going to be OK. We don’t know what the near future is going to hold for him. We’re just completely gutted. He was having such a great season.”
The Cavs are likely to try to get creative now, perhaps bringing in a veteran to help fill the void left by Rubio — an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. So, he may have played his final game in Cleveland.
Mike James, Kris Dunn and Frank Mason are among the available players with experience the Cavs could consider.
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