Cavs Questions: Garland's Vanished, Robinson's Gone, Six…

By the Cavaliers Nightly Desk · Friday, October 16

Cleveland trimmed another name off the roster overnight, and the group that's left just played three preseason games that answered some questions and opened new ones. The opener in Philadelphia is six days away, and not every piece of this roster is accounted for yet.

Cavaliers Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Who's the latest to go?

Jaxson Robinson, signed to a camp deal on October 9, was off the roster by October 15 — the third departure in four days, after Kadary Richmond and Curtis Jones both exited on October 12. None of the three logged enough preseason minutes to matter: the 20 names that remain are the group taking the floor against Philadelphia.

Who's banged up six days out?

Sam Merrill (right elbow), Nae'Qwan Tomlin (back) and Khalifa Diop (left knee) are all questionable, and every one of them carries the same target return: October 22, when Cleveland opens at Philadelphia. That's the entire injury list right now — three bodies, one shared deadline.

Did anything from preseason actually mean something?

One lineup stood out: Mitchell, Allen, Mobley and Tyson together outscored opponents by 15.4 points per 100 possessions across 80 preseason minutes, the best mark of any grouping Cleveland ran out. It's a small sample against mostly backups, but it's the one number worth carrying into the regular season.

Where is Darius Garland?

He's not on the 20-man roster list and he's not on the injury report, yet he logged 89 minutes this preseason in a lineup with Mitchell, Mobley and Tyson that got outscored by 14.7 points per 100 possessions. Cleveland hasn't said a word publicly about his status, and that silence is the story.

What's actually at stake in the next two weeks?

The opener at Philadelphia on ESPN comes October 22, then three home games over the following week: Brooklyn on the 24th, Minnesota on the 26th, Washington on the 28th. Four games, four different looks, and the first real answer to whether last season's plus-4.1 net rating team can hold up against a schedule, not just backups.

The verdictThe roster math is settled for now, the health picture resets on opener night, and Darius Garland's absence from both lists is the loudest unanswered question on this team.

When do the Cavaliers open the 2026-27 regular season?

October 22 at the Philadelphia 76ers, airing on ESPN.

Is Darius Garland hurt?

There's no official word. He's absent from both the current roster list and the injury report, which is unusual and unexplained.

By the Cavaliers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.