The Cleveland Cavaliers are taking an understandably cautious approach with Kyrie Irving’s recovery from left knee surgery—the “freak” injury, you may recall, became a source of tension between the organization and its superstar point guard during the 2015 NBA Finals.
According to the NEOMG, Irving may not be back in uniform until January.
The 23-year-old All-Star fractured his left kneecap in Game 1 of the title round against the eventual champion Golden State Warriors:
Multiple league sources say his rehabilitation is going smoothly, but that the chances are slim of him being in the opening-night lineup against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 27. One source said he could very well be unavailable up until January.
When the three-time All-Star underwent surgery in early June, his recovery time was set at 3-4 months. Assuming he is sidelined outside of that four-month window, the thinking is that it would have everything to do with the Cavaliers being patient and cautious rather than the injury not healing. […] The Cavaliers want to bring him back slowly without risking a setback, with the goal of being at full strength entering the playoffs.
At his basketball camp in July, Irving said, “I’m honestly not putting a date on anything. People are going to put a date regardless. I’m just continuing to be on the journey I’ve been on, and that’s continuing to get better every single day and rehabbing my leg.” […] With Irving’s status in doubt for the first couple of months of the season, the Mo Williams acquisition was a tremendous pickup by the Cavs this off-season.
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