Kyle Korver to miss Cleveland game after birth of child

The Atlanta Hawks will face their biggest test of the season on Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Mike Budenholzer’s team will be shorthanded in doing so. On Monday afternoon, Chris Vivlamore of the AJC brought word that starting swingman Kyle Korver will be absent as a result of his wife giving birth to their son on Sunday.

First and foremost, congratulations to Kyle and his wife, Juliet, on their new family addition.

From a basketball standpoint, this is not ideal for the Hawks given that Cleveland has given Atlanta fits in recent years and Korver is one of the only dynamic offensive threats on the current roster. Still, the Cavaliers have actually accounted quite well for Korver in recent match-ups, and this will provide an opportunity for Tim Hardaway Jr. (and Thabo Sefolosha, to some degree) to ascend to a more prominent role. In addition, Taurean Prince and/or DeAndre Bembry could theoretically be called on for their first “real” minutes in an NBA rotation.

The Hawks were already entering Tuesday’s game as the underdog and Korver’s absence won’t strengthen that position. Still, the important, real-life thing is that Korver’s family brought a new life into the world and basketball is, of course, secondary.

Stay tuned.