TORONTO – It has been 11 days since Kyrie Irving underwent a “minimally invasive procedure” to address the soreness he was experiencing in his left knee.
Following the procedure on March 24, the Celtics revealed it involved the removal of a tension wire left from the surgery Irving had performed in 2015 when he suffered a left kneecap fracture in the 2015 NBA Finals.
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“That’s a very good sign that that’s what the surgery was about,” said Dr. Chris Chihlas, an orthopedic specialist with Southcoast Health. “If it was just irritation to his patella tendon and he was having patella tendinitis, not kneecap trouble, then taking the wire out should completely fix that.”
Dr. Chihlas explained the purpose of the wire.
“So, when the kneecap breaks, think if you split a piece of wood and it splits in two pieces and you wrap a rope around it to keep the two pieces together,” Dr. Chihlas said. “So that wrap around...it just squeezes the fracture together like a lasso.”
He added, “the wire is put in there to be just for a temporary period of time to hold the pieces together while the body heals the fracture. So the body kind of glues them back together, like any fracture heals together. Then the wires are extra; you don’t need it anymore.”
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Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said the procedure Irving underwent should not have an adverse effect on his career going forward.
Boston Celtics
“When I say it shouldn’t affect his career, I’m saying his knee is very structurally sound,” Ainge told 98.5 the Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich show last week. “It isn’t like a long-term thing.”
Which is great news for the Celtics who, while not trying to rush Irving back too soon, are eager to get their leading scorer back on the floor with an anticipation that he won’t be ready to go at the start of the playoffs.
Stevens recently indicated that the guys currently playing are the ones that he’ll lean on to start the postseason.
“So, we’ll see when those guys are able to possibly get back on the court,” said Stevens, referring to Irving and Marcus Smart (right thumb). We’re focused on this group on the court, right now. This is the group that’s gonna have to do that.”
Irving, 26, has appeared in 60 games this season and averaged 24.4 points, 5.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.