Kyrie Irving Requests Trade Away From Cavaliers
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July 22, 2017Usually, Friday afternoons are filled with happiness and relaxation because it’s (finally) the weekend. This Friday has turned into something quite different. When the news broke that Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving requested a trade, my mood instantly shifted from happy to sad. I know, it’s just a sport, but it’s something that I’m very, very passionate about. In a rollercoaster of an offseason that has been filled with many more valleys than peaks, this is by far the lowest it has been. This is potentially the biggest news to hit the Cavaliers since LeBron James announced that he was coming home three years ago.
Irving brought arguably the biggest moment in Cleveland sports history by hitting The Shot, but this news is still tough. And if (and potentially when) he is traded, that day’s going to be tough as well. Whether it was his strange theory that the Earth is flat, portraying Uncle Drew, or everything he brought to the Cavs, he was a special part of the the wine and gold, especially in the last three years after James returned. It’s just strange that he would request a trade now, just over five weeks after the Warriors beat the Cavs in Game 5 to win the Finals, and a little over four weeks after it was announced that David Griffin wouldn’t be return as the Cavs general manager. I get it if he requested a trade next summer if James were to leave the Cavs for another team, but why now? The Cavs are still the best team in the East and are in the driver’s seat to have yet another rematch with the Warriors in the Finals for the fourth summer in a row.
If he would have requested a trade prior to the NBA Draft, Jimmy Butler or Paul George could potentially be Cavaliers right now. Instead, those two players have gone onto new teams, and now nobody knows who the Cavs will get in return for the 25-year-old who still has three years left on his five-year, $94.3 million contract, the final year of which is a player option. They can still get quite a bit of talent in return for Irving, but that doesn’t change the fact that he will no longer be a Cavalier, and asked to be traded at such a weird time during the offseason.
I get if he wants to be the top player on his team, but how could you not want to play with the best basketball player in the world, one that could quite possibly be the best player to ever play the game. Irving seems to have quite an ego, but James has taken him under his wing, and because of that, No. 2 has improved both on and off the court.
When Irving signed his extension to remain in Cleveland in 2014 just prior to James rejoining the Cavs, he mentioned that he was excited to be able to lead his team for the foreseeable future.
I’m here for the long haul Cleveland!!! and I’m ecstatic!! Super excited and blessed to be here and apart of something special.#ClevelandKID
— Kyrie Irving (@KyrieIrving) July 1, 2014
Little did he know, that same summer, he would find out that he wouldn’t in fact be leading the Cavs, let alone be the best player on the team. Now, those comments seem to all make sense.
Even without Irving, Cleveland could still win the East and that doesn’t even take into account the player(s) the Cavs would give in exchange for Irving. But, it’s not about winning the East anymore. What’s the point of playing for second? The main objective now is to stop the juggernaut Golden State Warriors. Losing a player like Irving could be a huge blow to the chances next season.
If the Cavs get a player (or two) of significance in return for Irving, I won’t be as sad as I currently am. But, there was just something special about Kyrie that made him be arguably my favorite Cavs player not named LeBron James. Yeah, maybe part of it was because I own three pairs of his shoes (because of their looks and price), but it’s more than that. Watching him play fascinates me. What he does with the basketball is incredible (and somehow legal). Arguably the best below-the-rim finisher in the NBA, he does things that I’ve never seen before.
While there’s a slim chance that he could (somehow) remain a Cav and be donning the wine and gold next season, it doesn’t seem likely at this point. Then again, after Kobe Bryant asked to be traded away from the Lakers, he went on to win two more championships. Nothing is impossible, but Irving as a member of the Cavaliers next season seems a bit far-fetched.
Although I am disappointed, no matter what happens with the future of the Cavs and specifically Irving, June 19, 2016 will never be taken away from Cleveland fans, and for that I am forever grateful.
19 Comments
The timing really is odd if the reason he’s giving is true. If it was simply a matter of wanting to be “the man”, just wait a year and see if LeBron does, in fact, leave. If so, you’re clearly the number one guy (apologies to Love, but he’s not an alpha) for the team you started with in a town that loves you for The Shot, plus you have that mega-extension coming down the line soon as well. In the meantime, you have the best shot of beating the Warriors that any East team can hope for, so why not go all-in one last time? If James decides he does want to stay a year from now, and being the top dog truly is that important to you, then make your push for the trade. My point: it seems like there are things going on that aren’t being mentioned. The FO mess? Dan Gilbert? Not fond of the tweaks made to the logo and unis? No idea. But it just feels like there’s more going on here.
As for the teams he’s partial to:
San Antonio – best organization in the league, but you don’t go there to be the The Man. That franchise is renowned for being bigger than any one person. Plus you’re jumping head first into the Battle Royale that will be the West. I can see the attraction, but not for the reason Kyrie is giving for wanting out of Cleveland.
Miami – SOUTH BEACH! Yes, fine, it’s more glamorous. And the appeal of Riley as the ringmaster is reasonable. They have some intriguing pieces, including Waiters Island!! And the East is the East. This one makes some sense.
New York – Porzingis (assuming he doesn’t have to be shipped out for Kyrie)? The Garden? Bright lights, big city? Also in the East? That’s about all I’ve got for this one.
Minnesota: looks fun on paper, depending on what they’d have to give up in return. Definitely becomes the face of the franchise there, potential to be their best ever. But there’s that pesky “the West will be a merciless death march” thing.
(Why isn’t Milwaukee on his list? That team is young and athletic. Sweet new unis and logo, new arena, safely in the East. If Minnesota is on the list, Milwaukee absolutely should be.)
I regret that I’m unable to type my comments about Kyrie and his fragile ego in Comic Sans.
I will never, ever understand the kind of thinking that a player would rather have his ego stroked than win games.
KI is my fav cav. With the game on the line you put it in his hand not Lebron. lebron will pull up for a jumper and miss or try to drive and get hammered for a no call. lebron is in the declining years and he should be recognizing this and start playing the role of “I can do 30%” instead of “I can do it all watch this”
So did he really tell players to stay away from Cleveland then? What a bizarre off season.
Wouldn’t he also be competing with Kawhi for the title of “The Man” right?
And with Butler and Wiggins in Minny?
There are only truly a few “Men” in the NBA. LeBron is obviously one of them. But they exist in other places, too.
It’s remarkable to me how many people are automatically taking LeBron James’ side on this. Playing with him is probably a nightmare…you’re not sure of who to listen to, Assistant Coach Lue shouting from the sideline, or Head Coach James shouting at you on the court. Knowing that if you lose, it’s either going to be you or your teammate Kevin Love who gets thrown under the bus.
Kyrie Irving might just want some real coaching. I’d want to play with Pop too. He probably remembers himself getting a lot better under David Blatt, actually starting to play some defense as he knew where to position himself, and had a coach that was a few pay grades above, “I’ll drive to the hoop, then…if they’re THERE, I’ll KICK it out for a THREE!!”, as a strategist.
A friend of mine mentioned that “The whole team just sounds like abuse victims”. I would agree with that. They will take lesser positions, lesser pay, just to be away from it all. The narrative about all this, 10-15 years from now after LeBron James is retired and incapable of retaliation, will be telling.
Kyrie Irving would be ADORED in NYC. They love their point guards there.
They went to the Finals 3 straight years and won when LeBron returned. I don’t recall any former Cavs or Heat players not wanting to play with him. Yes, he can be frustrating to deal with, but the guy wins.
No competition in San Antonio–Kawhi is THE Man there, and well-suited for it as his ego doesn’t appear to need much in the way of stroking. Butler didn’t even come to mind for me in Minny (which may betray my view on the idea of Butler being one of those “Men”), and Wiggins is still too young and developing to know if he’ll get there, so that spot makes at least some sense.
And still, I wonder why he doesn’t just wait for LBJ to leave after next season (I’ve resigned myself to that outcome) and seize the reins here.
lol, so nostalgia for the genius coaching of David Blatt caused this situation. Points for originality at least
Maybe he believes LeBron intends to retire in Cleveland so his wait would be 3-5+ years.
New York is out if he’s looking to be The Man: Melo wouldn’t let him take it from him. Heck, he didn’t even let Porzingas take it from him, even though Porzingas has played better than Melo.
My assumption is that Melo would be part of the exchange for Kyrie, both for team banana boat and for the exact reason you mention.
Possibly. It just seems a bit more logical to give it this season, then see what LeBron does and go from there. Woj had an interesting article on the four letter though that mentioned Kyrie with two years remaining is a more attractive trade target than if he is in his final year, which would make the timing of this more reasonable.
Maybe not for Blatt specifically (ok definitely not Blatt specifically), but for a coach who is more of a coach than the star player’s buddy. His wish list does include Thibs and Pop, after all.
Perhaps….but Kyrie’s actions don’t exactly imply someone seeking more discipline. Such a bizarre and unfortunate situation
Maybe he secretly still hates Delly
“Definitely becomes the face of the franchise [in Minnesota], potential to be their best ever”
Don’t diss KG like that… come on man.
At the moment, everything that Kyrie Irving “said” is speculation.
Did anyone hear the Richard Jefferson interview? I think that was some of the best insight yet. Yes, the Cavs won a championship, but they play sh!t basketball that is mind-numbing to watch. Kyrie probably sees the Spurs, Warriors and Celts, real teams that actually play basketball, and probably thinks that is interesting and wants to learn more. He caught some of it during David Blatt’s tenure, but it was all too quick, as Blatt probably asked LeBron to practice free throws. It would have been all over after that.
Again, the actual story will come out…or maybe not, as we have no idea why LeBron was shooting free throws with his wrong hand, in that series that he threw, back in the day. BUT, I am not going 100% Lebbie on this one. The team is a mess, and I’d want out too.