In Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving fractured his knee cap and was out for the remainder of the series. According to ESPN.com, Irving’s rehab could take as long as January.
Kyrie Irving walks off the floor during the 2015 NBA Finals (Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Kyrie Irving will be patient throughout the rehab process. The Cavs don’t want to risk future injuries, knowing that if Irving was healthy during the NBA Finals they could have brought home an NBA Title. No one, not even Kyrie knows his return date. This is what he said in July at his basketball camp.
“I’m honestly not putting a date on anything,” he said. “People are going to put a date regardless. I’m just continuing to be on the journey I’ve been on and that’s continuing to get better every single day and rehabbing my leg.”
The Cavaliers schedule to start the season isn’t very difficult. Through the months of October and November, the Cavaliers play 7 out of 17 games against 2015 playoff teams. December gets more difficult as the Cavaliers have to travel to Miami and Golden State. They also host the Oklahoma City Thunder who will have Kevin Durant next season. With LeBron James, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert, and J.R. Smith returning to Cleveland, the Cavaliers should be able to stay atop the Eastern Conference the few months Kyrie is permanently on the bench.
Starting point guard responsibilities have now been given to Mo Williams. Williams averaged 17.2 points per game last season in Charlotte. He played for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2008-2011 and is very close with LeBron James. His 2-yr/$4.3 million deal was a steal in free agency. Matthew Dellavedova will be the backup point guard.
For the Cavaliers and LeBron James, it is championship or bust. Winning an NBA Championship, along with every other major sport, is about having the best team, not the best player. The Cavaliers need a fully healthy Kyrie Irving if they want to win an NBA Championship. The more patient Irving and the Cavaliers are now, the better chance Irving will be healthy throughout the NBA Playoffs. Everyone on the Cavaliers needs to step up throughout the first few months of the 2015-16 NBA season.
