Newest Cav’s status is unknown

Associated Press

INDEPENDENCE

Isaiah Thomas beamed as he held up his new No. 3 Cavs jersey for the first time.

There’s no telling when he’ll wear it in a game.

Stunned by Boston’s decision to trade him to Cleveland as part of a package for Kyrie Irving, Thomas chose not to share much information Thursday about a hip injury that ended his inspirational playoff run last season and will sideline him for the start of this season — and probably a lot longer.

At his introductory news conference, Thomas quickly deferred specific questions about his hip to new Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman, who said the team has a rehab plan in place for the All-Star point guard.

“We’re not going to rush it at all,” said Altman, who quickly grew tired of questions about Thomas’ health. “The goal is to bring him back at some point this year and be healthy and compete and get back to IT status.

“That’s our goal and our responsibility to him. We’re not going to comment on the injury and we’re not going to comment on a timetable.”

So one of the NBA’s biggest trades in recent memory remains cloaked in some mystery.

The only glimpse about Thomas’ timetable came when Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said, “Isaiah’s not going to be starting the season.”

While evasive on details, Altman, whose promotion to full-time GM was among the notable moves in a chaotic summer for the Cavs, did reveal that the rehab plan for Thomas does not include surgery.

Truth is, Thomas’ hip has been a major talking point around the league for months, starting the moment the 5-foot-8 guard was forced to bow out of the Eastern Conference finals against Cleveland when the pain became intolerable and he could no longer perform at his elite level.