An emotional night around LeBron James’ return to Cleveland very quickly turned worrisome for JJ Redick. In the first quarter, the head coach saw Luka Doncic suffer an ankle injury due to a different floor setting in the Rocket Arena. But you won’t see JJ going the legal route, as previous pleas went unheard.

Luka Doncic attempted a fadeaway three-pointer but lost his balance, tumbling onto the uneven ground beyond the court. The Cavaliers’ arena features the NBA’s only raised floor, which prompted JJ to call a timeout when Doncic couldn’t immediately get up after rolling his ankle. “I haven’t watched the play yet, so I know that he rolled his ankle falling off the floor,” said the Lakers head coach to the media. “There’s been a number of injuries over the years in this building because of the floor.”

The awkward drop-off leads to players falling if they are not aware. It happened with Doncic, who stayed on the ground for an extended period of time before limping to the locker room and returning to the bench shortly after. He returned to the game with just over a minute left in the first frame. Luckily for the Lakers, the Slovenian finished with 29 points, six assists, and five boards in a 129-99 blowout loss against the Cavaliers.

Speaking to the media, JJ Redick also stated that he won’t file an official complaint with the NBA. Because he believes the league has failed to provide a solution to such previous complaints. “It is way above my pay grade. It is absolutely a safety hazard. I don’t know why it’s still like that. I don’t. You can lodge for more complaints. A lot of times you don’t, see any change when you lodge a formal complain.”

Yes, the hardwood is a few inches above the floor at Rocket Arena. It is not done to throw off other opponents, but because the Rocket Arena is home to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters (an affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets).

Since there is ice beneath the Cavs’ floor, a separation layer is installed, which ultimately elevates the hardwood. But many other NBA franchises share a home arena with NHL teams, yet Cleveland remains the only team with such issues.

This creates a potential rough landing for players when play spills out of bounds. It’s unknown why the NBA has yet to decide, since LeBron James was also among those who called out his former team in 2023 after a serious injury to another Heat star.

LeBron James’ unheard plea led to JJ Redick’s disappointment with the NBA

The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a 129-96 defeat to the Miami Heat in 2023. During the game, Heat guard Dru Smith suffered a third-degree ACL sprain after his leg slipped off the floor. Yes, Luka Doncic avoided this injury, and that’s why JJ Redick called it a safety hazard.

Smith was later ruled out for the rest of the season as Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra called the Cavaliers’ court “dangerous.”

“You close out, and all of a sudden you’re going off a cliff. It’s just so dangerous. As soon as he stayed down, we all knew that’s probably what happened,” said Spoelstra back in 2023. After the Heat, the Cavaliers faced the Lakers, who weren’t quite about the issue either.

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The then-head coach, Darvin Ham, said, “It’s something that definitely needs to be looked at. Any time … you have a situation where someone’s getting hurt and the potential to get hurt, and in this particular case it’s the floor, I think they need to take a look at it and see if there are ways things could be better.”

Even LeBron James echoed a similar sentiment and urged the NBA to find a solution. “Yes, the league should look at it. They should address it.” But it’s stayed the same since the 2023 complaints. Again, alluding to where the current Lakers head coach, JJ Redick, is hesitant, as there has been no change despite previous pleas.