Kyrie Irving should expect nothing but love when he finally plays in Cleveland again.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love told The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn last week he’s sure fans at Quicken Loans Arena will give the Boston Celtics point guard a warm welcome whenever he finally plays there again.
Irving has appeared on the Cavs’ court just once since they traded him to the Celtics, but the Cavs decided against giving him the NBA-standard video tribute following the gruesome injury Gordon Hayward suffered on opening night of the 2017-18 season. Injuries and rest requirements of his own prevented Irving from playing in last season’s Cavs-Celtics Eastern Conference Finals series as well as the teams’ two regular-season meetings in 2018-19.
Much time has passed since the Cavs traded Irving to the Celtics, but Love believes fans in Cleveland haven’t forgotten his six years of service to the team or the thrill of their 2015-16 NBA championship.
“It is odd,” Love said, per Washburn. “This is nothing against anybody not coming back, or Kyrie for that matter, but I know that as his former teammate and as a friend of his, I love him.
“Signing back on with the city of Cleveland, what, this is my fifth year now, will be heading into my sixth next year, this is a great city. The fans are going to support you.
“And when he does come back, they’re going to embrace it and they’re going to support him. So, I know he’s been hurt, I know he’s been gearing up for the playoffs, as he should, and getting his body right and his mind right for that, but whenever he comes back I know for a fact that we and the whole city and the state of Ohio and everybody who remembers him from 2016, that big shot, it will be all love.”
Whether Irving returns to Cleveland as a Celtics player remains to be seen. He’s expected to opt out of his contract after this season and test free agency this offseason. Speculation is rampant he’ll leave Boston, with the latest rumors linking him to the Brooklyn Nets or New York Knicks.
Nevertheless, wherever Irving lands, he’ll always be a part of the Cavs’ lore.
