Report: Cavaliers' Irving off crutches, cleared by doctors to begin working out
Kyrie Irving's rehabilitation from a fractured left kneecap he suffered during the NBA Finals is moving along splendidly.
The recovery time for his injury following a successful surgery was set at three-to-four months, putting his return date roughly around the start of training camp.
The Cleveland Cavaliers point guard recently appeared at his Basketball ProCamp at Mentor High School on Saturday, moving freely throughout the gymnasium without any problems, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Chris Fedor.
"It's a process getting back to where I want to be," Irving said at the event. "But I'm doing what I can here with the kids and that's all that matters. I started walking about a week ago so whether I was on crutches or not I was still going to be here for the kids."
When asked when he expects to be back on the hardwood, Irving, 23, didn't want to put pressure on himself by giving any specific deadlines that he may not be able to meet.
"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."
"I only had the cast on for two weeks," he added. "Then I was in a brace. Once I got clearance from our doctors that I could actually start working out and put pressure on my leg I relish that."
Irving went down in Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors in what he referred to as a "freak play," undergoing surgery less than 24 hours later.
"You don't want any injuries," Irving said. "It sucks when you're actually injured but it's a test of your will and patience and just continuing to stay involved in the game the best you can.
"That's what I tried to do. Be there for my teammates as much as possible, see them as much as possible, see our coaching staff as much as possible and stay in tune with everything that's going on."
Irving had 23 points on 10-of-22 shooting prior to the apparent collision with Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson. The complexion of the series completely changed once it was announced that Irving would no longer be able to compete, with Golden State eventually emerging victorious in six games.
Would his presence (along with Kevin Love) have been enough for Cleveland to win their first title in franchise history? Irving certainly believes so.