Cleveland Cavaliers star point guard Kyrie Irving will be out several weeks due to a shoulder injury suffered against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

 

UPDATE: Tuesday, April 2, at 2:15 p.m. ET by Mike Chiari

Irving returned to action on Sunday night after sitting out eight straight games with a sprained shoulder. Despite a 31-point performance against the New Orleans Hornets, he sat on Monday as part of a plan to ensure that he doesn't re-injure himself.

According to Matt Winkeljohn of the Associated Press, Irving will continue to sit out the back ends of back-to-back games moving forward. The Cavs only have 10 games remaining, but there are two back-to-backs included, so Irving stands to miss two more contests if the organization decides to keep the plan in place.

With Cleveland sitting a 22-50, there isn't much incentive to risk losing its franchise player to a more significant injury, so it stands to reason that the Cavs will stick with the plan for the remainder of the season.

---End of update---

 

UPDATE: Sunday, March 31, at 4:37 p.m. ET by Rob Goldberg

The Cleveland Cavaliers finally received some good news as Kyrie Irving will return to the court on Sunday, according to the team's announcer Fred McLeod:

Irving will start against the New Orleans Hornets and try to help his team end a seven-game losing streak.

However, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reports that he will be inactive in Monday's game against the Atlanta Hawks:

It appears that Cleveland is trying to bring the star point guard along slowly as he recovers from his shoulder injury.

---End of update---

 

UPDATE: Monday, March 11, at 2:45 p.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Awful news for Cavaliers fans, as Kyrie Irving is expected to miss at least three weeks of action, according to Mary Schmitt Boyer and Jodie Valade of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. 

Rick Noland of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram and the Medina Gazette has the latest on who will start for the Cavs in Irving's absence: 

While Shaun Livingston is a capable replacement at the point, it's going to take a team effort for Cleveland to overcome Irving's loss. 

---End of update---

 

UPDATE: Sunday, March 10, at 11:30 p.m. ET by Dan Talintyre

Irving has reportedly had an X-ray on his shoulder, with the results coming back negative according to Fox Sports Ohio's Sam Amico. 

---End of update---


UPDATE: Sunday, March 10, at 8:45 p.m. ET by Ryan Rudnansky

Irving suffered a left shoulder contusion, according to Kenny Roda of ESPNCleveland.com:

---End of update---

 

Irving had to leave the floor during the third quarter of Sunday's matchup after slamming into Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas.

Joe Gabriele of Cavs.com tweeted:

Even before hurting his shoulder, Irving had been battling a knee injury. He missed 11 games earlier in the season with a broken finger, and recently sat out three games due to a sore knee.

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Though Irving has gone on record to state that he is against the idea, some have questioned whether the 21-42 Cavaliers should shut him down so he doesn't risk further injury down the stretch. The team will undoubtedly be keeping a close watch on Irving moving forward, knowing full well that the playoffs are out of reach. 

Irving was averaging 23.2 points, 5.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals coming into the contest. He was also shooting 47 percent from the field and 42 percent from downtown.

The second-year pro made his first All-Star Game this season after being named Rookie of the Year in 2011-2012.

 

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