Cleveland Cavaliers rookie guard Kyrie Irving, the likely Rookie of the Year, will miss a week to 10 days – and maybe the rest of the season – with an aggravated shoulder injury, the team announced Wednesday.
Irving suffered a sprained and bruised shoulder Friday vs. Milwaukee and sat out Saturday’s loss to New York. He returned to action Tuesday vs. San Antonio and had 13 points and five assists but took another shot to the shoulder.
On Wednesday, Irving did not travel with the team, undergoing an MRI and further tests from Cavs team physician Dr. Richard Parker. He will have rest, treatment and rehab over the next week or so.
Before Wednesday’s game at Milwaukee, Cavs coach Byron Scott said Irving may be shut down for the rest of the season.
The top overall pick in last year’s draft, Irving is averaging 18.8 and 5.7 assists while shooting nearly 47 percent from the field. He also is shooting 41 percent from 3-point range.
Earlier this season, Irving and Minnesota guard Ricky Rubio were dueling for top rookie honors before Rubio went down with a torn ACL.
There really doesn’t seem to be any serious threat to Irving’s chances of winning Rookie of the Year, although Sacramento Kings guard Isaiah Thomas has won the last two Rookie of the Month honors for the Western Conference.