It was called "Toe Watch" initially as a joke—but now it seems the injury that Duke freshman point guard Kyrie Irving suffered Saturday is serious business.
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced today that Irving will be out indefinitely while receiving treatment for the injury. No timetable has been given for his return.
“Kyrie is going to miss an undetermined amount of time with the toe injury,” Krzyzewski said in a statement. “Our medical staff will continue to monitor the recovery process and he will return to action once it has sufficiently healed. Kyrie is an outstanding player and we are confident that he will bounce back from this setback.”
Irving suffered a sprained toe against Butler in East Rutherford, N.J., and he has worn a walking boot since then. The freshman was initially listed in day-to-day condition, according to associate sports information director Matt Plizga. But whether he played tonight became less likely when associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski told The Chronicle last night that he didn't think Irving would play Wednesday.
Now, there is no word on when the freshman—who is averaging 17.4 points per game while shooting 53 percent from the floor—will be back.
Toe injuries can become major problems for players. Many ACC fans remember Ty Lawson's toe injury late in the 2008-09 season, which hobbled the point guard and kept him out of the ACC Tournament. It is unknown, though, if Irving's injury in any way resembles Lawson's.
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