Live Thread: Cavs vs. Bulls (#UnderTheWeather)

First it was the injury bug… then the food poisoning bug… and now the flu bug is ravaging the Cleveland Cavaliers. Living in a predominantly warm city for the last two decades, I’ve forgotten just how much the cold weather can wreak havoc on the immune system… and how quickly and inexorably the viruses can spread amongst family, friends and teammates (especially with all the intricate handshakes and hugs). Who knows if there’s a patient zero in the Cavs locker room, although chances are they got it from the Celtics as Tyler Zeller and Marcus Smart both had it bad when the Cavs played them last week. The latest victim is LeBron James, listed as questionable for tonight’s game against the Bulls. It already claimed Channing Frye, and may have also latched onto Kevin Love following his bout with some sea bass that didn’t agree with him.

Bottom line is, once again an already thin Cavs team will be even thinner tonight. In addition to LeBron still being of questionable health and status (he’ll reportedly go through pre-game warmups before making the decision), Kyrie Irving is still dealing with the after effects of a sore hamstring and is out. Love has also been ruled out with his illness. Add the big three to the list of injured Cavs, and the wine & gold have almost as many players out as available tonight. But, at least Mike Dunleavy will be back… looking to use his fork for a revenge game against his old team.

The Bulls aren’t particularly healthy (in a different way) coming into this second game against the Cavs. They were 11-7 after beating Cleveland back on December 2. Since then, they’ve gone just 6-11, and are suffering through some lingering knee issues with Dwayne Wade, some fairly expected attitude issues with Rajon Rondo, and now have a seat hotter than a water bottle for coach Fred Hoiberg. It’s all led to some rampant speculation about the Bulls being a seller in the coming months before the trade deadline.

I’m not going to hazard a guess at the starting lineup, because it will probably be more fluid than cough syrup going into the start of the game. Catch all of the action (but hopefully not the flu) on ESPN tonight at 8pm EST.

Prediction: If LeBron plays, the Cavs will get a feverish victory… 109-106. If not, the Cavs will cough up another loss without their leader.

Feel better guys!