Kyrie Irving did not waste words in announcing his return to the court after a six-month absence, tweeting a two-word announcement Saturday afternoon.
The point guard will play Sunday when his Cavaliers host the Philadelphia 76ers.
Irving fractured his kneecap during Game 1 of the NBA Finals back in June. He missed the remaining five games of that series and the first 24 games of the 2015-’16 season.
“I’m pretty F’ing excited,” Irving said Saturday, according to ESPN. “There were a few things I had to clear, but there was no rush on it. … I’ve been ready to play, but biomechanically we just wanted to make sure everything was good so I wouldn’t put myself at risk.”
The Cavs have hardly missed Irving so far this season, racing out to a 17-7 record, best in the Eastern Conference. Mo Williams and Matthew Dellavadova have been starting in Irving’s absence, averaging 13 and 8.5 points per game, respectively.
Still, the point guard’s scoring prowess — 21.7 points per game last season — should ease the burden on LeBron James, who has taken on a larger scoring workload this season.
With Irving back, Cleveland now has just about the whole crew back from last season’s Eastern Conference championship roster. Iman Shumpert’s recent return lent added structure to the Cavaliers at both ends of the floor. The 26-1 Golden State Warriors obviously remain the NBA title favorites, but a healthy Cavaliers team could make the Finals interesting again, if it comes to that.
Want a Finals preview with Irving on the floor? As long as Kyrie makes it through Sunday against Philadelphia and then Wednesday at home against the New York Knicks, he should be in the lineup for the Christmas Day showcase in Oakland against the Warriors on ABC. Cleveland plays a “4-in-5” (four games in five days) from Christmas through Dec. 29, so Irving is highly unlikely to play all four games in that stretch. However, if he’s healthy enough, he should be able to participate in the most anticipated game of the NBA season to date.
Cavs-Warriors already owned a considerable amount of box-office appeal. With Kyrie Irving added to the mix, Cleveland-Golden State on Christmas afternoon just became an even more attractive event.