I wasn’t myself,” Darius Garland told cleveland.com when asked about the decision to have surgery. “It was difficult. I was hoping to avoid it for the long run, but it got to the point where I had to get surgery.

Darius Garland looked like a shell of himself at the worst possible time. That’s because a major injury to his biggest toe kept him from being at his best when it mattered most.

Those are pretty plainly put statements from Atkinson, and ones that demonstrate just how serious the injury to Garland was and how methodical his recover will be as a result. The Cavs may be relying on Lonzo Ball and Craig Porter Jr. out of the gate, as well as some Donovan Mitchell point guard minutes until Garland is fully ready to go.