Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors: LeBron James Loses Hope on Kyrie Irving's Return; JR Smith, Tristan Thompson Take on Role

By Mitch de Leon
Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving (AP)

The Cleveland Cavaliers incurred their second straight loss in the hands of the Detroit Pistons. Garnering a final score of 104-99, the LeBron James failed to take advantage of the strengths of his teammates and to execute the supposedly foolproof strategies of coach David Blatt. Apart from these concerns, the Cleveland Cavaliers are missing one key player: Kyrie Irving.

"I have a date, but I'm not sharing it with anybody," said Irving in an interview with Slam Online, referring to his widely anticipated return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He added, "I'm looking forward to being back with my teammates soon, and just doing everything possible to get back on the court. That's the most important thing right now."

Irving suffered a shoulder injury last NBA season. Although reports of his recovery have been making the headlines, the Cleveland Cavaliers have yet to see his actual return to the court. While LeBron had been initially optimistic about the return of Irving, it looks like the uncertainty of the injured player's future is taking a toll on King James. Sources claimed that the former Miami Heat star is now viewing an NBA season sans Irving - a move that would see the emergence of other basketball players eventually.

For his part, Irving appears to be struggling not only physically but also emotionally and psychologically. According to the injured NBA star, his helplessness in the sidelines is aggravating and frustrating him as of late.

He said, "The hardest thing is not being there for your teammates, and them playing. It's tough watching from the sidelines." Irving went on to share, "But you just learn a lot of patience, and your competitive drive never goes away. If anything it's strengthened. The only thing is, you don't want to rush back or do anything that'll put you in a worse place. For me it's just about being patient, doing everything I can to be back on the court."

Meanwhile, Tristan Thompson provided his two cents on the reason behind the continuing losses of the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to the Canadian basketball star, he and his teammates are not playing tough enough against their competitors.

"We're playing soft," Thompson said via ESPN after the loss of the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Detroit Pistons. He added, "Guys are coming in -- either on the road or [in our building] -- and teams think they can beat up on us, and that's not acceptable. We got to play tougher and meaner, and that's on the bigs, first and foremost." 

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