During the Cleveland Cavaliers' practice on Sunday, Kyrie Irving was seen wearing ice compression devices on both his knees. The point guard underwent surgery on a fractured left knee cap which he suffered in Game 1 of the NBA Finals last June. The team maintains that there is still no timeline in place for Kyrie Irving's return.
Coach David Blatt isn't ready to begin talking about working Irving back just yet. The coach said on Sunday, "He's gradually increasing his workload, and we'll take him through the process necessary to get him back on the court with everybody."
Irving told reporters in September that he had been running for three weeks. According to a spokesman of the Cavs, Irving's big improvement has been in the areas of conditioning, strength and rehabilitation.
According to ESPN, the Cavs started off to a 2-1 start to the season without Irving. Mo Williams and Matthew Dellavedova have filled in admirably in the absence of Irving. The two have combined to average 19 points, 10.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and just 1.6 turnovers per game. The number can be compared favorably to Irving's personal averages per game last season of 21.7 points, 5.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.5 steal and 2.5 turnovers.
"We're starting it off with those point guards," said Kevin Love. "The ball is in their hands and I know it'll be the same when Ky comes back, but we're trying to keep our turnovers down. We've done a good job of that. ... We have a great game plan and we'll just keep this thing rolling."
Basketball news said during the Cleveland Cavaliers' practice on Sunday, Kyrie Irving was seen passing to teammates in a shooting drill and later shooting on his own.
"He's gradually increasing his workload, but I can't say that particular period after the Sixers game will be significant in terms of his on-the-court work with the whole team," said Blatt on Sunday.