More than halfway into the 2017-18 NBA season, a new report emerged about Kyrie Irving threatening knee surgery to force the Cleveland Cavaliers to trade him during the offseason. With the Cavaliers losing seven of their last nine games as they prepare for the Indiana Pacers, the timing was rather interesting.
As the Boston Celtics have the best record in the Eastern Conference at 35-14, Irving responded to the controversial report according to Jay King of Mass Live:
Kyrie Irving said the report that he threatened surgery was not true. Asked about claim he needs surgery, said it "sounds like a Hipaa violation."
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) January 26, 2018
With Irving thriving in a new role with Boston, the same cannot be said for Cleveland. After a 5-7 start and 13-game winning streak, the thought process was it would take time to implement the new players as Isaiah Thomas recovered from his hip injury.
Although the Cavaliers have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference at 27-19, they are not playing at the same level that propelled them to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances against the Golden State Warriors. While there is still time to turn it around, the two major concerns are age and defense.
With the oldest and the worst defensive rating team in the league, it will be interesting to see if the Cavaliers ultimately make a move for DeAndre Jordan or George Hill. As the Cavaliers deal with an uncertain future with LeBron James' upcoming free agency, the Celtics have set themselves up well for not only the present but the future.
Along with James and Irving teaming up again for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, their third and final regular season matchup takes place on Feb. 11 in Boston.
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