Perhaps significantly, (Kyrie) Irving has proven fragile before. He played only 11 games in his only season at Duke after suffering a toe injury. He returned in time to play well in the NCAA Tournament and allay doubts about the toe.

Irving missed three games after he banged his head against the knee of (Dwyane) Wade in a fall during a game against the Heat last season. He missed a total of 10 more games after spraining his right shoulder in a collision with Milwaukee’s Ersan Ilyasova. Irving said it was the same shoulder he had injured as a sophomore in high school. He did not play in 15 of 66 games overall, two of them by coach’s decision, and was on the inactive list twice.

It doesn’t mean Irving is going to prove fragile throughout his career. Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ career appeared to be over because of recurring foot problems. Then a medical miracle restored him to the lineup, and he became the franchise’s all-time leader in games played. Still, this is not an event with Irving, it’s a trend.

via Bill Livingston of The Cleveland Plain Dealer