Irving, one of the Big Three of the Cavs, incurred a fractured kneecap injury during Game 1 of the NBA Finals last season.
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Mind you, it’s no sure thing they play on Friday night when they visit the Orlando Magic, or even on the following Tuesday in Boston. Both players have been out since the start of the season with knee and wrist injuries respectively. Don’t get me wrong, for instance, if you remove Blake Griffin from the Clippers, they definitely will miss his presence, so Kyrie Irving’s anticipated return will definitely help Cleveland, but that doesn’t give them a direct pass to the NBA Finals.
Cleveland leads the Eastern Conference with a 14-7 record, quite an accomplishment considering the Cavs have been without two starters since the opener. “There’s a chance that one of the two or both will play on the trip, but there’s also a chance they don’t, ” Blatt said.
Blatt said the decision whether to play either or both of the guards will depend on how they feel on December 11.
“We’re in December”, Blatt said.
Shumpert’s availability comes at a welcome time as the Cavs’ starting shooting guard, J.R. Smith, is not with the team, staying back in Cleveland because of an illness. “We’ll have to see how they’re feeling and get them conditioned to game speed”. “Both of them are coming back from pretty serious injuries, but they are progressing”.
Both players were able to make it through a third full practice on Thursday in Cleveland. “I’m playing at a high level”.
“It’s going to be obvious that I haven’t played in a while”, Shumpert said.
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“Do I cringe? Yes”, Blatt admitted, but said there were games he couldn’t drag James out of action if he tried. If the answer is yes, and if Shumpert comes back with his usual perimeter defense, then we may see the Cavs really take off.
