Cavaliers' Isaiah Thomas: Targeting Jan. 1 return

The Cavaliers are targeting January 1 as a potential return date for Thomas (hip), who has not yet played this season, Marc Stein of ESPN reports.

Publicly, the Cavaliers haven't said much about Thomas' continued recovery from a hip injury, but the All-Star has been warming up before recent games and does not appear to be physically limited. Per Stein, Thomas said that at this point it's a matter of "getting back in shape" considering he hasn't played in an NBA game in nearly six months. Once healthy, Thomas is expected to eventually move into the starting lineup at point guard, though the Cavaliers will likely ease him back into action.