Irving expected to miss a month with shoulder injury

Kyrie Irving massages his shoulder after injuring it in a fall Sunday against the Toronto Raptors. Irving sprained his AC joint and is expected to miss about a month, although he could miss the rest of the season.(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)

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Kyrie Irving is expected to miss 3 to 4 weeks and could miss the rest of the season with an AC sprain in his left shoulder. There are just 5 1/2 weeks left in the season.

Irving was injured in the third quarter Sunday when he crashed into Toronto Raptors rookie Jonas Valanciunas while driving to the basket. Irving stayed in the game long enough to shoot a pair of one-handed free throws, but had difficulty moving the shoulder. 

Cavs coach Byron Scott didn't want to speculate whether Irving has played his final game this season.

"We'll have to wait until this completely heals and go from there," Scott said. "

Irving's injury list continues to grow. He missed 15 games to injuries and illness last season and has already missed 14 games this season, with the potential of missing the final 19 as well.

Since the Cavs drafted him No. 1 overall in 2011, Irving has suffered a concussion, a fractured wrist, injured both shoulders, hyperextended his knee and fractured a finger. He also broke a bone in his jaw this season, but played through the injury without missing a game thanks to a protective mask. 

Scott continues to insist he isn't concerned over Irving's lengthy injury history. Even before the latest injury, the two spoke about Irving getting in the weight room this summer and making a concerted effort to get stronger.

"He's still very young. His body hasn't fully developed," Scott said. "I'm just not that concerned about it. All the injuries that he's gotten have been legitimate injuries. It's not something that keeps recurring over and over. From what I saw last night with the hip check, it was just an unfortunate foul that him him right on the spot. I'm not concerned about it right now."

The Cavs have an open spot on their 15-man roster and could look to bring in another point guard. For now, Shaun Livingston will start and Dion Waiters will serve as his backup. The injury creates a spot for Daniel Gibson to return to the rotation, Scott said.