The rehabilitation of Kyrie Irving from a fractured kneecap is going smoothly, but he is almost certainly not going to be ready for the Cleveland Cavaliers' opener on Oct. 27.

Irving could remain out until January.

Irving underwent surgery in early June with an expected recovery time of three to four months.

The Cavaliers want to bring him back slowly without risking a setback, with the goal of being at full strength entering the playoffs.

Joel Embiid underwent surgery last week on his foot and the public timetable is five to eight months.

But the internal timeline is longer and even Sam Hinkie has ruled out Embiid for the entire 15-16 season.

"Talking to my sources, they want to see him return around October – not this October, but the next October, for that season," said Keith Pompey. "And he may not even return for the start of that season. He may miss a couple games. But that’s their goal."

Wesley Matthews expects to be in the Dallas Mavericks' lineup for opening night.

Matthews is returning from a ruptured Achilles heel and signed with the Mavericks in free agency.

Kobe Bryant resumed practice shooting, posting Saturday on his Instagram: "First day back on the court shooting! Bout Damn time!! #shoulderrecovery #20thseason #drinkbodyarmor #lakers."

Bryant suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder in January.

After undergoing surgery, Bryant was gradually able to get back into the gym.

Kevon Looney underwent a successful right hip arthroscopy on Thursday morning to repair a torn labrum. 

The procedure was performed by renowned Steadman Clinic orthopaedic surgeon and hip specialist Dr. Marc Philippon at the Vail Valley Surgery Center in Vail, Colorado.

Looney will begin rehabilitation from the surgery immediately and is expected to be out a minimum of four-to-six months before returning to basketball activity.

Looney was the 30th overall pick by the Golden State Warriors out of UCLA.

“Kevon has his entire NBA career ahead of him and we felt that, in consultation with our medical staff, Kevon and his representatives, it was best to address the issue now,” said Bob Myers. “He will have our complete support throughout the rehabilitation process and we are confident he will make a full recovery.”

Joel Embiid underwent a bone graft procedure of the navicular bone at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City on Tuesday.

"Everyone involved – our organization, Joel, and his agent Darren Matsubara of Wasserman Media Group – worked diligently to assemble this highly sought after group of professionals. The goal was simple: Provide the best possible care for Joel to maximize his opportunity for a long and successful NBA career," said Sam Hinkie in a statement.

Associate Attending Orthopedic Surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery Dr. Martin O'Malley led the surgery.

"Visual inspection suggested good vascularity of the bone. We replaced the two existing screws and performed a bone graft of the site using bone from his hip," said O'Malley.

“We were able to identify that bone's integrity was even better than expected and has been put in a great position to support full recovery. 

"The entire procedure lasted approximately three hours and there were no complications.”

Joel Embiid will have a second surgery on his right foot Tuesday, according to sources.

Embiid is expected to miss the entire 2015-16 season.

Embiid was the No. 3 overall selection in the 2014 NBA draft and missed his rookie season after having surgery in June 2014 to repair a stress fracture in the foot.

Embiid last played with the University of Kansas during the 2013-14 season.

Kevin Durant elected to undergo a third surgery on his right foot on March 31st to end his 14-15 season when they found severe damage.

"It had a crack in it," Durant said.   

Durant also confirmed the extensive measures taken in that last surgery to give him the greatest chance to widen the bone and avoid his foot faltering again.

Durant used a controversial bone-graft material that is not FDA approved for use in the foot to promote greater bone growth this time. It mandated a longer recovery time in part because of an additional procedure to protect against overgrowth of bone.

"They stuffed some bone-graft thing in, and they pasted over the top of the area. That healed up in a couple of weeks," Durant said. "But then they stuck something else in there just to smooth it out and make sure it was thick. They did a lot."

It was surprising that Durant suffered a fracture again after he had been healing.

"I got like an extra layer of bone on the side of my foot that they put in there," he said. "That's why it took longer to heal. Keep it firm. I could've gone another route with surgery. That was the longest, and that was the safest."

Robert Klapper, a Los Angeles orthopedic surgeon who was not involved in Durant's case, equated the steps taken in Durant's third surgery to "putting a belt on his pants—and suspenders."

Klapper said that after a year of healing, the fifth metatarsal in Durant's right foot should have greater integrity than ever before.

"There is no reason why Kevin Durant should not be like the Lopez twins (Brook and Robin), Pau Gasol, Michael Jordan and many other folks who've had metatarsal fractures and gone back and played and never had a problem again," Klapper said. "The data supports that he should come back stronger and should never have a problem with this again.

"That's the answer that you have to give. But nobody knows for sure."

The Philadelphia 76ers remain secretive over the impending surgery of Joel Embiid.

On June 13 the team released a statement that said, in part, "Joel and Sixers personnel traveled to Los Angeles for a series of routine exams. During his visit, a standard CT scan on Joel's right foot revealed less healing than anticipated at this point." Then on July 11, after it was reported that Embiid would miss the season due to another surgery, the team came out with a statement acknowledging such, and said that surgery would take place "in 7 to 10 days."

There is still no word if or when Embiid will undergo surgery.

The Daily News reported Embiid had rebroken the navicular bone in his foot, which was the reason for the second surgery and why the team announced he would be sidelined for the upcoming season.

The Utah Jazz have confirmed that Dante Exum suffered a torn ACL.

Exum suffered a left knee injury on Aug. 4 while competing for the Australian National Team in a game against the Slovenian National Team in Ljubljana, Slovenia. After returning to Salt Lake City, he underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at University of Utah Health Care’s Orthopaedic Center this morning. Following the examination, Jazz physicians Dr. Travis Maak and Dr. David Petron determined that Exum sustained a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.

“First and foremost, our overriding concern is with Danté and his long-term health,” said Dennis Lindsey. “We are continuing to work closely with our medical staff, Danté and his representation in order to reach an accurate diagnosis and recommended treatment so that we can provide him with the best possible care. We all know how hard he will work to make a full recovery and look forward to his return to play.”