Despite initial fears that Kyrie Irving had been lost for the remainder of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard hopes that a couple of weeks away from the court will be enough time for his strained biceps tendon to heal. Per the AP:
“If you could take a positive from the situation, obviously that would be one, that at this point, I don’t have to get surgery, which is tremendous,” Irving said following shootaround Tuesday at the Cleveland Clinic Courts.
“One of those freak plays against a strong individual in Blake (Griffin),” Irving said. “I tried to get the ball out of his hands. I knew something was wrong when I came to the bench. Obviously, I just felt just a weird feeling after that play in my shoulder. My arm looked a little different in the biceps area. That’s when I knew that I strained it.”
Irving will miss at least eight games. He’s already sat out 41 in three NBA seasons, leading some to label him as injury prone.
It’s still possible he may need an operation, but Irving is trying to be optimistic.
“We’ll see in two weeks,” he said. “I’m not going to give a definitive answer because I don’t know that answer. At this point, I’m just going to continue to support my teammates and be on the sideline. Whatever the medical team needs me to do and whatever’s in my best interests, I’m going to do.”
With his best player out, Cavs coach Mike Brown will start Dion Waiters in the backcourt with Jarrett Jack. Cleveland could get back C.J. Miles, who has missed 12 games with a sprained ankle.
Waiters has provided a spark off the bench all season, and said he’s going start with the same mindset he’s had as a reserve.
