Kyrie Irving misses Saturday practice due to knee injury

On Saturday morning the Cavaliers went back to work, practicing in Cleveland in preparation for their upcoming series with the Atlanta Hawks. Noticeably absent from team drills was Kyrie Irving, who has been dealing with knee and foot injuries. While Irving was adamant after Thursday night's series clinching win over the Bulls that he would be ready for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the All-Star guard sat out today's practice.

#Cavs G Kyrie Irving (knee) did not practice today. He could rest up until Game 1.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 16, 2015

This is smart, of course. There's no reason to push Irving. One of the benefits of avoiding a Game 7 with the Bulls is a bit more time for Irving to try and get right. Even so, it's not clear that he will be ready to go on Wednesday night, regardless of whether he suits up. It's incredibly likely that Irving plays, but the Cavs will need him to be effective. The margin for error continues to get smaller for the Cavs.