Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge believes Kyrie Irving may need to undergo another surgery
What's the story?
Boston Celtics general manager and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge had an interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich (H/T Masslive) on Thursday and commented on Kyrie Irving's ongoing knee soreness issues. As per him, the Celtics' marquee man may need to undergo surgery though he didn't specify any timeline for the point guard going under the knife.
In case you didn't know...
Irving has been suffering from knee soreness in his left leg which has kept the point guard in and out of the Celtics team this season. His playing time was cut short in Boston's 97-99 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday and he also missed the Celtics' game against bitter rivals Washington Wizards last night.
The heart of the matter
Danny Ainge mentioned that when the Boston Celtics signed him, they knew that he wasn't a player who could play all the 82 games in the regular season. Therefore, they are being extra cautious with him as they want Irving to be fresh and ready to go for the postseason.
"We knew coming into this year that he probably wasn't going to be an 82-game guy. He was going to be a 72-, 75-game guy in order to keep him fresh for the playoffs."
Ainge went on to say that Irving may most likely have to undergo another injury to follow up on the one he had back in 2015 as a player of the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, he thinks it is not needed right away.
"He has some surgery that may need to happen. But maybe not this summer. Maybe the following summer or maybe the summer after that. I think that he could probably do it any time he wanted, but I'm not sure that it's needed at this moment."
Irving leads the Celtics in scoring having recorded 24.4 points per game and also averages a franchise-high 5.1 assists. He is undoubtedly Boston's best player and crucial to their NBA title quest.
What's next?
Irving's last game came against the Pacers where he played only 15 minutes before retiring. However, the Celtics are confident that it is only tendonitis and nothing serious to fret about.
With the second seed in the Eastern Conference virtually wrapped up and the Celtics trailing the Toronto Raptors by a massive 4.5 games, Boston may go ahead and give Irving an extended period of rest so that he can be completely fit for the playoffs.
Author's take
Kyrie Irving is the face of Boston Celtics right now. They will be hoping that the knee soreness doesn't linger and that Irving can return to full fitness soon enough.
Gordon Hayward will most likely return from his injury by the beginning of next season and that is when Irving can go for surgery provided he wants to.