Kyrie Irving Announces His Return From Injury

“Honestly, for me it was just about getting back when I got the clearance from my doctors, so, whether that be at Christmas or before Christmas, I was going to take their word and trust them”. “Having Ky back after the six-month layoff was great because I know he was excited”.

Irving, 23, will be a welcome addition to a Cavaliers lineup that has rotated free agent acquisition Mo Williams and Matthew Dellavedova at the point.

The Cavaliers’ 108-86 home victory on Sunday was their fifth-straight triumph and improved them to 18-7 for the season. LeBron James and Kevin Love have been leading the way to this point, so it will be interesting to see how Irving integrates with the other two stars in Cleveland.

Although the 76ers led after the first quarter, the Cavaliers shot a higher percentage from the field, 47.4 (nine of 19), and turned six Philadelphia turnovers into nine points.

Just as there was no rush for Irving to return to game action, there’s no rush for Irving to return to the dynamic form he’s displayed over his first four seasons.

Irving said Saturday he would return to face the visiting Sixers after a lengthy rehabilitation from an injury sustained in the Cavs NBA finals defeat to Golden State.

The Cavs plan to ease Irving into the rotation, building up his stamina before extending his minutes.

The last time Irving played was in Game 2 of the NBA Finals before fracturing his left kneecap.

The Cavs won this one on the back of a dominating defensive performance, as the 76ers could get absolutely nothing going throughout the entire game.

He missed his first look Sunday – a wide-open layup – but later James gave him an easy basket after stealing a pass and flipping the ball ahead to Irving, who had no one between him and the basket. But coach David Blatt brought him in for five more minutes in the fourth quarter.

The Cavaliers closed out the first half on an 8-5 run and took a 55-38 lead into the halftime break. Brown unsuccessfully tried to recruit Irving for the Australian national team…. Newly hired associate coach Mike D’Antoni will join the team on Philly’s upcoming trip that starts December 26 in Phoenix.