Kyrie Irving reportedly will not play tomorrow vs Cavs in Cleveland

Kyrie Irving will reportedly miss his third game against the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, and the second one in a row in Cleveland.

Kyrie Irving is now on the Boston Celtics, and ultimately got what he wanted back in the summer of 2017, when he reportedly requested to be traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers. As we’ve touched on before, Irving hasn’t exactly loved coming back to Cleveland as a member of his new squad, and now, Irving will reportedly not play against the team that drafted him tomorrow night in Cleveland.

The Athletic’s Jay King (who is one of their Celtics reporters) first reported that news, and The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, who is a prominent Cavs reporter, had an interesting perspective on that.

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Yes, Joe, you are right on that. Irving has “not returned to Cleveland” since that opening night of the 2017-18 season, according to Cleveland.com Cavs beat writer Chris Fedor.

Irving did not play the last time in Cleveland on February 5 because of a strained left hip, Fedor noted, so I’ll give him a pass for the absence that time. This time around, though, Irving missing this game for “load management” is tough for fans going to the game to see Uncle Drew go against the Cavs.

Yes, the Celtics are probably just doing this because they are focused on keeping key players fresh for the postseason, which is only a few weeks away, but it just adds to the narrative that Irving does not want to return to play the Cavs in Cleveland.

Furthermore, when asked if going back to Cleveland means anything, Irving said this, according to Jared Weiss, another Celtics reporter for The Athletic.

That kind of stuff is just unnecessary from Irving. He was the team’s second-best player in three (out of four straight) runs to the NBA Finals with LeBron James, and he shined for six years with the Wine and Gold, and was the most talented point guard in the history of the franchise.

So sitting out for “load management,” (or rest, as Fedor essentially said) and saying that a game versus the Cavs essentially means nothing at all whatsoever is completely uncalled for.

People in Cleveland, and those affiliated with the Cavaliers know how amazing Irving is as a basketball player, and we’re grateful for all he did on the Cavs, but this kind of remark was disappointing, to say the least. He’s better than that.