Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kyle Korver was excused from the team to be with his family following the death of his younger brother Kirk Korver on Tuesday. The Cavaliers forwardâs brother passed away in Iowa after becoming seriously ill last week. He was 27 years old.
Korver missed the Cavaliersâ win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday after leaving the team on Friday to with his brother. He returned for Mondayâs game against the Milwaukee Bucks, which they won 124-117 scoring 12 points.
The 37-year-old will now miss the game against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday after traveling to be with his family. The club released a statement confirming his absence while also paying condolences to the Korver family.
"We are very sad to share that Cavaliers guard Kyle Korver's brother, Kirk, passed away today," the Cavaliers said in a statement provided to cleveland.com. "Kyle has been excused from the team to be with his family. We extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt best to Kyle and his entire family as they go through this very difficult time."
Korverâs family situation comes one day after Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue stepped aside from the team due to health reasons, leaving Larry Drew as the acting head coach of the team for their upcoming games against the Raptors and the Phoenix Suns this week.
It is unclear when Lue will return to take over coaching duties, but the Cavaliers hierarchy have given their support to the coach to take the time out and deal with the health issues that have troubled him throughout the year.
âI have had chest pains and other troubling symptoms, compounded by a loss of sleep, throughout the year. Despite a battery of tests, there have been no conclusions as to what the exact issue is,â Lue said via a statement from the Cavaliers.
âWhile I have tried to work through it, the last thing I want is for it to affect the team. I am going to use this time to focus on a prescribed routine and medication, which has previously been difficult to start in the midst of a season. My goal is to come out of it a stronger and healthier version of myself so I can continue to lead this team to the Championship we are all working towards,â he added.
Meanwhile, on the team front, Korver will not be the only absence going into the game on Wednesday with the Cavaliers dealing with a number of other injury concerns. Tristan Thompson and Rodney Hood are doubtful for the game but the stand-in coach is hopeful that the former will return very soon.
âThompson is really moving around real well. He's pushing off the foot real well. He's running up and down the floor real well so I would anticipate him being back very soon,â Drew said, as quoted on Cleveland.com.
Meanwhile, Larry Nance Jr. and Cedi Osman are likely to miss the game against the Raptors with hamstring and left hip flexor injuries respectively. Nance Jr. is set to miss his fourth consecutive game.