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There was a sizable amount of buzz surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers these past few days. Initially, it was thanks to the team finally looking like the beasts of the Eastern Conference this past weekend after the return of Iman Shumpert sparked a dominant victory over the Orlando Magic. However, soon enough the excitement was thanks to the possible debut of another star player.
Point guard Kyrie Irving, who’s been sidelined after suffering a fractured kneecap in the NBA Finals, had been rumored to be getting back to the court very soon. First there was talk of him returning for last night’s matchup with the Boston Celtics, and soon after it was pushed to tomorrow’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The latter of these two rumors seemed to be picking up steam today, and it appeared Cleveland might finally have the last member of its Big Three back in the fold.
However, Irving tweeted today that he is in fact not making his season debut tomorrow night. Per Irving, the report of his Thursday return was incorrect. He also added, “When I do come back you’ll hear it directly from me.”
Obviously the extended delay of Irving’s return is a bit of a letdown. However, this is hardly a bad thing. In fact, Irving sitting for tomorrow night’s game is probably the best thing for him.
It’s been clear more often than not that the Cavs could really use Irving right now. It took the return of Shumpert to finally inject life into a team which was looking a little moribund over the past few weeks. Suddenly, it wasn’t lofty at all to assume Irving’s return would turn Cleveland into the world-beater everyone expected it to be.
That said, this hardly means the team should rush the point guard back even the slightest bit earlier than necessary.
Remember, Irving’s injury history is long and detailed. He’s yet to make it through an entire season unscathed (a streak that obviously continues this year). He battled through knee problems all the way through last postseason, and this no doubt had an effect on the injury which eventually sidelined him for the year.
Knowing this, there’s no way Cleveland can put Irving back on the court until he’s 100% ready to go. At this point, even 99% is not enough to activate him.
Additionally, the Cavs aren’t in any sort of desperate place where Irving is needed back right now. Sure they’ve looked a little worse for wear here and there this season. At the same time, with a 16-7 record and a seat atop the Eastern Conference, this isn’t exactly a team in dire need of a spark.
Finally, if you’re coming off an injury which involved a surgically repaired kneecap, do you really want your first assignment to be guarding Thunder star/freak of nature Russell Westbrook? Irving’s injury is one where you still want to ease him back regardless of how healthy he is. Forcing him to guard one of the best players in the NBA on his first game of the year is the opposite of that.
Cavs fans are obviously awaiting Irving’s return with baited breath. However, this hardly means he needs to be rushed back. Cleveland needs to continue taking its time with him, only sending him on the court when he’s truly ready. As exciting as it would be to see Irving return, nobody wants to see said return cut short because he wasn’t fully healthy.
Casey Drottar is the Cleveland Beat Writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter or “Like” him on Facebook
