Ainge: Thomas 'probably' going to be delayed starting season

The Cleveland Cavaliers may be interested to hear Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge's take on Isaiah Thomas' nagging hip injury.

When asked on a conference call Tuesday night if Thomas' hip played a role in the Celtics trading the diminutive scorer for Kyrie Irving, Ainge answered rather candidly.

"Some," Ainge said. "There's going to be probably a little bit of delay for Isaiah as he starts the season this year. But I think that Isaiah should be fine and healthy as the season goes along."

That's a fairly bold statement from an executive on a player he just dealt away. Thomas missed the last three games of last spring's Eastern Conference Finals - against his new team, the Cavs - due to the hip injury. Just recently, Celtics coach Brad Stevens admitted he still wasn't sure of Thomas' timeline.

Cleveland is "anxious" to get Thomas in for a physical, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who added the Cavs have no short-term concerns over his health.

The Cavs and Celtics are scheduled to open the regular season against each other Oct. 17. If Thomas plays in that game remains to be seen.