Contrary to earlier reports, Kyrie Irving could return to the Cleveland Cavaliers before January. The 23-year-old point guard sustained a fracture kneecap during game one of the NBA finals last June.
The injury, which required surgery to repair, effectively ruled Irving out of the series. He missed the last five games in the Finals after injuring his knee cap in a 108-100 Game 1 defeat to the Golden State Warriors. Irving will miss the Cavaliers' season opener against the Chicago Bulls on October 27.
Since then, there have been several speculations on when he will return, with the latest suggesting that it could take him until January or February to fully recover.
However, it appears that the general belief in Irving's team indicates that the Cavaliers point guard will be back in action "well before January." While discussing about Irving for NBA's 2015-16 season, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com mentioned that the Cavaliers think Irving's return is on a different and much better timeline.
"No one knows for sure, as Irving is recovering from surgery to repair a fractured knee cap. But the Cavs do expect him to play well before January. Of course, that can change once they see him in training camp. Even if Irving's knee is in excellent shape, they plan to cut his minutes early in the season. He ranked No. 3 in average minutes per game last season. LeBron James was No. 5," Pluto explained.
Irving averaged 21.7 points per game for the Cavs in the last season. Cleveland's training camp will begin in less than one month. It would be reasonable to expect the player to play around November or December, unless he encounter a major setback in his physical rehab. The Cavalier's supposed plan to cut his minutes early on might be a sensible move as it is prudent not to overuse Irving while not fully recovered.
The Cleveland Cavalier's had an impressive offense in the bottom half of the regular season, when every player was healthy and performing. Even if Irving is cut because of his injury, the Cavs still have more talent compared to most teams in the Eastern Conference.
To compensate for Irving's absence, the team is expected to include Mo Williams in their roster. He has started 511 games in the NBA which includes 33 at point guard last season. With the addition of Williams, the Cavaliers will not have to depend solely on Matthew Dellavedova.
