Kyrie Irving has been dealing with a right knee strain since originally suffering the injury last Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
However, despite being out of the lineup for the past week, Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge considers Irving "very close" to returning to the court and could play in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte, which wouldn't bother the team.
"I don't know what he's going to do, but I think Kyrie is very, very close [to a return]," Ainge said. "Honestly, I don't really have any preference at all for what he does. I understand how he could actually benefit from having a really good workout.
Ainge did reiterate that the Celtics have a physical therapist and trainer with Irving in Charlotte to help him continue his rehabilitation. As long as Irving is healthy enough to play in the All-Star Game, the franchise doesn't have a problem with him suiting up.
"I totally trust Kyrie that he will not play if he's not healthy," Ainge said. "I have all the trust in him in his decisions on that. Like, he would only do it if he's 100 percent healthy."
Irving was selected as one of the Eastern Conference starters before being selected by LeBron James in the draft process for the game. Despite being banged up, it sounds like there's a decent chance that he'll play on Sunday.
The organization doesn't seem bothered by Irving thinking about playing in the annual star-studded event. His teammates certainly appear to be completely on board if he ends up suiting up.
"If he plays, then I'll be excited to see one of my teammates out there representing us and doing his thing," Marcus Smart said. "I don't see how anyone could have any problem with that."
The next 24 hours will be very telling in terms of where Irving is in his recovery and if he'll be ready to go when the Celtics resume their schedule next week.
