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PORTLAND, Ore. – Not much is known about Kyrie Irving’s impending knee surgery – even by the Boston Celtics – and that’s understandable.
After all, the surgery has yet to take place, and that’s an important factor with regard to this procedure.
The team announced Friday afternoon that Irving will undergo a “minimally invasive procedure to alleviate irritation in his left knee.” The press release concluded by stating that the team would have no further comment until after the procedure has been performed.
The team is sticking to its guns in that sense.
Brad Stevens is the man who will be tasked with revealing information to the media, but as he said at Friday morning’s shootaround, there’s nothing to reveal at this point.
“Nothing more than what was put out,” Stevens replied to the initial question about Irving’s surgery. “Obviously he’s going to go through that tomorrow, and then we’ll know more after that.”
The team’s stance is conservative because, as with any surgery, it is unknown what will be discovered once the doctors actually go into the knee. Stevens alluded to this Friday morning by saying Irving’s timetable for a return “could be very dependent on how [the surgery] goes.”
However, the term “minimally invasive” suggests that the procedure will be minor and that Irving will be able to return to the team this season. That’s the hope and belief of the players on Boston’s team, who learned of the impending surgery shortly before speaking to the media Friday morning.
“We just found out about it a couple of minutes ago, so we don’t really know the full extent of it,” said Shane Larkin, whose role has increased while Irving has been sidelined. “We just hope that whatever it is, he can come back this year and help us in the Playoffs.”
Al Horford, who also confided that he had just learned of the news, also holds a hopeful yet cautious view of Irving’s situation.
“The one thing that we hope is that he’s able to do whatever he needs to get healthy and feeling well,” said Horford. “We need Kyrie to be playing the best possible way that he can, at the highest level, and we just hope that he gets back quickly. But we don’t know how these things can go.”
In other words, Horford is hopeful that Irving will soon return to the lineup, but he understands that surgeries and their impending recoveries can be unpredictable.
One thing that is predictable is that the Celtics have done and will do everything in their power to help Irving return to full health. Stevens reiterated multiple times Friday morning that Irving’s health – not his availability for this season’s playoff run – is what’s most important.
“We talked on the phone last night for a while and – he’s a competitive guy,” Stevens said. “He doesn’t want to miss a game, but at the end of the day, his health is the most important thing.”
As it stands, Irving and the Celtics, though optimistic, aren’t certain of where the All-Star point guard’s health will stand following Saturday’s minimally invasive surgery. Come Saturday, however, they should have all the answers to the most important questions surrounding Irving’s immediate future.