Report: Patrick McCaw to leave Bubble for treatment on injured knee

We joke about Patrick McCaw and his role with the Raptors, but this latest injury report is still a bummer. As announced today by the team, McCaw is set to leave the restarted NBA’s Disney World Bubble to seek treatment on his knee. To be more specific: he needs a benign mass removed from his left knee, the same issue that’s been bothering him on-and-off for the past year.

Here’s the official press release from the Raptors:

As mentioned above, there’s no timetable for McCaw’s return as of yet. And what’s more: Toronto can’t replace McCaw, so their roster is set at 16 players until (or if) he can return.

So far, as we’ve seen, the Raptors have been fine without McCaw. Their main rotation sits at seven players, with a different cast of characters in those eighth and ninth spots, depending on the situation (and who’s playing well in limited minutes). McCaw’s for-sure absence does churn those scant minutes up a bit more — meaning we’ll continue to see Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Terence Davis, and the rest of Toronto’s deeper bench unit as coach Nick Nurse fills gaps as needed.

Ironically, while we spent most of the 2019-20 season shaking our head at McCaw’s continued presence in Toronto’s lineup, they could likely use his skill-set (and relative stability) now. Here’s hoping the procedure is minor and McCaw can make a complete return for the playoffs.