Cavaliers guard Irving back from concussion
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP)—No more headaches. No more sitting. No more
watching.
Kyrie Irving’s good to go.
Cleveland’s rookie point guard has been cleared to play after missing three
games with a concussion and will be in the starting lineup Wednesday night when
the Cavaliers host the Indiana Pacers.
“I’m back to 100 percent,” Irving said following the team’s morning
shootaround. “It feels good to get back out there.”
Irving was the first high-profile player to be concussed and have to abide
by the NBA’s new guidelines on concussions. Irving had to go through several
steps in his recovery, the final being a full participation in practice Tuesday
before he could be cleared by team doctors, who were required to consult with a
league physician.
Irving was concussed in Miami on Feb. 7, when he fell in the foul lane and
banged the back of his head on Dwyane Wade’s knee. Irving wasn’t diagnosed with
the concussion until the following day after he experienced a headache and
didn’t feel well while warming up before a home game against the Los Angeles
Clippers.
Irving said he’s been symptom free for days and is eager to rejoin the Cavs,
who went 1-2 while he sat in dress clothes on the end of their bench.
“It was just the NBA-mandated process. I feel like I felt better than most
concussions, but it was a process I had to go through and it made me appreciate
what I was doing at the beginning of the season and when I was out and not being
able to be with my teammates. It was a process I had to go through.
“I’m glad it’s done.”
Cavs coach Byron Scott was informed Irving would be available to play after
he arrived at the team’s training facility on Wednesday morning. Scott had
assumed Irving would be cleared after the 19-year-old participated in a full
practice Tuesday, when he scrimmaged and had contact for the first time since
being hurt.
“It’s good to have him back, no doubt about that,” Scott said. “The only
thing I’m thinking is he probably won’t ever complain of a headache again.”
Irving said he had a headache following the game in Miami and that it
worsened the following morning.
“My head was throbbing a little bit when I came in and I told the doctors
about it and they diagnosed it as a concussion,” said Irving, who hadn’t spoken
to reporters in a week. “I had to go through some testing mentally and with my
balance. It was a different process. I didn’t know they took those necessary
steps for concussion now.”
The 19-year-old Irving, who is averaging 18 points, 5.1 assists and has made
two last-second game-winning shots, characterized his concussion as “very
mild.”
However, he understands the risks involved and importance of being cautious
with any head injury.
“The most important thing is my health especially in playing this type of
game,” he said. “Concussions are a serious thing and you never want to take
them for granted. It depends on the player and where they get hit and the
severity of the concussion. With me it was very mild, but I still had to take
the five-step process.”
As difficult as it was to endure, Irving said the week off had some benefits
and he found a positive in not being able to play.
“I kind of took it as a break for me honestly,” said Irving, who was
selected to play in the “Rising Stars” challenge during All-Star weekend in
Orlando. “It couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m going to be even busier
next weekend. It’s good to get a break. I feel fresh and it feels good to get
back out there.”