It’s not getting any easier for Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving on the injury front. The team announced Monday afternoon that Kyrie has tendinitis in his left knee, in addition to a strained right foot.
Kyrie Irving had an MRI this am, team says. Left knee tendonitis.
— Jason Lloyd (@JasonLloydABJ) May 11, 2015
Kyrie Irving: "I should've been sitting out 4 games ago. But I can't do it…even if I'm at 30 or 40%"
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) May 11, 2015
Irving is expected to suit up Tuesday night for Game 5 in Cleveland.
Following the Cavs’ dramatic Game 4 win Sunday in Chicago, Irving polled his teammates to gauge if they still wanted him on the floor despite the physical setbacks.
Per the NEOMG:
“I asked them if they still wanted me out there,” he revealed after Cleveland’s 86-84 Game 4 win against Chicago. […] This is a wounded youngster who scored 12 points on Sunday and is now averaging 11.5 points on 5-of-23 (21 percent) shooting in the last two games. But his numbers, while they are well below Irving’s standards, don’t seem to matter to his teammates. One of them, Iman Shumpert, didn’t hear Irving’s pointed query, but there wouldn’t have been much to ponder.
“I definitely always want him out there if he can go,” Shumpert said after the game. “We will be hurt after the season. Right now we have to get wins.” […] “He knows he can’t ask me that because I will tell him, ‘You’re crazy. Get your butt out there, boy. You’re one of the best on the court. You have to be out there, we need you out there.’ He knows he can never ask me that question or I will look at him like he’s crazy,” (Tristan) Thompson said. “He gets it done.”
One third of Cleveland’s lethal Big Three, Irving has seen a long time pass since he’s been rendered a decoy, but it’s his new reality. He first admitted as much following a heartbreaking Game 3 loss. Then he was forced to repeat it again Sunday. […] “For me it’s just about the mental toughness and just willing myself and counting down the minutes and getting the stops that we need,” Irving said. “That’s a great team over there so you have to pick and choose your spots, especially on the offensive end. They corralled me to the sideline knowing I can’t really escape it or anything like that. I just tried to use the pass and space out and use myself as a decoy the best I can. That’s the best thing I can do. If I get an open look I’m still going to shoot it. Those guys still trust me and still want me out there.”
