LeBron James saw the Lakers pull out a win against the Cavaliers but did it on a court that’s come under controversy for being elevated off the floor, causing a fall risk off the sideline. When asked about playing on the Cavs’ court and if he shares the concerns raised by Heat coach Erik Spoelstra about the court after Dru Smith was ruled out for the season, James expressed his desire to see the league take action.
“Yes, the league should look at it. They should address it.”
Dru Smith ended up slipping on a piece of paper by the sideline and fell off the Cavs’ court during the Heat’s In-Season Tournament game against the Cavs. Smith will not play again this season after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the incident, weakening the Heat’s depth at guard with Tyler Herro also currently out with an ankle injury.
The Cavaliers court has a distinct design, as it is elevated 10 inches off the ground due to the hockey ice beneath the court. James has spent years on this court, as the Cavaliers have had this design for years under the James era, with games from the 2016 Finals-winning run also being played here.
There is no data to back up a trend of players picking up injuries because of the court design, so it’s unlikely the NBA feels the need to intervene. But the potential hazard does exist, so it’ll be interesting to see how they respond, if they even do it at all.
Erik Spoelstra Thinks The Cavaliers’ Court Is An ‘Accident Waiting To Happen’
The Cavaliers have spent years playing on their current court design, but Dru Smith’s injury has caused Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to raise major concerns about the hazardous court design, referencing injury scares in the past because of the nature of the sideline.
“It’s a dangerous floor. I don’t know the history of injuries here but we’ve had a couple of near scares in previous years when guys are closing out in that corner. Thankfully, nobody’s been injured before but it’s an accident waiting to happen. You close out and all of a sudden you’re going off a cliff. It’s just so dangerous. As soon as he stayed down, we all knew that’s probably what happened.”
Now that this has happened, more players will be cautious around the sideline of the Cavaliers court. That goes against the competitive spirit of the game, so this may end up being something the franchise needs to address. But a proven track record of not being a cause of injury for players will be a strong argument for the Cavaliers to try and block any changes.
A 10-inch drop for an out-of-control basketball player running at full speed could be catastrophic. The injury has been suffered by a young player without a high profile, so this issue may fly under the radar. But if this court design ended up ruling Stephen Curry or even LeBron James out for the season, it would be a much bigger talking point for everyone.