Kyrie Irving to Start for Cleveland Cavaliers in NBA Debut

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard and top overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft Kyrie Irving will start the team's season opener against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, according to Cleveland's play-by-play announcer Fred McLeod.

The Duke product gets the nod over Ramon Sessions, who started both preseason games for the Cavs. It's not a major surprise since Cleveland is still undergoing a rebuilding phase, the success of which will depend a lot on Irving and fellow rookie Tristan Thompson.

Irving averaged 18 points, four assists and three rebounds while shooting 53 percent from the field in his only season with the Blue Devils. He was limited to just 11 games due to a foot injury, but should enter his first professional season at full strength.

He'll likely log extended minutes throughout the season as the Cavaliers hope to acclimate him to the NBA game. There's no better way to accomplish that than throwing a guy right into the fire.

It will be important for Cavaliers fans, who have watched their team go from championship contender to lottery fodder in the blink of an eye, to reserve judgment on Irving for awhile.

There will be a steep learning curve for him to endure before he becomes the All-Star caliber player the Cavs are hoping for.

Few owners are as passionate about their team as Dan Gilbert. He's going to do everything within his power to turn his franchise around quickly, but there's only so much he can actually do.

A lot of it will just be waiting for players like Irving and Thompson to develop into building blocks other players want to join in Cleveland. While they make for a bright future, it's a long-term process that is closer to the beginning than the end.

The next step in that process will happen tonight when Irving's name is announced as a starter.