ON Thursday, Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com reported that Kyrie Irving will likely not be available at the start of the season and that the Cavs may be planning to sit Kyrie Irving until January.
“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.”
Now, before Cavs fans freak out, lets look at the big picture. Sitting Kyrie is good for a number of reasons. It won’t be a popular decision around Cleveland or to the NBA and their TV ratings but in the long run it is smart.
If Kyrie is indeed not ready for opening night or the first few months, this could be a great thing for Kevin Love, first and foremost. By Kyrie not being there, it will give time for Love and James to mesh together. The Cavs have said they want to incorporate Love into the offense more. This could be the perfect opportunity to learn new strategies for getting him the ball and allowing him to get back to all-star form.
This will not only affect Kevin Love, but also LeBron James and Mo Williams. For LeBron, not having his sidekick Kyrie playing will give him better opportunity to stuff the stat sheet and make a run at his fifth MVP trophy. This also makes the Mo Williams signing look much more brilliant and will give him a chance to play more.
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Most importantly this is what is best for Kyrie and the future of the Cleveland Cavaliers. I think most people would all agree the Cavs will be perfectly fine in the beginning of the season without Irving. They’rve signed the necessary backups to fill the void until he can return. By keeping him out they will prevent the risk of re-injuring the leg and having Kyrie miss even more time in what could drag into an important postseason. If Kyrie comes back in January, that gives him plenty of time to shake the rust off and gives the team time to rebuild their chemistry on the court. The Cavs want to be at full strength during the playoffs; had they been healthy this past year, there might have been a parade in Cleveland for the first time in 50 years. Guess we’ll have to wait at least one more year…