Cleveland Cavaliers hit with another untimely, devastating injury as playoffs near

The Cleveland Cavaliers have once again been dealt a bad injury hand. Can they navigate this situation successfully too?

Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently just a half-game out of the second seed in the Eastern Conference standings, it's been everything but smooth sailing for the young team that many expected to take a massive step forward this season. Plagued by injuries for much of the season, the fact that the Cavs have been able to remain a top 3 seed in the East standings all season long is nothing short of miraculous. But that could be credited to the strides that this team has taken this season.

And with the start of the NBA Playoffs just a little over a month away, the Cavs are going to have to overcome another big injury. After suffering a sprained ankle, there's a chance that Cavs standout big man Evan Mobley could end up missing "extended time." That's not exactly what Cleveland needs as they prepare for the push toward the postseason.

Cleveland has already been dealing with Donovan Mitchell's absence, who is recovering from a knee injury. Even though that injury is not considered to be long-term, the injuries are beginning to pile up for Cleveland once again. And that's not what the team wants to see with the playoffs around the corner.

The Cleveland Cavaliers' injury struggles

The Cleveland Cavaliers have already had to deal with big injuries to both Darius Garland and Mobley so far this season. Both Garland and Mobley have already missed 24 games each so far this season. Even Mitchell has missed his fair share of contests this season due to injury, checking in at 15 missed so far.

Considering the Cavs still have the 13th most difficult schedule down the stretch, this is not good news by any means. Even though the Cavs are sitting comfortably as a top 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, the last thing they want is to enter the playoffs short-handed.

The hope is that none of the injuries to key players that the Cavs are currently dealing with are expected to impact their availability in the postseason. However, it's certainly a red flag that they keep popping up.

At this point, the Cavs' goal has to be to just get to the playoffs healthy. If they can do that, they have to like their chances to win at least one playoff series. Though, especially considering the way this season has gone, that's far from a guarantee.