Kyrie Irving Injury: Updates on Cavaliers Star's Ankle and Return
Updates from Friday, Oct. 17
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal has the latest on Irving's status:
Updates from Monday, Oct. 13
ESPN's Dave McMenamin has the latest on Irving's recovery:
Updates from Friday, Oct. 10
Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick has the latest on Irving:
Updates from Thursday, Oct. 9
Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com reported on Kyrie Irving's status:
Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com later reported how Irving suffered the injury and his status for Cleveland's preseason matchup vs. Miami:
"Kyrie Irving missed practice on Thursday and likely will not play Saturday when the Cavs face the Miami Heat in a preseason game in Brazil.
Irving injured his right ankle when Anderson Varejao stepped on his foot at practice Tuesday before the team charter departed. X-rays and an MRI were negative and Irving felt well enough to compete in an NBA Cares community outreach event Thursday prior to Cavs practice.
"It was crazy how it happened," Irving said. "I’m just glad that I’m doing OK now. I’m glad I can still be here with the team."
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Original Text
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving is in a walking boot as the team prepares for its preseason game against the Miami Heat in Rio de Janeiro.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst described what he saw:
Kyrie Irving spoke about his injury on Twitter:
Chris Haynes of The Plain Dealer added further details about Irving's ailment:
In his fourth NBA season, Irving has by far the highest expectations of his career resting on his shoulders. After years of toiling away near the Eastern Conference's basement, the surprise arrivals of Kevin Love and LeBron James have the Cavs back in the NBA's penthouse. They are considered the preseason favorites in the East and are on par with the defending champion Spurs to some evaluators.
Irving's development has been seen as one of the major swing factors for the Cavs' 2015 championship chances. Kevin McElroy of The Cauldron highlights his unique skill set: "He offers a combination of playmaking and outside shooting that exceeds any teammates LeBron James has had in his career to this point. This, in itself, is a big deal."
While he's considered among the league's most promising offensive talents, he stalled out as a below-average defender under previous coaches Byron Scott and Mike Brown. A summer spent playing with Team USA under Mike Krzyzewski, where he won the MVP of the FIBA World Cup, gave James the utmost confidence in his younger teammate.
"I'll probably handle the ball a little bit, but this is Kyrie's show," James told reporters after the team's first practice. "He's our point guard. He's our floor general, and we need him to put us in position to succeed offensively. He has to demand that and command that from us with him handling the ball."
James, who spent the last four seasons with the Heat, knows a bit about how superteam dynamics work. The four-time MVP left Cleveland in 2010 to pair with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, which gave him an advantage coming into this setup. He's already learned to mesh with a player in Wade who needed the ball in his hands to be effective.
Irving is a better shooter than Wade from deep, but is still at his most effective with the ball in his hands. If he misses extended time, it bears watching how the ball-handling dynamics shift. Dion Waiters, himself having quite a bit of fondness for the orange rock, will likely start more possessions with the ball. James, despite his deferential quotes, remains the best player in the game and capable of handling full-time point guard duties if needed.
But the Cavs are dangerously thin at the point. James returned home in part to lessen his two-way responsibility and limit the strain on his body. Without Irving to help take some of the burden, James may start feeling some deja vu.
Fortunately, it doesn't seem like the injury is too serious, but his status is certainly worth monitoring.
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