Kyrie Irving’s season is over. Now it’s time to think about the future.
Just a day after he was diagnosed with an injury that leaves him sidelined for the remainder of the NBA Finals, the three-time All-Star underwent successful surgery to repair his fractured left kneecap. Pertinent details of the Cleveland Cavaliers’s release on the matter are below.
Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving had successful surgery this morning in Cleveland at the Cleveland Clinic to repair his fractured left knee cap… Irving’s return to basketball activity is projected to be in three to four months and appropriate updates will be issued as he moves through the recovery process.
Irving suffered the injury during overtime of his team’s heartbreaking loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the Finals. Despite excellent play on both ends of the floor Thursday night, he’d been plagued by tendinitis in his left knee throughout the postseason – pain that he said wouldn’t subside until Cleveland’s season was over.
Though the 23-year-old should be ready to play in time for 2015-2016, this latest setback raises more concerns about his long-term health. Irving missed 54 games over the first two years of his career after playing just 11 games in his lone season at Duke University in 2010-2011. There’s no single area on the body that he’s avoided injury, either.
Here’s hoping Irving’s spate of unfortunate health is a thing of the past in several years. There’s still plenty of time for him to avoid the dreaded “injury-plagued” tag that has kept so many ultra-talented players from fulfilling maximum potential, and he needs to do so to ensure the Cavaliers eventually reach theirs, too.
Get well soon, Kyrie!
[Via Cavaliers]
