Kerry Wood…The Tribe Years
May 18, 2012Box Score: Marlins 3, Indians 2
May 18, 2012In a recent post-Rookie of the Year interview with a member of GQ Magazine’s on-line blog, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving shed some light on his goals both on and off of the court. He offered some thoughts on movies to watch — mostly musicals — as well as “saying no” when it comes to NBA players notoriously spending all of their money; Irving has a mandatory savings account in which a portion of his salary is locked up where it cannot be accessed.
But most importantly, at least to fans of the Cavaliers, the notion that another first-overall pick will not love and leave.
“[Leaving the Cavs has] never crossed my mind,” said Irving when asked if he has considered “LeBron-ing.”
I’m just trying to get things going again for ClevelandI want to make the playoffs,” said Irving. “Also, be a part of a special team where I can say, “Wow, I played with that guy, and that guy.”
While he thinks that James will not only win a championship this season but two more in the future, Irving steps up and says that he will have two rings of his own before his career comes to an end. Why?
“Because I’m Kyrie.”
[Related: From Introvert to Accolades, the Kyrie Irving Story Adds Another Chapter]
24 Comments
Easy to say now obviously and I don’t even know if i believe myself when I say this but I would rather start a franchise with this kid than the last kid we drafted #1
Honest list of who in the NBA you would want to build your future franchise around:
1) You know who
2) Kevin Durant (could maybe be #1)
3) Kyrie Irving???
With D Rose’s blown ACL, Dwight’s image implosion and CP3’s reduction in explosiveness after his knees, who do you take before Kyrie? There is a pretty legitimate argument for our guy at #3
Apparently you mean ‘build with’ not ‘build around. OKC built with Durant, and we tried to build around you-know-who. Miami is trying to buy rings ala the Yankees of the NBA with you-know-who, Brittle Bosh, and Crybaby Wade.
there can be an argument in a couple years. Irving’s defense isn’t there yet.
I think ‘at this moment’ the list looks like:
1. Durant
2. LeBron
3. Chris Paul – he just makes ‘everyone’ better.
4. Westbrook – best 2way PG
—huge dropoff—-
Dwight – back injury on a big man is trouble
Wade – his style/body won’t likely age well
Rose – obviously knee injury is worrisome for his style
Kobe/Duncan/Garnett/Dirk/Nash – just too old
Tony Parker – interesting. he is limited on defense, but unlimited on offense.
Kevin Love – I just get this nagging feeling he’s a bit hype. I mean, the Twolves did have talent and he does limit them on defense and they finished under .500. Belongs in the discussion for sure though.
Al Jefferson / Marc Gasol / L.Aldridge – great big men that can contribute on both ends. Hibbert might get into this group next year.
Irving – right now below all of the above IMO (ahead of the ‘old’ guys if you tihnk long-term). but, has every opportunity of rising quickly
Speaking of the NBA…
The Pacers are sure to send the Heat packing now, as they have Mike in Indy’s screwjob to avenge.
I just don’t trust Westbrook yet for some reason. Obviously defensively he is a monster, and offensively fills it up most games. He just has too many of those 2 for 15 nights where he shoots OKC out of games (one of the reasons I am thinking SA over OKC).
As far as “cornerstone franchise player” I agree with you about guys like Kobe, Duncan, Wade ect being better this year. I think if you are looking at the next decade, you may take Kyrie over some of those guys.
I did space K Love (but he doesn’t beat Kyrie by much) and appreciate you throwing Marc in there. Little Bro Gasol is my sneaky pick for “favorite player to watch” in the NBA.
Also CP3 is amazing, maybe I got hung up on watching him lay an egg the other night against SA. I’d prob still take him 3 and put Kyrie 4. I don’t think I’d take Parker over him though. Kyrie’s numbers are already right there and he’s a rook. I’d but Big AL and Aldridge in that group too (although this could be because it’s been so long since I watched Aldridge).
i think it’s all about how you phrase that question. if you say you need 10yrs, it eliminates 1/2 the guys and pushes Kyrie over some of the others too (CP3 and Wade among the younger guys could age quickly)
if you just say building block for a franchise, then I view that as a 5year window (think Celtics Big-3). in that case, you might still eliminate the old guys (Kobe line above) and Rose/Dwight injuries might play into it more (let’s say they aren’t totally right for 2 years from today).
Parker vs. Irving is the most intriguing to me. Parker does so much more on the offensive end of the floor. I think he leads the league in ‘hockey’ assists (SA passes the ball as well as anyone) as he’s their instigator. But, Irving has such a higher ceiling on the defensive end of the floor, is already an offensive force, and is younger (should escalate quicker). It’d be a tough choice.
Aldridge is basically a tough-guy version of Chris Bosh. And I mean that in a good way. I love watching him.
speaking of favorite non-Cav teams to watch. I ended up picking the Grizzlies, Blazers, Pacers, 76ers as my non-Cav picks for the NBA online package this past year (already get SA, Houston, Dallas locally – plenty of OKC, LAL, Miami on national games).
Couldn’t have been happier with my selections though I very rarely watched Philly. It’s just painful (Brand is a black-hole, Evan thinks he’s a goto scorer and isn’t, Iggy is great at defense but hasn’t figured out how to utilize his athleticism on offense).
and on Portland, Batum is a beast. i laugh when people suggest someone stealing him away. Portland will match any offer on him. he’s ridiculous.
1. Lebron – I think the “clutch” thing is a narrative that we are overblowing here. Put him on your team and your guaranteed 50 wins the next 5-8 years.
2. Durant – This is really 1A, but I give Bron the edge for his defense and versatility.
3. CP3 – The rest of that Clippers team isn’t very good. Huge difference maker
4. Kevin Love – Beast. Nobody sees him in Minnesota, but he’s an absolute stud.
Then you get into Westbrook/Dwight/Rose – Talented young players who have the ability to be great, but questions with attitude or ability, or both (Dwight). I think Westbrook is the best out of this group, because I’m not sure the concerns about his attitude are valid. It’s just because he’s playing with Durant, and you have 2 alpha dogs. I can’t believe I said Westbrook over Dwight and Rose. Can’t imagine that a year ago.
Tony Parker – Great player, but hard to judge a PG who’s played with Duncan his whole career
Rondo – Best player all year for the Celtics. Scoring’s an issue but he’s a triple double machine.
This is where you can start talking about Kyrie. He’s in with the Marc Gasol/Bynum group in my opinion. Al Jefferson and Lamarcus would be on a tier just below them, and I’d take LMA over Big Al.
I’ll throw another name in. Anthony Davis. It’s been said before, but if he’s healthy his floor is Marcus Camby, and his ceiling is in the Duncan or KG. I’d have to imagine you’d trade just about anybody after the Russ/Dwight/Rose group for him right now.
First off it’s funny that Melo hasn’t been mentioned and not because I disagree.
Considering where the Cavs are right this moment in this rebuild I don’t know if I would trade Kyrie for anyone (besides Durant). I think he has the makings of a rare breed in the NBA, a low maintenance superstar. Maybe I’m naive but he just doesn’t seem capable of the power plays that we’ve seen recently from the Team USA clique. Atleast mentally he reminds me more of Tim Duncan, Durant, and Derek Rose. They all were all world talents and allowed their franchises flexibility by committing to them long term. Having that assurance and flexibility to build the right way is the only way to get it right in our market.
Not to add any fuel to the ‘You-Know-Who back to Cleveland’ fire….but did anyone else notice Kyrie state that not only would Kyrie get two rings, but that You-Know-Who would get two more in the future?
You-Know-Who will never be back in Cleveland. Gilbert won’t allow it, and I’m sure the Cavs would see it as a negative impact on their rebuilding.
In all fairness, just because he says he has never thought about leaving Cleveland, doesn’t mean he never will. I believe we need to enjoy what we have now, and not worry about something down the road!
You have to give Westbrook a lot of credit for how he has developed as an NBA player. I think a lot of the reason I don’t trust him/hold my breath every time he pulls up for a jumper at the free throw line is last years playoffs, he is looking a lot more efficient this year. I remember posting on here a couple weeks ago how excited I’d be if Kyrie played with Team USA, Russell Westbrook is basically the reason why.
Rondo is a funny one. Do the Celtics lead the league in assisted baskets because of Rondo, because of Doc, or both? I guess you could say the same thing for Parker and Pop. I worry about Rondo’s limitations offensively and Parkers defensively (not to say Kyrie isn’t a nightmare defensively right now). I’m also super curious about how these guys perform outside their system.
Both you and ‘bode talked me out of Kyrie at 3, I think I basically agree with your 1-4. After that you are in the “everyone has an opinion” range. Rose would have been top 5 before the knee as well.
Davis is an exciting one. C’mon Nick Gilbert!!!!
Me and my roommate had our slate as Cavs, Grizz, T-Wolves, then we couldn’t decide between Dallas, OKC, Indiana, Clipshow and OKC so we just pony’d up and got the whole NBA package lol. I would say I watched the Grizz the most, aside from the Cavs of course.
I have a Marc Gasol man crush and love watching Rudy Gay when he is doing him thing. Too bad about the Z-Bo injury. I’d argue Grizz are one of those “If you like basketball you like this team” groups. Pre-injury T-Wolves were pretty fun too.
As far as Parker vs Irving, I think it’s a time will tell thing. I could see our guy being as good as pre-knees Paul one day (ie top 5 player in the league). I could also see him being a guy who fills it up, turns the ball over a bit much and struggles defensively.
If I was sitting in an NBA draft war-room with all players available, on the “5 year plan” and the clock was ticking down. My gut says Kyrie before Parker.
Aldridge was also on track to be in Top 5 big in league discussions before he got hurt. Poor guy. Another poster boy for “What a year with Coach K and Team USA can do for you” thing
not so sure about the Twolves. didn’t see enough of them, but the no-defense (pretty much whole team) and forced passes (rubio) turned me off.
the Grizz, Pacers, and Spurs share the ball, move it around and play old school basketball that takes advantage of the current rules. love it.
not so sure about the Twolves. didn’t see enough of them, but the no-defense (pretty much whole team) and forced passes (rubio) turned me off.
the Grizz, Pacers, and Spurs share the ball, move it around and play old school basketball that takes advantage of the current rules. love it.
that sounds fair. and so true about Aldridge.
that sounds fair. and so true about Aldridge.
agree on Rose. Davis is interesting (but with skinny bigs, I expect a choppier transition that most seem to).
Rondo is an enigma. I just can’t believe that on a team without all those scoring options that he would be even a consideration. I mean teams are still following the Mike Brown method of ignoring him completely. Let him get his triple-double while blanketing the rest of the team.
Pops on Parker is a valid point. That offense is so efficient that it probably elevates him more than on another team. Possibly your trump card on Kyrie over Parker.
Cool Article on Pop’s bread and butter offense:
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/42873/the-san-antonio-spurs-arent-boring
It is truly a thing of beauty
Cool Article on Pop’s bread and butter offense:
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/42873/the-san-antonio-spurs-arent-boring
It is truly a thing of beauty
a player wants money,championships,and playing time. with an owner thats great like dan gilbert that will pay top dollar,an organzation from top all the way through ready to do what ever it takes,and a coach in coach scott who knows how important your players are all the way through the roster for a deep and great young and hungry team with the deepest and best rotation in the nba.we were on the way of building that and making a push for the playoffs just this past year ,with a very deep team. then we had alot of injuries and fell out and forced to trade pg rammon sessions,breaking up the youngest and the best pg combination,one two punch in the nba. when that was rolling we had an exciting team all the way through from 10 to 12 deep ,playing great. also a team can play two pg’s the same time and even start them ,depending on the players and the roster which lineups play best together,examples 1- what the clippers tryed to do with pg chris paul and pg billups or could do what the cavs did example 2- pg’s/ irving and sessions split squads they meshed best together and split the game down to have everyone well rested,running,and out playing the other teams. also other examples of other positions would be as such-a position player with a strength with a weakness and/-playing with a player who has a weakness but a position of strength would mesh together and help each other out as a team being great. examples- thompson and varejeo are high energy guys,rebound well,hustle,relentless,hard working underneath great motors and strength pounding the glass but weakness is high scoring. if you added other biggs”- with those two-” who the other two have high scoring with a strong strength who could rebound some but not his or there’s biggest strength but can try and does decent but add a thompson or varejae with them they mesh and a strong team unit.(old example big z scoring at center with big ben rebounding and defence and motor meshed well together) the next couple years we have draft choices and chances to have more draft choices. you also have cap space but need to spend smart and on young and talented players who could mesh and make us a great team. many diffrent options,also addition by subtraction,along with team greatness included but could help cavs draft standings with chances of the lakers and kings pick(anything is possible and can happen).also remember some players i list were playing out of there true natural position with there old team and the most glaring one would be scoring guard 6’6” 220 pound 22 year old sg tyreke evans from kings playing sf or pg everywhere but along side a great point guard who could feed him the ball and set him up or let him take over. also young 24 year old 7 foot 265 pound center in just coming off his third season in which he didn’t play many games do to a freak injury which hurt his numbers and who can score great and has great days rebounding and days were he can improve but young players with expeirence and coaching can and will improve in young center brook lopez who the nets won’t sign him to a big contract because the want to try to sign deron williams and dwight howard,there loss is our gain because he is younger then howard and center brook lopez playing along side pf varejae or thompson would mesh and make each other better and would out duel howard who would be older and out numbered underneath. also pg ramon sessions could be signed back,because lackers won’t break the bank for him and we know how the young 26 year old 6’3” 190 pound guard pg/or even sg can do for us. also an option like a billubs but younger for us would be pg playing sg 27 year old 6’3” 209 pound all-star deron williams. other option is a young shooting guard who never got the proper chance to develope or oppurtunity to flourish and never had a chance to play along side great pg play like i’m suggesting in irving,sessions and or williams in young and talented who will prove himself at 24 years old 6’4” 210 pound o.j. mayo starting or coming off the bench playing alot of minutes would mesh great with our young core. also a player who could be signed to take a flyer on to see if he could come back healthy and sign a -player and team friendly- contract so he can prove that he is the player everyone touted him to be coming out of college at 24 years of age seven foot 285 pound former number one pick center greg oden. he has leg issues but is young and can still over come the problems and can come back healthy and show everyone he is one of the best young big men in the game today. he can get healthy ,improve,and mesh with a high energy guy like thompson or varegeo. we took a chance with an older player with leg problems with a contract simmialr or close even with former boston celtic forward leon powe(if it works out steal of a life time,worth a chance). some players could be out signed or trade for,along with everything starting wednesday after 8:00 p.m. when the cleveland cavs win the 2012 nba lottery and take sf/pf anthony davis who is skilled enough scoring,blocking shots,defence,shooting,running,and is fast and very quick with feet and arms and hands and angles to play sf like larry nance did with hot-rod but is way more athletic and can jump even higher then nance could,handle the ball better and has a great touch on his shots and very skilled passer who is only 18 years of sge who still can get stronger and better every day,and is also great around the basket as well in which gives cavs a big advantage with a big lineup meshing great together. now after that there is no way to ever know if you will have another chance to draft that high again to draft your third guy to develope with irving and davis to make your own young big three but with a bench and depth on our team meshing great together. so you could package picks i mean as many as it takes and if needed future number one’s of coarse for a move up and get pf thomas robinson,sg bradely beal,sg austin rivers. thats where teams can go wrong,there stuck being good but not great and can’t get high enough in the draft to add a super star and no team wants to trade with you to make you better because they want your player or players-so you need to make your move when you have a window,remember if not for injuries we were making a playoff push and would of held on to pg sessions and wouldnd’t of had this chance to draft this high. next year we will be even better and be a play off team,so this draft is most important and you can build it right this year and beyond but this draft is very important not just for our number one pick over all in sf anthony davis but adding to our team with more talent this year when we have a chance. we are not selling to players we are building. no! we are selling and showing players we are done building and are the next young big three,the next young thunder squad but combined meshing together all the way through as a team,we are better and are going to win multi championships now and for years to come!!!!!!!