Cavs' Gibson still bothered by neck; M. Thompson cut

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson practiced and believed he was ready to play.

He'll have to wait a little longer.

Gibson did not travel with the team to Miami as originally planned after he complained about discomfort in his neck after practicing for the first time in 10 days.

Gibson will miss his fifth straight game Tuesday with what the team has described as a "soft tissue infection" that he was hospitalized for in Boston last week. He practiced Monday at the team's facility in Independence, Ohio, and said he was looking forward to getting back on the floor with his teammates.

But Gibson reported some "discomfort" and the team said in a release Monday night that Gibson did not make the trip to Florida to face the Heat "as a precaution."

Gibson had been upbeat after practice. He was hospitalized in Boston for two days last week to undergo tests after his neck swelled and he had trouble chewing. Gibson still isn't sure what exactly is wrong with him.

"It's kind of hard to explain," he said. "They did a lot of tests. It was a combination of a lot of different things. A lot of it they were speaking `doctor,' so a lot of it I didn't know."

The 25-year-old said he may have hurt his neck in a Jan. 27 game against New Jersey. Following that game, Gibson came down with a cold, which may have caused some excessive swelling in his neck.

"It got kind of serious because of all the complications with your neck," he said. "There's breathing. There's so much that goes on around that area. That's why it was so serious."

Gibson has been with the Cavs since 2006, when they drafted him in the second round. He's one of the team's most popular players, the Cavs' best long-range outside shooter and top perimeter defender.

Gibson's injury isn't the only one troubling the Cavs, who have been short-handed for the past week. Starting guard Anthony Parker remains sidelined with a strained lower back and rookie forward Tristan Thompson will miss his fourth straight game with a sprained left ankle.

Before learning Gibson would be out again, the team waived rookie guard Mychel Thompson, who had made three consecutive starts.

It's possible the Cavs will make another roster move before facing the Heat, the first of four games in five days for Cleveland.