Kyrie Irving will feel Varejao's loss, pick up slack for Cavaliers

Delayed by a 161-day lockout, this NBA season has been far from pretty. Not only has the quality of play taken a hit with jump shots looking rusty and teams way out of sync, but the injury-bug has hurt teams all around the league. But in this young season the Cleveland Cavaliers, until last Friday, had been taking advantage of these post-lockout effects.

Thanks to the work stoppage that spanned from July 1 to Dec. 8, the start of the NBA season, which is usually scheduled for the week of Halloween, was pushed back nearly two months to Christmas Day. The length of training camp was cut in half, and offseason team activities were prohibited. This meant that not only could teams not work out and train together, but that ailing players were not able to have access to their team's normally year-round medical staffs.

And the effects are being seen across the league.

The shortened training camp has taken its toll on the offenses of many teams around the league, as teams scored an average of just 94.2 points per game in January, the first month of the season, which was the lowest average for any month since March 2004.

Injuries have also been prevalent around the league as star players have been going down at an astonishing pace, with the likes of 2011 MVP Derrick Rose of the Bulls, Miami's Dwyane Wade, Boston's Rajon Rondo, and San Antonio's Manu Ginobili all missing significant time in the early-going. And that's just the tip of the iceberg as dozens of big-name players have hit the injury report for extended time.

While the shortened training camp and injury rash appeared to be affecting older teams such as the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, the Cavs seemed to be benefiting from the lockout.

A team comprised of a great deal of young players and just a few veterans, the Cavaliers' youthful legs have given them advantages in many games this year.

With rookie point guard Kyrie Irving continuing his rapid progress, leading the team in scoring with 18 points a game, and veteran center Anderson Varejao having a career season averaging 10.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, along with solid contributions from many unsung players, the Cavs have played better than anyone, including fans in Cleveland, anticipated.

Coach Byron Scott's run-and-gun offense keeps the tempo up in an effort to beat the defense down the floor for easy buckets, as opposed to running a traditional half-court offense. This style of offensive attack, which many older teams shy away from so as not to wear on their veteran-laden rosters, has evened the playing field somewhat for the undersized Cavaliers.

Coming off a huge home win over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 4, the team sat at 9-13, half a game behind Milwaukee for eighth place in the Eastern Conference and riding high.

But the ugly effects of the lockout proved too much for the Cavaliers to escape, as three nights later, Irving suffered a concussion in a loss to the Heat that would lead to him missing three games. And then Friday night, the Cavaliers suffered a devastating blow as Varejao fractured his wrist in a loss to Milwaukee that could sideline the big man for six weeks or more.

Now sitting at 10-16 and in 10th in the East, the Cavs will welcome back Irving in their Wednesday home game against Indiana, and he will be feeling the pressure of Varejao's injury. The loss of Varejao, the league's leading offensive rebounder, is a huge blow for a team without many big names, though it will show a lot of what this team is made of.

The pressure of the Varejao injury will fall squarely on the shoulders of Irving, but if what he has shown thus far is an indicator of what's to come, then the Cavs will remain in the thick of things, vying for that last playoff spot in the East.

So don't close the books on the season just yet, Cavs fans, because the Kyrie Irving show is about to begin.