Kyrie Irving has been showing glimpses of his old self which should be a good sign for Cleveland Cavaliers fans. The best part is that "Uncle Drew" is doing it even on restricted minutes which all the more draws cheers from Cavs fans.
Speaking of restricted minutes, it seems head coach David Blatt has forgotten all about that. Lately Irving has been logging in an average of 26 minutes more or less which in all could be a big risk, considering Irving is coming off a sensitive knee cap surgery which he sustained back in the last NBA Finals.
The kicker is this – Blatt plans to lift the minutes restriction and give Irving his full playing time back. From the looks of it, the sophomore coach feels that Irving is good to go, although the games where he will be playing will still be managed.
This means that Irving will be sitting out some games, the same approach that the team has applied on other stars such as LeBron James and Kevin Love. The Cavs have learned their lesson from last season, and keeping their key players healthy and in form for the post-season wars is the utmost priority.
With Irving getting his spot back, it will also mean that two guards holding up the fort could be seeing a dip in their playing minutes — Matthew Delladedova and Mo Williams.
The two conspired to fill up the void of a recuperating Irving earlier on, although it wouldn't be surprising if the two would be seen playing alongside Irving as well.
The three guards are flexible as pointed out by James via Cleveland.com. This means that there is a chance that the two or all three of them could end up taking the court together, possibly another rendition of a small ball lineup.
With the approach reaping dividends for the Golden State Warriors, the Cavs could likely follow the philosophy as well, something most NBA teams seem to be trying out these days.
